Little Country, Big Adventures
Trip Start
May 03, 2009
1
9
15
Trip End
Jul 30, 2009
Bouveret,
Switzerland
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Get comfortable because this is going to be a long one. While I normally edit for only the highlights, there are too many to name. If you are considering a trip, Switzerland is a really cool country. I mentioned before that it is pricey, but there are definitely tricks to softening the blow while seeing some spectacular places. One of the tricks we used extended the life of our train pass. We have a Eurorail pass for a specific number of days. I knew ahead of time where and when we would be heading, and added 2 'free' days to use towards exploration while in Switzerland. Well, it turns out that if you're not staying in a big city, and you hop on the second class cabin (which in regional rail isn't too different from first class), no one seems to check your ticket. Of course there is always a chance, but we got lucky. That allowed us to use our free days later in the stay and get a little more bang out of the pass
View from tower of Gruyere Castle
.So our first adventure involved taking three trains out to the town of Sion, home to Europe's largest underground lake. We joined a group of Germans, a couple of Dutch, and 2 dogs on a row boat tour into the cavern. There are a few lights which bring out the glow of the crystal clear water, and a few of the rock formations. Trout were also stocked in the lake, but live on a diet of fish chow and are pretty much trapped there to entertain the tourists. The photos of the lake don't do it justice, but hopefully you get the idea. It was pretty cool, even in German. Spelunking along, we took two more trains to the town of St. Maurice. Following the signs for the Fairy Caves, we soon realized we were in for another steep hike. We hauled our cookies up the side of a mountain, past a lovely fort, and finally reached the entrance to the Fairy Caves.... which I am pretty sure inspired the movie Hostel. To visit the Fairy Caves, you are given a plastic covered guide and sent down a long cavern into the mountain. This is the point where I realized that we were not going to look at bioluminescent bugs, but read old fairy stories about from people who lives in the mountain. My mistake. We only saw one other couple, but many interesting geological and man-made formations. After about 30min, the cave opens into a room where water falls into a pool in the middle. Again, not easy to photograph with an automatic, but it was a very beautiful, and I'm happy that nothing tried to grab or eat us along the way.
Our next day out, we pirated two more train rides to the very lovely town of Monteux. There, we rented a car, said a little prayer, and got on the highway. We headed North to the town of Gruyeres, land of many cows and stinky cheese
Underground Lake
. Really... everything smells like cows and cheese, even up on the mountain! We saw some of the traditional equipment used to make cheese old school style: in a massive cauldron over fire. Unfortunately we missed the demo. We headed to the town and decided that we were going to have a proper fondue experience. Now I've had fondue in the states where you get all sorts of fruit and veggies to cook, but this was another story. Imagine you live high in the mountains and can't garden too much, so need things that last and are filling. You get bread with the cheese, and if you want, potatoes, onions, or cornichons (mini-pickles). The waitress kindly explained that the fondues were for one person, so we ordered two and I will never forgive her. Stopher (about to embark on his first fondue) was like a kid in a candy store when that pot o'goo was brought out. It was an obscene amount of hot boiling cheese, bread, and potatoes on a sunny day... we didn't stand a chance, but tried our best to make a dent in it. Feeling fairly sick and horrified at a meal of cheese and bread, we walked up the hill towards the castle. The Gruyere castle has traded hands many times, but is now a tour and art exhibition space. It is very well done, so give it a look if you're in the area. Also next to the castle, is a small museum and bar dedicated to H.R. Geiger, designer of many spooky creatures such as those featured in Alien. You can't miss it... it looks like the 'Aliens' set up shop in The Sound of Music. As our stomachs began to recover a bit, we headed down the hill, to the town of Broc and to the Cailler (aka
First cheese
. Nestle) factory. It's no secret I'm a chocoholic, but after visiting the likes of Theo's in Seattle, I was a little skeptical. If nothing else, I now love Nestle because it provided a reprieve from the cow/cheese aroma. The tour is free and there is a well stocked tasting room, but you sort of feel the need to taste quickly and the pieces are big. I decided to avoid a second wave of nausea and went to the gift shop instead so I could sample leisurely. It is tasty stuff and but after Theo's, Fran's, etc.... no contest. To finish out the day, we drove to the city of Lausanne and met our future home exchangers, Pierrik and Deborah. They actually saved us from a home exchange that fell through at the last minute in the town of Aubonne (between Geneva and Lausanne), so we are grateful to them for that. They're going to be in Indonesia when we come through, so we'll owe them a stay in Seattle. However, they seemed great, the house is beautiful, and for now you can check out a photo of their wiley cat as he tried to escape outside to play. Yes... this is all one day!A day of rest was in order, so we decided to not really do much, but did want to get to a town with a proper grocery. We decided to visit Martigney as it seemed to have some interesting sites (ruins, and a museum dedicated to the St. Bernard). We figured it would inspire a later travel date. Well, several of the roads were blocked and people were walking everywhere, so like everyone else we parked illegally and headed in to check it out. Next thing you know, there are massive, shaggy beasts panting all around us. Capturing their size in a photo was tough, but they were like drooling Shetland ponies. I think this was the point that Stopher threatened to leave me if I didn't stop playing w. the dogs. They were everywhere! As we wandered through town, we came to a street where two men were standing and realized there was a doggie parade approaching us
H.R. Giger Museum
. When I asked the men what was going on, they explained that it was a celebration of all the working dogs of the region.... And it only happens once every FIFTEEN years! Talk about timing. There were St. Bernards, Bernese, White Shepards, hounds, you name it. So, after a little dog worship, the rain kicked in and we kicked it out of town.... We never did find the grocery. The next little adventure was definitely one of the coolest. Ever hear of a funicular? We had not. Imagine a train car that goes straight up the side of a mountain. It's sort of like an open air elevator that runs on a slant. We were in a region called Emossons where we took the world's steepest funicular (at one point 87% grade) up the side of a mountain. I am afraid of heights by the way, so spent the entire ride imagining my escape plan should the cable snap. We took a Disney style choo-choo around the side of the mountain where I graciously offered Stopher the side with the ledge, then a second funicular to the top, where you could look down on the dam, up at the glaciers, or at the restaurant. If not for the clouds, we would have been able to see Mt. Blanc as well. It was actually really cold and windy, so we decided it was time for more fondue... which by the way is much better on cold windy days that involve hiking, and only one order of cheese. The mountains were beautiful. We hiked around, checked out the dam, and eventually got rained back onto the funiculars from hell. Happy to say the cable never snapped!
On our way up the funicular, we were joined by a Swiss couple. I mentioned that I was afraid of heights (it was pretty obvious by the white knuckles), and they told us how the day before they hiked in this gorge over several waterfalls
St. Bernard Festival
. They showed us photos of the little wooden trail, bolted into the side of the rock, hanging over the water. For some reason, we decided this was a good idea and that we should do it too. Thank you Swiss funicular riders! Actually the Gorges Durnard were very cool. Luckily no one else was there, so we could panic in peace, but you really do hang off the side of the rock. There are 14 little falls in all. Our route down was through the woods and on solid ground, and in all only took about an hour. It's a fun visit though not for those who tend to freeze half way up the trail.To finish it all out, we returned the car, and hopped back on the train for a day trip to Geneva. Sadly we weren't able to meet up with Karie, but are hoping to when we come back in July. We mostly just wandered around the lake. It was a beautiful day, the various water fowl were chasing each other all over the place and the iconic water spout was blowing across in the wind. Lake Geneva is a beautiful, clear, turquoise color and as it empties out to continue the Rhone, it really moves! We stopped by the famous flower clock which changes all the time as it is replanted, and saw a free exhibit by the International Red Cross about the effects of war. Pretty depressing, but interesting. Our big highlight was finding a bookstore with some English texts, so we got a new book, and finally headed home.
Switzerland has been quite the experience and we're excited to come back next month. The longer stays in one place are definitely nice. That being said, we've got a short jaunt down to Venice (just 4 days) to see the place, then we're heading to Sweden to visit with friends. Per usual, no idea as to the internet options but we'll post as soon as possible. Enjoy your summers, and all the good weather we've been hearing about. Drop a line when you get a chance. If you don't want to write on the blog, you can always email us directly. Hope you're well and we'll talk to you soon!
-Jamie & Stopher
Comments
Spero che voi gustare la Venezia!
Greetings Jamie and Stopher,
Your adventures in Switzerland sound wonderful!! I am excited to hear that you will visit Venice also. I have been there twice -- once alone and once with my sweetheart -- it's definitely a romantic city and having a sweetheart along is the superior way to visit. You honeymooners will be in good shape!
I never liked geraniums before going there, but you won't be able to miss the fabulous window boxes everywhere, with gorgeously colorful geraniums cascading out and down... and the colors of the buildings are quite spectacular too! Enjoy the sights, sounds, and yes... smells of Venice!! And the tastes and feelings too, of course.
By the way, it is absolutely gorgeous here in Seattle -- sunshine and mild temps... glorious!
Love to you both,
Jamie
Hiya
Hi Jamie!
I'm really enjoying reading through your adventures, it sounds like you're having a lovely time...fondue AND St. Bernard's??!! Who could ask for more? Keep them coming for those of us who are armchair traveling with you!
We're heading off soon on an exotic trip to British Columbia in the van, back in September. Hope to see you back at the Aquarium after we're both back from our voyages!
Cheers,
Brooke