“Definitely,” I tell him.
“Safe travels, guys, it’s been a blast. I’m back off to bed before these fuckers arrive. Don’t forget pictures in the group chat,” he reminds me as he stumbles back to his room.
“I’m going to miss him,” I tell Charlie as we step outside.
“I know. Didn’t think I could find someone to match your energy, but we did,” Charlie teases as we walk down the stairs, trying not to slip on the ice.
The electric taxi whisks us down to the station, where people in matching ski outfits bustle everywhere. The Glacier Express sits on the track like some shiny red beast with panoramic windows stretching almost to the roof. We climb aboard to discover plush seats, massive windows, mood lighting, and atiny snowflake-embossed menu with the words‘Excellence Class Menu’printed on it.
“Charlie, did you upgrade us?” I gasp.
“I may have.”
“This is too much.” I gasp at him.
“You think the champagne and five-course menu is too much?” He grins.
“When you put it like that.” I smirk.
“Look, it’s your first time here, and I wanted to make it special for you, for us,” he tells me, guiding us to our seats.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy it, babe, it’s going to be spectacular.”
I’m so excited.
The train pulls out of Zermatt, gliding smoothly as the village slips away behind us. Snowy forests rush past. Icicles dangle from cliffs. The valleys open wide and dramatic.
Charlie leans back in his seat. “Worth the early morning?”
“Absolutely yes,” I whisper, forehead pressed to the window.
A waiter appears with white tablecloths, which he places on our pull-out tables.
“Lunch service will begin shortly,” he says in a thick Swiss German accent.
I look at Charlie. “We’re being tablecloth-ed. On a train.”
He smirks. “Don’t cry.”
But I might.
Hours pass in a golden haze of valleys, snowy rooftops, frozen waterfalls, and slow bends that make the whole landscape look like a postcard being gently turned.
Charlie has his arm around me. My head rests on his shoulder. The waiter brings chocolate. Then hot tea. Then more chocolate. I don’t say no to any of it.
At one point, we go over a bridge so high I nearly scream.
“Oh my god.” I gasp, gripping Charlie’s thigh.
“Baby, we’re fine.” He laughs.
“We’re in the sky. This is a sky bridge.”
“It’s a normal bridge.”
“For giants maybe!”
