On A Grand Tour

With temperatures hanging out in the 50s and even—gasp!—approaching 60 °F for the first time in months, it felt like time for a celebration! That’s not to say that I dislike winter; I actually really do like winter. But there is something indescribable about that first consciousness of slightly longer days, air temperatures that lack a wintery edge, extra noise in the air as birds chirp all day long, and the barely perceptible drawing-out of the twilight hour that will continue to increase until it becomes summer’s beautifully long evenings. The sense of elation is pure magic.

So, with a little extra bounce in our steps (which may have also had to do with the fact that we only had to wear one layer of clothing), we hit the road. This time, we stuck to Lake Geneva and found ourselves at the opposite end of its half-moon shape. The train trip in and of itself is glorious, as you hug the lake edge and pass through cute towns and thousand-year-old terraced vineyards.

The town of Montreux is stunning. Set right on the lake, it is a delightful mix of grand Belle Époque buildings and tiny inclined cobblestoned alleys just calling for you to get lost in them. Montreux has a surprisingly musical history, having served as the inspiration for Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, the recording location for multiple Queen albums, and the subject of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” (who knew that the first lyrics of the song are “We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline”?!?). I didn’t even take pictures of the town—I think I was just too enchanted. Those will have to wait until our next trip there.

The object of our day was a hike through Les Gorges du Chauderon, which follows the turquoise river, La Baye de Montreux, from Lake Geneva up to the Vaudois Prealps. Our hike started literally from the train station (it is still a novelty to us that you can take public transportation to nature). We marveled at the gorgeous turquoise color that is so characteristic of the glacially fed lakes and rivers here and the pops of green in the moss and vines. It has been a while since we’ve seen green!

Our leisurely path took a turn for the vertical as we ascended to the town of Les Avants, set high on a slope and sandwiched between sheer Prealp peaks and expansive views of Lake Geneva.

We found a secluded spot with our own private waterfall for a lunch break and enjoyed being surrounded by flowing water on all sides. We haven’t quite mustered the courage to partake in the Swiss habit of swimming in the lakes and rivers at all times of the year (did I mention that they are all fed by glaciers?!), as our fellow hikers downstream were doing, preferring instead to remain dry and non-hypothermic.

After a nice 2800-foot elevation gain to reach Les Avants and Sonloup, we had a nice 2800-foot elevation drop to get back down. It was so worth it, though, to feel some much-needed warmth from the sun and see signs of life reemerging after the cold of winter. Never mind the jelly-like sensation in our legs due to total muscle fatigue by the time we made it back to lake level or the days of calf soreness that were to follow.

Spring is coming!