Day 25 - Zermatt/Bern

We decided that before leaving town, we should see more of Zermatt. We took a short hike to an area called the Gornerschlut which is this huge crevasse that has a boardwalk built in it so you can walk over the rushing water. Hard to describe but it was cool. On the way back to town we passed by some locals washing the sheep as there is to be a "sheep beauty pageant" tomorrow. We checked out the "old town" which was a small street of old wooden structures and walked through the graveyard for those that had lost their lives climbing the Matterhorn. We got a big sandwich to share on the train ride to Bern. Did a little window shopping on our stroll down Main Street and hopped on the train to head towards Bern. Got to the base of the mountain and switched trains in Visp. When we boarded, we tried to find seats in our appropriate (second class) section. There were none available on the car we were on due to a group boarding later so the "conductor" told us to go sit in First Class. Nice! Once in Bern we located our accommodations, got our free city transportation card and we were off to explore. The old town is an UNESCO Wold Hertiage Site, the city was founded in 1191 and the first gate was built. We walked through the gate and saw the Zytglogge, a clock, dating back to the 15th century. We Meandered through the streets checking out stores and the occasional old church. We made a short visit to the Bear park. It's a small area on a hillside that encloses three bears. They didn't look happy. After a bit more walking we saw a bus going toward our hotel so we ran to catch it. We found our dinner at the grocery store as our place has a nice kitchen to use. With some city knowledge, we have devised a plan to see the whole city tomorrow.

Day 24 - Zermatt II

After a good breakfast, a day of hiking was planned for today. It was our coolest morning of the trip so we pulled on our sweaters and then took the Gornergratbahn railway way up in the mountains to start our walk today (about 3000 meters). Dramatic views with more than 20 peaks of over 4000 meters. We left the crowds at the rail station and started our seven-hour descent. We stopped at a glacier pond to take photos and had a picnic with the Matterhorn in the background. We finally made it to some technical trails after lunch which was fun and down to the raging river and then took a swinging bridge over it. Just after three, we arrived at a small village and had a great big ice cream treat. After, we continued our walk back to Zermatt. Once bathed we decided we should try the cheese fondue that Switerzerland is famous for. So after some research, we decided to seek our our dining location. Our first choice was not available as a tour group took the entire dining room. So we went to our back-up. It was a well decorated place with much ambience (and fairly quiet). But as for the fondue, let's just say we're not impressed. 

Day 23 - Zermatt

Said goodbye to Vevey. Hopped on a train for Zermatt. Upon our arrival we quickly found a quiet spot for lunch. We were able to check in to our accommodations early and drop our stuff off and head out on a hike. We rode a funiclur and then a gondola up the mountain to start our walk. We hiked three hours back to Zermatt with almost constant views of the Matterhorn and going by several lakes. 

Day 22 - Vevey

We bid Geneva goodbye and took the 9:00 a.m. train to Vevey, a town on the east side of Lake Geneva. To put it simply: we love Vevey. It is split up very specifically between the new town and the old city. We spent most of our time in the old historic part. A fairly quiet village with beautiful views of the Fench Alps along Lake Geneva. We found our hotel but it was too early to check in so they let us ditch our bags. We took a leisurely stroll around the old town. We picked up lunch at a burrito place. The owner said it was the first Mexican restaurant in the region (who knows?) but he was friendly and we got a great burrito that we ate on a park bench at the waterfront on a beautiful afternoon. Our chocolate tour/tasting/education was at Laderach Chocolatier, a family run business since 1962 that oversees the entire chocolate making process from beginning to end. There are farms in South American, Africa, and Indonisia that supply the beans directly to Laderach, and once they arrive in Switzerland the company begins to process the beans into chocolate treats. We learned about the process of taking the beans and turning them into cocoa butter and cocoa paste. Then we learned the process of making dark, milk and white chocolate. We tasted each and then tasted chocolate made from single origin beans. We also sampled some special chocolates made that have flavors representing different geographical areas as well as some that had thematic significance. We had the pleasure of making our own chocolate cows using molds. It was lots of fun. We have very nice accommodations tonight with our own bathroom. We had a simple dinner of salad and pasta purchased at the store and finished with a dessert of eating Ed's chocolate cow. Took an evening stroll around town. The sights were lovely and the smells intoxicating. 

Day 21 - Geneva

Did not get a very good night's sleep but, we were not to be deterred. Breakfast provided by the hotel was sufficient to propel us on our way. A bit overcast and few spits of rain but nothing a rainjacket couldn't remedy. We had scoped out a number of things we might do but we found that most museums were closed on Monday so that cut our list down a bit. We wanted to go to the United Nations and a botanical garden nearby it. Many hotels in Switzerland provide passes to use the city transportation so we took advantage of that to start our day. Unless we paid for a tour, we wouldn't see much at the UN but we did see all the flags that line the entrance. We Found the botanical garden and it turned out to be a diamond in the rough. There was no entrance fee and it was very nice. Hardly anyone there so quite peaceful. An oasis in the city. After that, we hopped on the first bus we could find and got to a spot somewhat near our hotel where we found a good espresso stop (Boréal). Then we headed back to our room where we regrouped before hopping a tram (think modern cable car) towards a part of the city where we were planning lunch. Along the ride, we had a small hiccup when our tram hit a construction barrier and became stuck. We were near our stop so we got out and walked. For lunch, Joan had discovered another "Best of" restaurant, Cafe Des Négocients. When we arrived we were briefly shocked as the gentleman told us they were booked for lunch! But we were happy to find we could eat at a nice spot at the bar. We both had the Plat du Jour which was a broiled fish (Perch) with spinach and jasmine rice. Extremely tasty!  Next up was our chocolate touring we planned as the museums were closed. We visited six shops in the Old Town and we each got one small chocolate at each. Our favorite shop was Chocolatiere Stettler. We also saw the Horloge Fleurie, a clock within a flower garden. After a bit of searching, we also found another famous clock, Horloge du Passage Malbuisson. It was hidden in a shopping passageway and it plays tunes on it's many bells as a parade of figurines march beneath it. After all that, we made our way back to our hotel to clean up and then went around the corner to a big "gourmet" grocery store where we put together a nice repas. For evening entertainment, we decided to use our metro pass to see the city at night. Not too exciting, really. Onward!

Day 20 - Allaman to Rolle 5 kilometers (Boat to Geneva!)

A somewhat mixed sleeping night (a late night arrival by a traveler woke us up and kept us awake about an hour around midnight) left Ed a little tired in the morning but not to worry as we planned a short walking day. A bit of breakfast and we started our slow stroll under overcast skies to the town of Rolle. Along the way we enjoyed lake views, vineyards, a few glimpses of Mont Blanc and even crossed paths with a fox! We were shocked to find a great little pâtisserie/coffee shop open on Sunday morning where we had espresso and a fruit tartelette. Indulgent! We arrived in plenty of time to catch a boat to Geneva. We felt the last bit of walking there may not have been very pleasant so we decided to make it a fun journey along Lake Geneva. We visited two French ports along the way. It was quite beautiful. Upon arrival we started maneuvering the streets when out of the blue someone shouts our names. It was two pelerins, Daniel and Danielle from the Czech Republic, that we had met two weeks ago. They had just finished their journey and were taking a bus home today. Next stop the tourist office for a map so we could find our hotel. It isn't much, but it will do for the next couple of nights as we explore Geneva. We dropped our bags and were off to find the Catherdral St. Pierre, which has quite an interesting history, tied to the Reformation. There we received our last stamp in our credencial for this pilgrimage. We started to look for the Reformation Monument when I spotted a restaurant we had scoped out to eat, Chez Ma Cousine. It was touted online as a local favorite with their famous roasted chicken. It was super delicious and reasonably priced. Funny moment: as we ate, a small bird flew in to our table and stole a bone off one of our plates. Afterward, our search continued and along the way we stopped for a giant coffee petit four, also very good. We finally found the wall we had searched for. Old medieval cities are hard to maneuver! Spent the rest of our evening researching Geneva for our day of sightseeing tomorrow. 

Day 19 - Lausanne to Allaman 12 kilometers

We were slow to get up as our walk would be short today. We set out to find breakfast in Lausanne and found a quaint spot, The Blackbird Cafe, and had a very good and different breakfast. Next we wanted to visit the street market which was spread over several streets. We only purchased some mirabelles for a snack. Back to the hotel to pack and head to the boat. Yep, we had decided to take a boat and shorten our walk in half. The ride was smooth but debarcation was shaky, but once off we were in Morges and the town was a buzz. We stopped to find a few lunch supplies and we were on our way. In the next village we stopped in the shade on a bench facing the Lake Geneva to have our lunch break. Great spot. On our way out of town, Ed spotted a small cafe so we stopped for an espresso and he got a chocolate dessert! He had met his daily quota of cheese and chocolate. On our way again, we came to another cute village where we stopped in the church and used the public bathrooms. We continued our walk until we came to a sign that said Allaman 10 minutes this way or 45 minutes straight ahead, well of course we choose the 10 minute route and arrived a Chateau Rochefort (an old family winery) our accommodations. Upon arrival our host, Michel, gave us a cold glass of apple cider from apples grown here. So good! Here a small room has been prepared for pilgrims; two bunk beds, table and chairs, kitchenette, and washroom. A very nice place and a large store call Coops (think Walmart) is about a mile away. Once our chores were done we set out to the store so we could make dinner and get food for breakfast and lunch tomorrow as many places are closed on Sunday. That went pretty well except for the display case the came crashing down on my (Joan's) left foot. A couple store guys came over, but were more concerned about getting the case back together than me. Oh well, just a bruised foot, will see how that goes when I put my shoe on tomorrow. Back at the Chateau we prepared a nice dinner as our host gives a wine tasting outside our window.