If there are regular readers of this blog out there, you have probably wondered at the long silence from this end. In fact, I was away for several weeks in Europe, particularly Switzerland, Italy and France. My trip was made most pleasurable by visits with family and friends, as well as by new acquaintances I made. My husband and I felt like we were at Cheers, "where everybody knows your name." I'd like to recommend a couple of websites that we used to find accommodations, as well as share some other observations.
We travelled at the time we did so that we could attend the Hot-air Balloon festival in Chateau D'Oex Switzerland http://www.ballonchateaudoex.ch/. It was magical! Located in a picturesque valley in what is called the "pre-Alps", Chateau d'Oex has hosted this festival for over 30 years. The higher Alps protect the valley from high winds, making it good for ballooning. You may remember the Breitling Orbiter, a balloon that circumnavigated the globe a few years ago: it launched from Chateau d'Oex.
www.bnb.ch is a directory of bed and breakfast places in Switzerland. It led us to the establishment of Josette Mayoraz in Vex, high above the valley floor above Sion in the Valais region. Josette sat down with us every morning at breakfast, where in addition to good food, she provided helpful information about the area and expressed curiosity and interest about us and our country. Even before we met her, as we were making reservations with her last November, she congraulated us on the election of our new President.
We showed her www.myswitzerland.com, which is updated daily. We knew that, due to recent heavy snowfall in the area, there was high risk of avalanches in the upper elevations, so when this website indicated that cross-country trails were closed, we believed it. However, when we drove to some ski centers, we found that, in fact, some trails were open. It was a lesson to always verify on the ground or with a phone call, information that you find online!
At http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/fr/gites_ruraux we found La Trace, a 3-year old B&B in the Jura mountains of France, just over the ridge northwest of Geneva, 45 minutes from the airport. Nathalie and Jean-Luc have completely renovated an old farmhouse, that in the past had also served as a dormitory-style hostel for hikers. None of that is visible now in the sparkling, spacious rooms. We took them up on the option to have dinner there too and were glad we did: we enjoyed local specialties, served family style, again with our hosts at table with us. Skiing / snowshoeing trails are just across the road, and Lajoux boasts 2 rental shops (but no ATM), just 1 kilometer away. In summer, hikers and all-terrain bicyclers follow the same trails. In fact, the Grand Traversee du Jura, a favorite route of bikers, hikers and skiers alike, passes close by.
As you can imagine, it's been hard to get back in the groove...
