Tumbling water greeted us as this huge stream from the myriad of mountains gathered in the valley beside us. It met us in the lower valleys as it pushed against its banks, slowly eating into them. Further up, streams joined from both sides adding to these raw sounds. It was a long slowly rising slope for the first hour or two, but enough to add to the sweat from hovering cloud humidity, soon fanned by [...]
Breakfast with 5 priests at our table and 6 at another was something I could never have imagined - how could this be? Firstly it is a pilgrimage although you would never know it from my blog, so churches are very supportive of the pilgrims; it is often where you meet other walkers and gather basic information about beds and food etc; and you are assured of a reasonable price. So there you are - [...]
Our last day with Philip who has been great company and very easy to walk and stay with. He will catch a train in the morning to his home in Waalre, Holland, with hope that his daughter has watered the plants. Further down this long valley, becoming narrower as the mountains became increasingly intimate, we began a gentle slope up for some time, something we hadn't been doing for the last few days. Now it [...]
Into a long valley with mountains on all sides, snow strips on the peaks, and down a little, the previously cut grasses now glistening after the recently vacated snow. The mountains coming closer each step as we start to recognise their intimate shapes and clothing. We walked along a km wide valley on a narrow bitumen '2 cars an hour road' between flat grassy paddocks and slightly sloping vineyards. Signs for the track are now [...]
We walked two big days with the two metre Dutchman because the next day, today, we cross Lake Geneva in a very crowded boat. It was strange to not be walking and it felt like a day off until we got to our morning destination - Vevey. The young girl in the tourist office had little knowledge of the Camino until we arrived. Now she knows that the ViaJakobsweg that we've been on until today, [...]
People were everywhere in the streets of this old Swiss village. It's Saturday market day and all ages are setting up stalls from the valley of the village, winding up like a stretched 's' and then flattening out for a long way at the top. We had a very long day ahead so we can't report on the finished product. An older couple were moving out, we know our Swiss friends are sleeping in, so [...]
A long day's walking today and now seeing a few more walkers. We met our first Australian, a woman from Sydney; we had a quick chat. She was married to a Swiss and finding it difficult living away from home. A German man intrigued us with his novel way to travel to Spain - wheeling his bike with his backpack on the seat. We passed through the special hilltop village of Romont. Making sure we [...]
We left without breakfast today because we were hoping to eat with our Dutch friend 10kms down the track. We were also conscious of the fact that he had driven to our meeting town, so he needed a sleep in. Another good walking day, and lots of locals taking advantage of it. Today is a holiday in Switzerland so everyone seemed to be out on the town last night in preparation for a long sleep [...]
Jacques the dog sat on my foot, leaned up against my leg (as many Swiss dogs seem to do), and kept his eyes focussed on the front door. His dad, the retired psychologist owner, was preparing a tasty potato dish with salad and spicy meat balls just for us. Soon, Jacques' focussed front door opened and in came Frieda. Not as loud as the CD but as passionate. All memory of Jacques' imagined love for [...]
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 [...]
