Doris was delightful, her doors were always open to us so we could simply wander across the road to use her wifi and bathroom. She also did our washing and drying which is a big deal on the track – it can be a real hassle if you have to carry wet clothes and there is nothing to change into when the day’s walk is over.
At breakfast, after her husband had gone to the farm, we had a lovely interchange with her. Andy has a share in a farm with four others and even though there are differences in character, many good things happen. They can take days off and be together or go away, she said it was nearly perfect.
She talked about a lack of understanding about disabilities in Switzerland until recently. This has resulted in much bullying at school and often parents will remove them from the school system. She has a personal interest in this area and does a lot of work with Aspergers. She also has a book by a Swiss/Australian talking about living with her husband who has this diagnosis.
Soon high up on a mountain, after emerging from a forested Roman path we paused to refresh with the cool breeze. Leni approached us – a small child speaking happily in German. Corrie tried to speak to her in German, while I spoke to her in English. Undaunted, not caring what language we spoke, she took us on a tour of her farm to see her yaks Grossen and Keinan, then on to her camels and llamas. She would have liked to take us further, but other walkers were arriving and we were caught up in much less interesting conversation.
There were two young German women, two others in their 50s and an older German couple, all off to Friborg. They had a bed closer to Friborg so they can dip in to this popular town and then keep going. Accommodation for walkers is rare in this town or very expensive so tomorrow we will sleep on the other side.
A few more climbs, an engaging rocky river, another Roman path and we arrive at our new home. It is a large Swiss house solely for those who choose to walk from village to village. Klaus looks after all our needs as Jak, his beautiful kelpie like dog, keeps quiet company with us. Classical music wafts through this spotless pilger herberge as we do our ‘daily end of walk things’.
While it is dormitory accommodation only, we are the only ones here, so we can move freely through our huge home. A beautiful lounge area with its old chairs on a huge Persian type rug, a fire place and adjoining dining room will be hard to leave tomorrow. But unless you have an injury, the walker rule is, you must look elsewhere for your next bed.