Day 9: Through Jaun Pass on to Lausanne
A Birthday Ride Out of the Valley
It’s amazing how our clothes continued to expand, even when they’d been washed and folded. Still, we got packed and made it to the cable car to head back down to the valley. We took the cable car down to spectacular views once again and then loaded the bus for our destination of Lake Geneva and Lausanne through Juan Pass. The weather was great, and once we were on the bus, Martin led the group in a rendition of Happy Birthday for my birthday today. We had done one birthday song in Swiss German, one in Swiss Italian, and now that we were entering the French influenced part of Switzerland, we could do one in Swiss French as well. Martin presented me with a card that had a little cow bell keychain inside as a gift. It’s really nice that he does that type of thing. It was a small detail, but it made the trip and the day a little extra special. |
Bäderalp Cheese Farm
Our first stop was at the Bäderalp cheese farm for a cheese making demonstration. The owners, Nicklaus and Teresa, were very nice. Klaus explained the cheese making process, and then we got to watch them produce 6 blocks of cheese. It was a very precise and impressive process as they captured each of the cheese portions and only had a handful left over at the end. Bruno (the son) did most of the scooping and pressing of the cheese. After our tour of the farm, we sat down for some cheese and drink. They had platters for each table with a variety of cheeses and sausages. These were very tasty. During the lunch, we were treated to some live music by our shuttle driver and Teresa. They both played a Swiss version of the concertina, and Teresa sang some. The driver played the long horn as well, and I got to try it out (as did several of the others). I had to draw upon my limited high school trumpet experience to get a few reasonable sounds out of it. I’m not quitting my day job, however! One interesting item on the farm was their outdoor hot tub which takes eight hours to heat. They offer an option for travelers to rent a room at the farm or even to “sleep in the hay.” The family showed us their homemade solar ovens that they use to cook things like meringue. They explained that it takes about three hours to cook anything in them. This was a great place for a photo, so we took our group picture at the farm and then headed out. Say cheese! (sorry, another dad joke) |
Greyers
On the way to Lausanne, we stopped in the small town of Greyers. Martin’s parents had lived here at one point, so he knew quite a bit about the town. It's always neat to get the inside scoop from someone local! Greyers was a fun little stop and the town had quite a bit of character. We had a little time to use the bathroom--WC (water closet), walk around and grab some ice cream (never a bad idea!).
On the way to Lausanne, we stopped in the small town of Greyers. Martin’s parents had lived here at one point, so he knew quite a bit about the town. It's always neat to get the inside scoop from someone local! Greyers was a fun little stop and the town had quite a bit of character. We had a little time to use the bathroom--WC (water closet), walk around and grab some ice cream (never a bad idea!).
The Olympic Museum
Our next stop was the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. It is located right on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva. We spent just over an hour there which was plenty of time for us. As a former swim coach, the section about swimming was the most interesting to me. It was cool to see the actual artifacts. I also liked seeing the jerseys from the 1980 Olympic team as well as Lindsey Vonn's helmet since both have strong Minnesota connections. It was a really interesting stop, and after making our way through the displays, we chose to take a little bit of our allotted time there to walk by the lake shore and get some fresh air before meeting back at the bus. We love how these tours give us the flexibility to make choices of how we want to spend out time. |
A Startling Discovery . . . and a Sign?
As we settled into our hotel room, I logged on the wifi and checked our messages. I had quite a few birthday wishes to respond to, but then I discovered an email informing us that Pam’s aunt Rita had died. We knew she wasn't well, but this was very sad news . . . and also a bit eerie. When we were at the cheese farm, both Pam and I thought Teresa’s singing sounded exactly like her aunt Rita. We commented on it at the time, and Teresa had even played “Wooden Heart,” the song I had just dubbed to CD the week before we left on our trip. I had been converting these old recordings from a cassette tape for Rita. They featured Rita and other family members playing and singing old time music. We estimate that we had heard Teresa playing at about the same time Rita had died that day. We couldn’t help but feel it was not just coincidence, but rather a sign, and it was somehow comforting to us, like Rita had been close to us that day. |
A Group Supper
On the way to our group supper, we stopped in front of the restaurant, the oldest house in town, and watched a Glockenspiel on the side of the building. It was really interesting, complete with narration and a moving clock play. It was fun to see a real Glockenspiel in action. For supper, we had another fondue, but this one was really unique and featured meat. With this dish, we shared a pot of broth (for our vegetables) and a pot of oil (to cook our meat). We stuck the raw meat with a fork and put it in the pot of oil. It was a little like roasting marshmallows, but instead of roasting over a fire, we put it in the pot of hot oil. We also had French fries and a variety of sauces to dip the meat in. It was quite good and a nice social event at the same time. We were joined at our table by Pam's buddy and her daughter which was fun! After supper, we walked through the renovated entertainment district before treating ourselves to a couple nice, cold McDonalds McFlurries. I know, not very Swiss, but they sure were cool and refreshing! |
Wow Moments!
Views Along the Drive
Today's wow was less about one specific moment and more about the commulative whole of the drive. There were beautiful vistas at nearly every turn. Switzerland is such a natural wonder from top to bottom, and we loved our drive to Lausanne from the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Here are just a couple of photos from our drive.
Today's wow was less about one specific moment and more about the commulative whole of the drive. There were beautiful vistas at nearly every turn. Switzerland is such a natural wonder from top to bottom, and we loved our drive to Lausanne from the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Here are just a couple of photos from our drive.
A ticket to ride . . .
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