The Via is completely changed from what I’ve experienced in the past few weeks. Everything they say about Switzerland is true. The pristine landscape, the manicured design, the efficiency, and the very high prices (US$39 for a Chicken Burger?!?)
Day 44 Jougne to Orbe
I walked today with Pilgrim Irene and French hiker Patrick, who is walking the GR5 from his home (≈100 km back) to Nice, including over a famous stretch of the Alps. Our routes overlap for a few stages. But his ability to cross over is dependent on whether the high passes have opened by the time he gets to them, of course. The heavy rainfall this year (“Since October!” he exclaimed) has left a substantial snowpack that has delayed the opening of many of the alpine trails. I’m not sure how I’ll be affected when it’s my turn – about 8-9 days from now – but I’m starting to pay close attention to the reports.
The route was a steady descent through the last of the Jura Mountains, in the steep-sided Gorge d’Orbe and spilling out into the Orbe Valley. Not surprisingly, my destination town is named Orbe, which was a pleasant sight when we popped out of the forest. But not nearly as nice as seeing the dramatic mountains off in the distance.
I hardly dare to mention it, given the extremely understated border crossing, but I’m now in Switzerland.
Which also means…
I JUST FINISHED WALKING ACROSS FRANCE!
I gotta admit – it feels pretty good!
Can you see them? We couldn’t at first. We heard them for a while before we saw them.
Our destination town of Orbe, with the Alps in the background.
Day 44 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 19.2 km / 11.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 314 m / 1,030 feet
Steps: 28,734
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq53yM2z8O
Accommodation: Hôtel des Mosaiques, Orbe
The Blue Dot has said au revoir to France!
Day 45 Orbe to Cossonay
A beautiful day of walking through postcard-worthy Swiss villages, and filled with fun conversation. I walked with Patrick for quite a while and gained his perspective on the differences we were seeing between France and Switzerland (one example: these villages are filled with people!).
Both Irene and Patrick have struggled with injuries in the past few days. She took the train to Lausanne to rest today, while he gutted it out. He will take a train home tomorrow. His GR 5 route through the Alps will be closed for another 3 weeks, so he’ll use the time to heal before resuming his trek.
For my part, I feel stronger than ever when walking these days, but I also feel a lot of mental fatigue – it’s been many weeks since I had a quiet “do-nothing” day on my own. I will walk into Lausanne tomorrow and can’t wait to chill beside Lake Geneva on my Saturday rest day.
Those mountains sure look bigger the closer I get!
Public Art
Day 45 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 27.3 km / 17.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 739 m / 2,425 feet
Steps: 44,373
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/veqz1k8xeB6
Accommodation: Hôtel Le Funi de Cossonay
Day 46 Cossonay to Lausanne
I awoke this morning to grey clouds in the sky above me, and a fierce wind and rain whipping down from the high hills behind me – such a contrast to the summertime I enjoyed yesterday. I had gained some relief from the grey clouds in my head when reading messages from other pilgrims and walkers. I’m not alone in feeling the occasional “mental fatigue” and needing a rest day.
That set me out with confidence this morning, knowing this isn’t the first time I’ve set out to walk in challenging conditions. Today’s route centered around water. I walked alongside the Venoge River for much of the route, and then along the shore of Lake Geneva. Once I finished the official stage, I realized my accommodation was near the center of Lausanne, which meant way up the hill from the lake. During the long slog up, I decided that my sightseeing tomorrow will focus on the old district rather than the lakeside.
For those who don’t want to walk up to the medieval town of Cossonay (or back down), they can catch “the Funi” (the funicular).
Public Art
Oh yes! The Swiss do protest! And, not surprisingly, this was the most organized protest I’ve ever seen or heard of. Many groups, representing various issues, paraded politely one after another through the city streets.
Day 46 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 26.6 km / 16.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 423 m / 1,388 feet
Steps: 41,368
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vwq15Z98mLq
Accommodation: Hôtel de la Paix, Lausanne
Rest Day: Lausanne
Mostly, I rested. My body and my mind. The inclement weather helped. When it broke in the late afternoon, I headed outside to play tourist for a little while. Please enjoy a few pics – you really can’t beat the views over the lake, but I expect to see a lot more of that tomorrow.
Lausanne Cathedral
Public Art
Yesterday, my walking distance on the Via Francigena reached 1,042 km (648 miles) from Canterbury after 46 days. Added to my time on The Pilgrims Way, that means 1,275 km (792 miles) in 60 days on foot. The blue dot is moving!
Days 1-46 AllTrails Cumulative Stats
Distance: 1,042.2 km / 647.6 miles
Average Daily Distance: 22.7 km / 14.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 20,742 m / 68,051 feet
Steps: 1,619,710
Thanks Chris again
for sharing your thoughts and photos, of which most are new and pretty.
In this series I enjoyed of course landscapes and buildings (churches).
„3-D cities“, an expression new to me, but very explanatory. Excellent.
My favourite photo is the colorful one with the little, helmet-wearing kids on their scooters. Lovely.
Merci Vielmals (French-German for Vielen Dank)