Five weeks ago today, I returned to Prague after spending a wonderful two weeks accompanying Sybille on her pilgrimage from Prague to Santiago de Compostela, walking with her across Switzerland. Since returning, I have successfully written and posted seven blog posts about our journey together. A big ‘Thank you’ to the faithful few who have left kind and appreciative comments on these recent posts.
The evidence of how far we walked can be seen by state of the soles and heels of my much loved walking boots. In the last couple of days of walking, I did slip slightly in a few muddy places, because of the increasing lack of tread. I also discovered that the waterproof cover, integral to my rucksack, was unfortunately no longer waterproof 🙁 . I have now invested in a new pair of walking boots, though I’ve yet to test them out over any serious distance. And I will buy a new, separate waterproof cover for my rucksack as, despite being twelve years old, it is otherwise still in good order.
Two other major things have happened since returning to Prague. On Tuesday 2nd September, I paid another visit to my dermatologist at Vojenské nemocnice, the Military Hospital. Unfortunately, one Basel Cell Carcinoma (BCC) on the right side of my forehead had, despite numerous treatments with liquid nitrogen, refused to disappear. So we mutually agreed that the only way forward was to have it cut out under local anaesthetic.
What then followed speaks volumes for the efficiency of the Czech Health Service. Armed with a brief report from my dermatologist, I went straight-away to the plastic surgery department in another nearby building. There, without an appointment, the surgeon quickly examined the BCC and promptly gave me an operation date of Wednesday 10th September – just eight days later.
The operation on Wednesday 10th September, despite being under local anaesthetic, was a bit more major than I was expecting. I was grateful that I’d accepted the kind offer of my friend Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz, to accompany me to the hospital. This is how I looked following the operation – Karen being responsible for taking the photograph! Fortunately, when I returned to the hospital the next day for a follow-up visit, the head bandage was replaced by a large sticky plaster which I was able to remove the next day.
The wound was pulled together by six stitches, the last two of which, were only removed on Monday of this week. But the good news is that the histology report, whilst confirming that what was removed was a BCC, also said that it was completely removed – it was clear around the edges. I now have a return visit to the dermatologist booked for the middle of October.
Then on Monday 22nd September, the day I had the last of my stitches removed, came the news that my daughter Christa, had gone into labour with her first child. Later in the evening came word from my son-in-law Ian, that I had become a grandfather for the first time, following the birth of my grandson Finley.
Because of breathing and other difficulties, Finley was immediately taken to the Special Care Baby Unit of the hospital in Northampton. But as this picture below, taken yesterday, shows, Christa and Ian were finally able to hold their newborn son for a short while. The latest news is that they hope to be able to take Finley home this weekend. I’m hoping to meet my grandson for the first time at the end of October when I’m visiting the UK for a few days.
My final two days of walking through Switzerland, accompanying Sybille on her pilgrimage from Prague to Santiago de Compostela, took us through a series of towns and villages that are predominantly home to people who commute to work in Geneva. Whilst the surroundings became increasingly urban, there were still some attractive stretches of countryside in-between settlements.
On the morning of Tuesday 19th August, we left the Pilger Herberge and walked through the town of Gland, passing under the main Lausanne-Geneva railway line by Gland station. Walking along a series of minor roads, we reached Prangins with this delightful Church at the centre of the village and a peaceful outdoor café where we enjoyed a mid-morning coffee.
Prangins then merges with the much larger town of Nyon which we traversed, parallel to the main railway line, before the chemin took us away to the more peaceful surroundings of the Bois Bougy where we found a bench to sit on whilst we ate our picnic lunch.
The next commune we walked through was Céligny, which is clearly aware that it lies on the Chemin de Saint-Jacques as it features five scallop shells on its coat of arms.
From Céligny, the chemin once more entered woods and fields before arriving at the impressive Château de Bossey, home of the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches.
Whilst we couldn’t see inside the main building, the chapel was open to visitors. We both smiled when we saw the bookshelves at the back of the chapel with an amazing variety of liturgical and hymn books in several different languages.
We had hoped to stay that evening in Commugny, about four-and-a-half kilometres on from the Château de Bossey, where there was another family who were listed as accueil jacquaire; people who offered overnight accommodation specifically for pilgrims. Sybille tried phoning their number two or three times during the day, but got no answer. We found the house as we entered Commugny, as it is situated right alongside the chemin. But ringing the door bell also received no reply.
So we walked on another couple of kilometres, into neighbouring Tannay where we stopped at a little shop and café and each had a small beer. Whilst we enjoyed our liquid refreshment, we agreed that we would stay in whatever accommodation we next reached when we walked on. Much to our amusement, immediately around the next corner was Auberge Lion d’Or. Our enquiry about the availability of a room received a positive response. It was expensive, but we both agreed that, as it was to be our last night together for three months, we might as well treat ourselves. So we did!
We also enjoyed a splendid evening meal together on the terrace of the Auberge, where I managed to take this photograph of Sybille, checking out something using her tablet, especially bought for her pilgrimage, to enable her to keep in contact with ‘her world’. It also has a Kindle app to which many books have been downloaded, without adding weight to her rucksack 🙂
Route from Gland to Tannay 19km
Although I did get a slightly askance look when I asked for a third cup of coffee 🙂 , breakfast at Auberge Lion d’Or was otherwise fine. Afterwards, we set out on our final day together, walking from Tannay, through Mies, Versoix, Bellevue and Chambésy, to the hillside village of Pregny where we enjoyed a lunchtime drink sitting on the garden terrace of a bar-restaurant.
We visited the village Church before the chemin thenbegan to descend quite steeply and we had this first view across Lac Léman, of the city of Geneva with its famous fountain.
Our actual entry into Geneva was where we had to walk alongside the main Cantonal road for about a kilometre. Sybille suggested I should pose directly under the sign, just to prove I did get there 🙂
Soon afterwards, the chemin took us from the busy road, through a park, to the side of Lac Léman where we ate a late picnic lunch. Then, after taking in my final view of both the lake and the fountain, we walked to the main railway station. There we said farewell to each other. I went to buy my ticket and catch the train to Bern and then on to Langenthal. Sybille walked on through Geneva to the Swiss – French border, some seven kilometres further away.
After a good night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we bid farewell to the Jordan family and walked the 1.5km back from Ecublens, to St-Sulpice Church, in order to rejoin the Chemin de Saint-Jacques. En-route, we were able buy bread for our picnic lunch. After the rain of the previous afternoon, the morning of Sunday 17th August was fine and sunny. Not that we knew it then, but the previous day’s rain was the last wet weather were to experience whilst walking together.
From St-Sulpice to the larger town of Morges, the Chemin is almost exclusively along the shore of Lac Léman. Just occasionally, the path goes slightly inland, where somebody long ago managed to claim ownership of the lake shore, or to avoid a lakeside yacht club. Whilst we saw no fellow pilgrims, the way was busy with joggers and cyclists, all out for their weekend exercise.
This was our view of Morges as we walked towards the town with the Church on the right and the castle to the left.
We arrived at the town’s Swiss Reformed Church, soon after the end of Sunday morning worship. The congregation were enjoying post-service coffee and biscuits to which we were warmly invited to participate. Several people spoke to us in French and one older gentleman, in fluent English.
This is a view of the interior of the Church. Whilst it is very much in the Protestant tradition with the pulpit centrally placed, it was interesting to see the use of liturgical colours with a green frontal for the Holy Table, (I’d better not call it the altar 🙂 ), and a similar one for the lectern. I think it reflects a greater interest than in the past amongst many Protestants, of valuing and marking the liturgical year. In another Swiss Reformed Church, I saw a chart explaining the traditional colours for the complete liturgical year!
The whole of this day, we had wonderful views across Lac Léman to a snow-covered Mt Blanc. I had great difficulty in choosing which of my many photographs, to use in illustrating this post 🙂
Further along the lake shore, adjacent to the castle, there was a musical fête in progress with various barrel organs playing and in this case, accompanied by a Swiss horn.
This is Morges Castle. Note the yellow waymarking sign, attached to the pole with the tourist information sign.
Soon after walking out of Morges, the Chemin leaves the lake shore for a while before returning once more in the attractive small town of St-Prex where we ate our picnic lunch.
After lunch, the next settlement we walked through was Buchillon where we spotted this sign on the side of a house. Sybille had by then already walked over a thousand kilometres but now she had less than two thousand to go!
By now we were walking through one of the main wine producing areas of Switzerland with south facing slopes going down to the shore of Lac Léman, covered in rows of vines. During our time together, we enjoyed many glasses of Swiss white wine, all of which were most quaffable. You very rarely find bottles of Swiss wine outside of Switzerland itself, no doubt because the Swiss drink it all themselves 😉
Our route also took us across this bridge with the volume of water passing underneath being indicative of the heavy rainfall that Switzerland had experienced in the previous weeks.
Late in the afternoon, the chemin once more passed along the lake shore where there was a bar-restaurant, a couple of kilometres short of the village of Perroy. We stopped for a ‘cool glass of something’ and decided that we ought to start trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. There were a couple of B and B possibilities in Perroy on Sybille’s accommodation list. But when Sybille phoned to enquire, one was fully booked whilst her other call received no answer.
From the bar-restaurant on the lake shore, we walked uphill to the centre of the village of Perroy, and realised from reading various notices and the imposition of temporary parking restrictions, that over that weekend, the village was en-fête. We had arrived in the middle of an event which only happens once every four years – the celebration of the Abbaye de Perroy.
As was explained to us, the Abbaye was formed in the mid-nineteenth century as a local defence force but is now a glorified gun club who hold a shooting competition in August, once every four years, followed by a weekend of celebrations. The most successful shooters get to wear laurel wreaths on their heads and to be accompanied by attractive young ladies, as you can see if you follow this link to the one photograph from this year’s event which is so far up on their website.
We watched this grand parade through the village and were then invited, because we were passing pilgrims, to a reception on the terrace behind the Mairie where we were served complimentary glasses of wine with several varieties of local delicacies to nibble.
Meanwhile, the band played on the terrace. And you cannot beat the view from the terrace! Sybille successfully found the village mayor and asked him if the Mairie had accommodation for pilgrims, as historically had been the custom. No it didn’t was his answer, but he told her that a nearby restaurant had rooms that we could try. However, with the village being en-fête, these were inevitably fully occupied.
So having enjoyed our wine and nibbles, but with nowhere to stay the night in Perroy, we walked on 2km to the edge of the larger town of Rolle. Here there was a campsite – but it didn’t have any cabins to let. Nearby was a sign for a hotel – but it was now defunct. Just as we were trying to decide what on earth to do, Sybille’s phone rang. It was the B and B in Perroy who had picked up on Sybille’s missed call from about three hours earlier. Yes her room was available. So we walked two kilometres back up the hill to Perroy Church, where our hostess picked us up in her car and took us to her home.
After a comfortable night’s sleep and an excellent breakfast, we walked back down the self-same hill we had walked up and down the previous evening, into the town of Rolle. Here once more for a short while, the Chemin was alongside the shore of Lac Léman, and past this splendid castle.
Then it was slightly more inland, through the long village of Bursinel, where this plaque informed us that none other than Winston Churchill had holidayed in the village, only a year after the end of the Second World War.
Around 13.30, we reached the outskirts of the town of Gland. Here we knew there was a Gîte pour pèlerins/Pilger Herberge, specifically for pilgrims which, as you can see, was very clearly signposted. Although we had only walked for half a day, Sybille was keen to stay here. The door was locked, but a notice gave three phone numbers to ring. The third number answered and we were given a numeric code to key in, to open the door.
Once inside, Sybille declared it to be ‘Pilgrim heaven’. As well as a dormitory with eight beds, a shower and a toilet, there was a kitchen with cooking utensils and all necessary plates, cutlery, cups and glasses. There was wifi – the access code was on the noticeboard. But best of all, there was a washing machine and a drying machine.
After we had both showered and changed, we took full advantage of the washing machine. Sybille just wore the bare minimum for the rest of the afternoon – three items of clothing – so she could wash everything else she had with her. We didn’t need the drying machine as there were clothes racks and pegs, with the breeze and the sunshine doing the rest. Whilst our clothes were drying, we walked for twenty minutes to the nearest supermarket and bought things to cook an evening meal, along with appropriate liquid refreshment.
Later in the evening, as she had promised earlier on the phone, the hospitalera arrived to register us and to collect the very reasonable CHF 10 per person for staying overnight, plus CHF 2 for using the washing machine.
After a splendid breakfast provided by Frau Luder at her home near Curtilles, we set out on a grey, but at that point dry, morning, to walk five kilometres along the La Broye valley, to the town of Moudon. As we reached the town centre, it started to rain, so we sought shelter in the Swiss Reformed Church.
As I remarked in reply to a comment on an earlier post, although pilgrimage is not really part of the Swiss Reformed Church tradition, I was many times impressed by the way their Churches which are located on the Jakobsweg/Chemin de Saint-Jacques, seek to make welcome pilgrims who visit them.
Within the choir stalls, St. James could also be found, with a scallop shell on his hat.
After exploring the Church, we realised that the rain was now much heavier. So we made a quick run across the town centre square to a café, where we both enjoyed a Café au lait which we made last as long as possible, in the hope that the rain would stop!
We were successful in our endeavour so that it was dry once more, as we resumed walking. From Moudon, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques climbs upwards over 220 metres on a mixture of minor roads and forest tracks, to the village of Vucherens, where we rested and ate our picnic lunch.
In Vucherens, as in so many places along the Chemin, there were a couple of signs advertising B and B accommodation to passing pilgrims. But it was far too early to stop so we walked on, feeling fairly sure we would find a suitable place to stay, further along the way. But as we walked that afternoon, the weather once more turned rainy and miserable, and signs advertising accommodation were totally absent.
We reached the large village of Montpreveyres where we thought there ought to be somewhere to stay, even though nothing was shown in Sybille’s printed accommodation list. But there was nothing to be had. Leaving Montpreveyres involved walking on or alongside the busy Cantonal road for about 400 metres, before our route took us into the forest where we struggled with very muddy conditions underfoot in several places. Sybille said that they were the worse underfoot conditions she had experienced in the whole of her time walking across Switzerland.
Feeling increasingly wet and tired, we finally reached the edge of Epalinges, which whilst a separate commune, is effectively an outer suburb of Lausanne. We had to walk for at least another forty-five minutes through streets of wealthy suburban houses, until we finally reached a major road intersection. There, on the other side of the roundabout was a bar and hotel. We both agreed, although we knew it would be expensive, which it was, this was where we were going to spend the night. We were tired, we were wet, we had walked 29 kilometres and it was now just gone 19.00 in the evening.
After a large beer in the bar, and a warm shower in our hotel bathroom, Sybille invited me to a nearby restaurant for our evening meal. As with the hotel it was expensive – but the food was good and the house red was very quaffable. After the day we had experienced, we felt we both deserved it!
Route from Curtilles to Epalinges 29km
The next morning unfortunately did not start well. Wanting to recover from our exertions of the previous day and not planning to walk so far that Saturday, we went down to breakfast just after 09.00. What followed was a major struggle have any breakfast at all, despite the fact that breakfast was meant to be served until 10.00.
There was a large group of Chinese tourists staying at the hotel and the one person on duty for breakfast, was more interested in clearing up after the Chinese who were slowly leaving, than he was in making any provision for us. We had to ask for places to be set for us, ask for coffee and cups to drink it from, and so it went on, despite going to speak to the man on the reception desk several times. All I can say is our experience was not a good recommendation for Hotel Union, Epalinges.
At least the weather was fine and sunny as we left the hotel. Despite now being in an urban area, our route did take us initially along a wooded valley and through an attractive park. Soon afterwards, we were rewarded with this view of Lausanne and its Cathedral, with Lac Léman beyond.
When we finally reached the Cathedral, for the first occasion in our time of being on pilgrimage together, we had to cope with quite large numbers of other people being around, a combination of it being the weekend and Lausanne attracting visiting tourists. We explored the Cathedral and then made our way through the main shopping streets before enjoying a small beer sitting outside in the sunshine.
Seeking to walk out of the city centre towards the shore of Lac Léman, we experienced an unusual lack of waymarking. But a combination of Sybille’s German guide and a free street map I picked up from the hotel, got us to the lake shore and the resumption of Route 4 signs. Just before we reached the shore, we passed the HQ of the International Olympic Committee.
The view across Lac Léman was delightful and the weather was warm enough for a few people to be swimming in the lake. For the next few kilometres, the Chemin was alongside the lake or very close to it, eventually taking us from Lausanne, into the neighbouring commune of St-Sulpice. I tempted Sybille to stop for a little further liquid refreshment in a lakeside bar and, as we were drinking, the inevitable happened – it started to rain. We rapidly moved to find shelter under a beer garden umbrella.
Deciding that after the previous day of getting wet and struggling to find accommodation, we didn’t want a repeat experience, Sybille consulted her guide and her accommodation list. One possibility was the Jordan family who were listed as accueil jacquaire, people who offered overnight accommodation specifically for pilgrims, but who were 1.5km off the Chemin in the neighbouring commune of Ecublens.
Sybille phoned the number – the family were at home and said that they loved having pilgrims to stay. The rain having eased but not stopped, we resumed walking and reached St-Sulpice Church. From there we left the Chemin and headed away from the lake towards Ecublens, buying a bottle of wine on the way, to share with our hosts.
Our hosts were wonderful as well as being a fascinating family. The parents, Martin and Ruth, have four sons, two at University, two of Secondary/High School age. The eldest son was away climbing mountains but the other three were at home, along with the girlfriend of the second eldest son. The family do not have a car but rely on their bicycles and public transport. They also do not have a television. Much of what we all ate that evening had come from their garden, including an interesting variety of potato that was purple!
Martin and Ruth both originally come from a German-speaking part of Switzerland and therefore the language within the family is Schweizerdeutsch/Swiss German. They all also speak Hochdeutsch/High German. However, living in Francophone Switzerland and the children having all attended local schools, they all also spoke French. And both parents, along with the girlfriend, who had spent time in Singapore, spoke good English too. Therefore the conversation around the dining table that evening, was conducted in four different languages!
Ruth told us that of all her sons, the one most reluctant to learn and speak French was the second eldest. However, his girlfriend was a local French-speaking Swiss young lady who didn’t speak, or want to speak, German. Therefore, much to his mother’s amusement, he was having to overcome his reluctance and use French as his langue d’amour 🙂
The hospitality of the Jordan family was exceptional and was in such stark contrast to our previous night in the Hotel in Epalinges.
When we left the ‘House of Angels’ at Froidville bei Posieux on the morning of Wednesday 13th August, the sky was cloudy and grey. Within in a few minutes of setting out, light rain began to fall as we climbed the path through the woods, heading towards Posieux. After walking for about forty minutes, we reached the beginning of Posieux and shortly afterwards discovered a most pleasant surprise.
In the front yard of a house was a refreshment point for passing pilgrims. There was hot water in a flask, together with tea bags and a jar of instant coffee. In a sealed plastic container were various nibbles. All of this, together with a picnic table and chairs, was set up under the wide eaves of the roof of the house meaning we could shelter from the rain whilst enjoying all that had been provided.
We realised whilst sitting there, that this was also a place on Sybille’s printed list that offered B and B accommodation for pilgrims. Sybille had actually phoned the previous day to see if we could stay there. But the hosts only had two beds and one was already booked, hence we stayed in the ‘House of Angels’ at Froidville bei Posieux instead. No doubt there was a lucky pilgrim, walking about three kilometres in front of us 🙂
We walked on through Posieux and neighbouring Ecuvillens, around an aerodrome and into a forest. As we were about to enter the forest, the light rain became heavy rain. Fortunately, in the middle of the forest was a walkers hut – Cabane Cornard. Whilst the hut was locked, it had a large covered porch where we were able to sit in the dry and eat our lunch whilst the worst of the rain was falling.
By the time we had finished eating, the rain had all but stopped, so we made our way on to the village of Posat, then dropped down to once more cross the River Glâne. A climb up the other side of the valley eventually brought us to the larger village of Autigny. As you can see in the photograph, Sybille didn’t trust the weather and still had her poncho over her rucksack, ready in case the heavens opened again.
The last part of our walk that day was along a minor tarmac road from Autigny to the next village of Chavannes-sur-Orsonnens. We then diverted away from the Chemin de Saint-Jacques for over a kilometre, along a somewhat busier road, to the neighbouring village of Orsonnens. This was to reach the Monastère Notre-Dame de Fatima, the home of a group of a Vietnamese Cistercian monks who gave us excellent hospitality overnight.
Route from Froidville bei Posieux to Orsonnens 17km
The next morning dawned fine and sunny and remained so for the whole of the day. We made our way back onto the Chemin de Saint-Jacques, a kilometre or so on from where we had left it the previous evening, and headed towards the historic hilltop town of Romont.
Being a hilltop town, it did involve quite a steep climb, zigzagging up to the historic town centre. Having made it to the top and visited the main Church, we rewarded ourselves with a small beer, sitting at an outside table of a bar-restaurant, enjoying the bright sunshine.
Descending from the town centre and passing through part of the modern town suburbs, we found a shady spot near the village of Billens, to sit and eat our picnic lunch. Then there was a little more climbing to do to reach the highest point on our walk that day at around 800 metres above sea level, where we crossed the boundary from the predominantly Roman Catholic Fribourg Canton, into the predominantly Protestant Vaad Canton.
There then followed a quite steep decent of nearly 300 metres down into the La Broye valley to the village of Curtilles, part of which you can just see through the trees in this photograph. The much larger town of Lucens with its prominent castle, can be seen on the other side of the valley, across the river.
In Curtilles, there was a horse-riding school which according to Sybille’s accommodation list, offered the possibility to again schlaf im Stroh/sleep on straw. A lady who we spoke to at the riding school, said she would send a text message to the proprietor who was out with some of his horses. Ten minutes later she came back to us saying that we should walk on for about a further kilometre to where there was a roadside water fountain and some people harvesting potatoes in the field opposite and they would be able to help us.
It was here that we met Frau Marianne Luder, a sixty-nine year old farmer’s widow who was busy helping her son with the potato harvest. She offered us overnight B and B accommodation and later explained that the riding school could not help us because it was still school holidays and they were therefore fully occupied with children staying for a week, learning to ride.
Although we were in Francophone Switzerland, Frau Luder explained that she was originally from Bern. Therefore, although she spoke fluent French, she preferred to speak in German. Her price for B and B was CHF 30 per person, very reasonable by Swiss standards. But she also offered to provide ein kleines Abendessen for a further CHF 5 each, an offer that we happily accepted. What followed was a wonderful three course meal, the largest kleines Abendessen that either of us had ever experienced 🙂
Just as we were eating our dessert, the phone rang for Frau Luder. It was the riding school, asking if she could take four German cycling pilgrims who had just arrived, also hoping to schlaf im Stroh/sleep on straw and had found there was no room. “Yes she could”, was her answer, “as long as one of them didn’t mind a mattress on the floor”. In due course, the amazing lady produced a second kleines Abendessen, to also feed these new arrivals!
Not only was our host extremely hospitable, much to Sybille’s delight, she had a large, elderly dog called Ali. Sybille is normally rather reluctant to have her photograph taken – she much prefers to be behind the camera, rather than in front of it. But this is a photograph she actually asked me to take – with her doggy friend 🙂
