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August 16

Sunday is market day, so we head straight out the door and around the nearest corner into the open market…husband and I can’t resist a market.  And with Eric we buy ingredients for Sunday lunch (because it’s France and we eat lunch!). 

After another wonderful lunch complete with wine from our winery visit the day before, we again take a rest – it’s Sunday and everything is closed.

In the late afternoon, husband joins Alain in his cave-like workshop in the lower part of the building.  Alain has been building Adirondack chairs based on husband’s own hand-built versions on our deck.  There was an impressive hammer that was just a bit too tempting after almost 4 weeks of traveling together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaving the others to their woodworking project, Eric and I went for a long walk along the river Isere and just as the sun was setting, I got some photos of the bridge in the waning light.

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August 17

We take off for the day to visit the area around the Rhone Valley.  Based on Eric and Alain’s recommendation we visit The Tour de Crest, the highest medieval keeps in France.  The hot climb up inside was worth it for these views.

 

Then we found Mirmande – a “plus beau village of France”.  (This list of villages in France is on my bucket list — complete listing HERE).

What is it about ancient stone villages?  Husband and I are just drawn to them. Here’s Mirmande and oui, c’est tres beau, n’est pas?

We got back to Romans in time to take Eric and Alain out to dinner as a small thank you for their hospitality.

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August 18

We depart Romans sur l’Isere and say goodbye for now to Eric and Alain.  They may come back to San Francisco some day, so we hope to see them again.  We head slowly back to Lyon, taking the backroads and enjoying the drive.  Sunflowers fields just gone past their bloom and ready for seed harvesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visit the Abbey of St. Antoine near Valence and as we sat inside the cool Abbey, we were treated to a pipe organ practice which reverberated through our bones.

And, finally a late lunch at an outdoor cafe – it’s France – we eat lunch.

 

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From here on we were in transit, back to Geneva by train and then we flew home early the next morning.

We’re back home now, dealing with laundry, a bit of jet lag and emails.

But we’re left with that weary but happy feeling of having had a great adventure, but glad to be home the land of good showers, ice and your very own bed.

Thanks everyone for reading along.  Now it’s back to books!

August 14

We sadly, pack up to leave Lausanne and take the train into Lyon, France – where we rented a car and drove south to Romans-Sur-l’Isere…why you may ask?  Back in 2011, when we went back East for a family wedding, Eric and Alain had requested a home exchange just for that time.  So they stayed in our home in what is called a non-simultaneous home exchange.  We were happy, as our house was occupied during our trip and someday we would go to their home.  This was the year.

Eric and Alain live in Romans Sur-l’Isere – a stone walled town dating back to the middle ages.  Especially wonderful is that their apartment is on the 2nd floor of the oldest building (actually a hotel) in Romans, built in the 15th century.  The building has a jaw dropping courtyard protected from the street and their home boasts ancient high ceilings and stone walls.   Here they are in front of their apartment and then various photos of their charmingly eccentric home.  (Check out our bedroom with the bed tucked into an old doorway.)

Because Eric and Alain were not traveling we had the pleasure of having them around. We stayed in their guest room and they served us a delicious dinner complete with an apricot crumble that cooled on the courtyard windowsill while we ate.

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August 15

Husband and I go exploring the town but under strict orders to be back by 1pm – because it’s France and we have lunch.  We are also asked to bring back bread, as it must be fresh every day.  The town has a fun clock tower where the man hammers the bell every hour.  There is town artwork which commemorates the towns later role as a major shoe manufacturer (there’s even a shoe museum – we gave it a pass.)

After lunch we were instructed to go and rest – which we did happily – and then in the late afternoon Eric and Allen took us on hike up to a small chapel that overlooked the Rhone River valley.  We ended the day at a local winery.

 

 

Aug 12

Very hot here, so we decide to head up and explore one more ancient little village  — St. Saphron.  It seems to be a little sort of artist community, see the surprise over the fence. Lovely and cool in the town, and as we climbed for a better view we discovered that the vines have now all been covered with netting to prevent the birds from eating all the grapes.

 

We then decide to head for the hills and a tower overlook on top of one the hills here.  We’d gone up there before but didn’t indulge in the great family style cafe at the top.  They are known for their fondue and cream desserts.

So we sat under the awnings enjoying the breezes from up there and had fondue and shared some local rose wine for our Linner.

Linner is our own made up word — like brunch – only lunch+dinner – usually taken in the late afternoon.  Attention all you hard working cooks out there, this is a great way to skip cooking dinner.

 

Finally remembered to take a photo of our apartment building, ours is the second level, far left where the two white awnings are down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note:  This will be the last post for awhile. We leave early Friday morning for the Lyon, France area and won’t have regular access to a computer.  Stay tuned,  I will update Travel Barmy with our last week of photos and stories when we’re back in San Francisco.  Thanks everyone for reading along.

 

 

 

August 11

We decide to visit Annecy, France – which I remember fondly from a business trip to Geneva 15 years ago.  One of my days off, I took the train into Annecy – known as the Venice of France.  Lots of bridges over canals, flowers, parks and lovely little shops.  It was October and I wandered the practically empty streets, did a little shopping and had lunch at a cafe right next to the canal – it was a great day.  I wanted husband to see it, and so we drove over – only 1 1/2 hours from Lausanne.

Well, let me tell you Annecy in August is a whole different animal than in October.  Much to our dismay, it was quite hot and the streets were packed with hordes of wandering tourists.  So we quickly directed ourselves into the back streets and quieter parts.  Still a lovely city and we enjoyed just walking around.  I found a couple of nice shops, we walked through the market, looked in all the bakery windows and enjoyed a plat jour lunch at a very good cafe.  Here are the photos — just ignore all the hot and sweaty tourists who intruded into my carefully composed photos – especially the husband photo-bomb in the last shot.

 

Had a reviving coffee-tea break and headed back home.  Over 90° by the time we bailed at 5 PM.  Nonetheless, a very nice side trip.

 

Saturday morning we woke to steady rain.  So, we did some laundry and hung our clothes to dry on the designated rack under the covered balcony, hoping our things would dry.  (Very few Europeans have or use clothes dryers.  Back home, we purchased a similar clothes drying rack and have started drying outside, when we are able.)  By early afternoon it was still raining — quite hard, so we declared a day off and, verily, it was.  Read, napped, sorted through a mountain of accumulated literature and logged our receipts.  Then as the rain pattered on the windows and we (ok, I)  watched a BBC gardening show (pure delight!), I made dinner. The stove is a challenge, but I managed. A much needed day of rest.

The next day, and still it rained, so we did some local exploring around the lake in the car.  Along the edge of Lake Geneva stand some grand old mansions  — circa early 1900’s.   Many appear to be still privately owned, while others have been transformed into elegant hotels. We had a nice drive, even walked around a bit, despite the constant rain…If only we could ship this sort of slow and steady rain to California!

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Happily, Monday dawned with just sprinkles — we had cabin fever and this 24/7 together can be trying.   We almost skipped out the door and caught our familiar little bus down to the Pully train station and then the train to Chateau Chillon- more info HERE if you’re interested.

A very pleasant train trip along the lake, through the vineyards and Montreaux.  The Chateau was amazing.  Wonderfully curated and interpreted.  The castle dates back to the 11th century but its present appearance dates back to the 13th century.  Chillon is most famous as the prison where François de Bonivard was held for 6 years and the inspiration for Byron’s poem “The Prisoner of Chillon” (note to self, must read once I get home).  Husband was in ancient building/architecture nirvana and explored every inch.  I wandered about content to climb about, looking out the ramparts, visiting the grand hall where the meals were served and watching the other tourists.  Here’s some photographic evidence of our visit.

Retrieved husband from the weapons gallery, where he was intently studying the chain mail and armor…upon coming back to the current century, he decided it was beer o’clock.

We walked down the path from the chateau, hopped back on the train and went into Lausanne to a recommended craft beer pub in old town…Les Brasseurs – photos of one happy husband below (thank goodness they had a decent house wine too).  And then as we were leaving, we saw two young dudes with a 3 liter beer tower with tap right at their own table… husband asked for photos and shook their hands while declaring bravo!

Aug 7

We checked out of our Hotel Eiger (sob) this morning and made our way down the gondola/train to the car.  Husband planned a back road route towards Guyeres — our planned side trip on the way back to our apartment in Lausanne.  Well planned – as the drive took us over the Jaunpass range and through some lovely countryside.

But as we descended down the other side of the pass, it got hotter and hotter.  Soon it was 90+° and the entirely wrong climate for the two admittingly-tourist things we planned 1) a chocolate factory in Broc and 2) a cheese manufacturing plant in outside of Gruyeres.

Steadfast, we carried on but, alarmingly — both were very touristy with buses dropping off hoards of other tourists.  We skipped the chocolate tour* but did take the little cheese tour…pretty lame, we could have saved our CHF’s (Swiss Francs).

Our final destination was the medieval village of Gruyeres  – a fortified town without cars.  We had to park way down the hill, so puffed our way up arriving sweaty and hot.  A really pretty village with plenty of charm, despite the brutal heat.

 

We had a little lunch and refreshment of local-made double cream with fresh berries and meringue cookies.  See how pretty and quite decadent given a pot of fresh local cream.  The last photo is the view from our table as we partook of this delightful treat.

Drove back to Lausanne with the air conditioning on until we reached Lake Geneva and the cool breezes in our apartment up top the hill.  The google map link for our apartment is HERE – zoom out and in to see the Lake and the vineyards – just down the hill.

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*Stupidly, we bought a variety of chocolate bars and thought they would survive buried in our trunk.  But alas, back at the apartment, we discovered we had very soft chocolate.  So, we put them in the fridge for a bit and then tried one later – wonderful!  So apologies to those who may receive chocolate bars gifts – trust us they taste wonderful – they just look a bit rough 🙁 …

 

Aug 5

We decide to go down into Lauterbrunnen today, as husband wants to visit an underground waterfall in some caves down there.  I pass (walking around in dark, damp underground pathways to see a waterfall- yeah, count me out).  So I wandered the town, bought a couple of souvenirs and then collapsed under an umbrella at an outdoor cafe for a mineral water– it was much hotter down in the valley.

Ended up talking with a man who lived down the valley and when we commented on the heat (almost 90°), he told me of the winters here.  Everyone skis every chance they get – even the seniors.  They use snowshoes to get into town.  He tells of the short days and long winter nights where everyone works on indoor projects.  The farmers carve new fence posts for the summer, the women knit, the children carve wooden tableaus for school projects and gifts.  Not many have central heating and usewoodstoves throughout the winter.  But, he reflects that this is a special season, a cozy time with family.  The outdoor winter activities seem to excite them as much as summer ones.

Here are some photos from husbands cave/waterfall expedition.

Later we took the cable car up and hiked a bit around the Grimmelwald area to explore further.  We had fun finding all the places Rick Steves visited on his Switzerland show.  Grimmelwald is his favorite place.  Check out this garden, more cow bells (I know, I know “more cow bell”…don’t think we didn’t chuckle over that old SNL skit – every time we saw cow bells.  But then, we are easily amused).  

The last photo is at the hostel Rick always stays in.  It’s run by an ancient man who still serves coffee and water with a smile.

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Aug 6  (with video – I know — look at us taking video)

Today we planned our most adventuresome hike – the North Face which gives incredible views of the Eiger and the other peaks in the range.  We start early and congratulate ourselves on another great weather day.

We brought our i-phone (a hand me down gift from our friends Jim & Melinda – thanks guys) so husband took a video of our hike today.  Click to view.

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Now some plain old – school photos.

We meet Brenda, the St. Bernard on the way up in the funicular.  Brenda guards the cafe and children’s area up top.   The children love her and she stoically accepts all petting and praise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And off we go, we watch the gondolas while catching our breath and then hold our breathe while going through a herd of cows.  The trail signs are as good (if not better) than road signs.  Very inspiring to see where we’re going and where we’ve been.

What you don’t see are our aching knees, tired feet and sore legs – but we couldn’t be happier.

Got back around 5pm as we were invited to a hotel-hosted champagne party (we booked for 4 nights so I guess we rated).

For our last night, we had reserved dinner at our hotel and having made casual acquaintances with some of the staff we were surprised with some extra treats at our dinner.  Most notably, an introduction to a taste of Raclette   which is — wait for it Mom — melted hot cheese scraped over toasted bread with pickles, potatoes and little condiments.

A perfect ending to our incredible visit to the Alps.

OK one more time BREATHTAKING (3)

 

 

 

Aug 4

After an impressive hotel buffet breakfast (and secreted rolls w/cheese for lunch) we take the funicular up to Allendhubel and hike around the top and then down into Grimmelwald — a tiny village saved from development by declaring themselves an avalanche zone.  And in true independent fashion, the residents of Grimmelwald then petitioned the government to have proper avalanche barriers installed.  So, no development, no avalanches.

Snapping photos even as we walk the upper road in Murren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, yes cow bells are a thing here.  Farmers save the prettiest bells (below) to show off their prize cows, but use every day bells when their herds are out to pasture.  Different tones of the bells designate the ownership of the cows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the funicular up and up to Allendhubel – this photo is of one coming down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful day – did I mention we’re so high (2,000 meters/6,500 ft. today) that the spring wild flowers are still in bloom?  Beyond the breathtaking (2) vistas, as we hike we hear cow bells ringing all around us.  Truly, had to pinch myself.  It’s the Alps – it’s Heidi’s stomping ground.

 

Tired of snow covered mountain vistas are you?

OK, we’ll hike down into Grimmelwald. Up here in the Alps, every house, window box and spare inch of ground is planted with vegetables and flowers – (perennials).  I was told that the Swiss winters are so long and so harsh that the moment the ground softens – the flowers go in.  Such hope and optimism … as come October, snow returns.

On the way down, we see some Eldewiess – it’s Austria’s national flower, but it grows up here too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grimmelwald also has an adorable “honesty shop” (see above).  Filled with old dishes, some tacky souvenirs, ice creams, drinks and some very old postcards.  No one is there, one just leaves the money in an unlocked box. Bought an old, dusty postcard just so I could support such an effort.

We come back up to Murren (from Grimmelwald) via the gondola (our transportation pass is proving invaluable).

Watched the para-gliders for a bit.  Husband gave serious consideration the offered tandem rides, but soon came to his senses  (after I physically swatted him) and will consider such an adventure once home, where we have more accessible medical facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decided to stop at a little cafe in lower Murren for a well-deserved drink.  Notice the sheepskin rugs on the chairs…the temps plummet once the sun goes down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After quick showers (umm heaven) we have a small dinner at a cute little restaurant in Murren and we’re in bed, sound asleep by 9:30.