Off The Beaten Path (Part 1)
A Remote Valley in the French-Speaking Region of Switzerland (Day 1)
Since travel is restricted from the USA, I currently have no clients during the pandemic. Since I have no tours to report on, I will share some of my own trips and experiences.
After Switzerland has eased its restrictions, but a few days before borders re-opened, my wife and I decided to take a mini-vacation with our 2 boys (Silas aged almost 3 and Levin aged 5 months). One of the great things about Switzerland is that we have 4 official languages, so with a 2 – 3-hour drive you feel as if you are in a different country. On this trip, we decided to explore one of the more remote valleys in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Here is day 1 of our adventure:
We packed up the car and hit the road around 12:00 and arrived at our cabin around 15:00. Our cabin looked quaint and had a stunning view of the mountains. Another benefit was that one of the local sheep herds would come and graze right in front of our porch. These little wooly guys added a lot of extra entertainment for Silas…and me. 🙂
After unpacking we opened a beer and sat on our porch looking at the mountains and watching the sheep graze in front of our cabin. It was a nice sunny day, and as I kicked my feet up enjoying the scenery with a regional craft beer, I thought “life is good. It doesn’t get any better than this”. Shortly after the thought popped into my head the moment got a little better. On the other side of the RV parked several meters away, we heard the sounds of an alphorn.
My son wanted to investigate. Using him as my excuse, we walked over and on the other side of the RV were 4 people sitting around enjoying a late afternoon drink while a 5th person was playing the alphorn. After introductions were made our new neighbors offered me some Absinth, a botanical liquor that was illegal until the 1990’s in Europe and until 2007 in the USA. I gladly accepted it. My wife eventually joined us, and we had a nice short visit with our neighbors. It is always a unique experience when meeting new people in a multilingual region. We conversed by using a mix of French, German, and English to communicate with each other. It can be difficult at times, but it is amazing how a little alcohol increases your skills in a 2nd language.
After enjoying the Alp hornist for a little while we headed back for apero and dinner on our porch before putting the kids to bed. After the little ones were snuggled away for the night my wife and I relaxed on the porch while watching the sun go down behind the mountains. Our mini-vacation was off to a good start.
To be continued…
* Side Note – Staying in a cabin at one of these campsites is a good way to save money while experiencing Switzerland. They are much cheaper than hotels and air bnb’s. Often times they are centrally located allowing for easy to plan day trips. In addition, having a kitchen saves a lot of money as opposed to eating out for every meal. Begin and end the days with a nice meal on your porch while enjoying the views. For lunches, you have the choice of either packing lunches or choosing a local restaurant to enjoy the local flavor.
** Whether you want a guided tour, or simply want help planning your trip, we can help you find the right location, planning, and making reservations. Often times people from the USA assume some things are “included” which are not “included” in Europe. We help prepare you for these differences and to set appropriate expectations. We help you prepare and navigate your way through cultural and language barriers.