Saturday 30 March
Saturday was sunny so we took off for Rochers-de-Naye, a nearby peak.
Our first stop was the Daffodil Forest. The daffodils were starting to wane (should have seen them last week), but what a sight to see a ‘host of golden daffodils’.
From there through Lausanne and Montreux to find the road to Caux.
We bought tickets for the cog train to take us to Rochers-de-Ney and the snow. It was the last weekend of the skiing season and probably the best weather they had had. The sun was shining and we were above the haze.
Martine is the most athletic and sure footed person I know in our age group. Hang on, she did break her wrist when she slipped down a steep icy walkway a couple of years ago. Nonetheless, she assured us that the scramble through the icy snow to the lookout was worth it. We felt incompetent but we managed to climb up. And yes the view was picture book Swiss Alps. Just stunning. Looking down to Lac Leman (Geneva Lake) and little villages tucked into green valleys, and of course the alps- right to the Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger.
Of course, scrambling down the icy snow was no easier but Martine borrowed a couple of poles from the guys packing up a children’s skiing competition for us.
On our way back we made a stop in Montreux, famous for its music festival each July, to see the newly installed statue of Freddie Mercury. We walked along the waterfront, amongst a huge rambling crowd and a mass of spring flowers.
That evening the village was hosting a fund raiser with a dinner, raffles and a performance from the village choir, Choeur Miste D’Arnex. They sang a variety of songs from different countries, showing what a mix of cultures exist in such a small village.
A visiting quartet La Papatuda had everyone laughing, except us. Sadly the Swiss French jokes were beyond us.
But it was a great night. We scored some wins in the raffle, which of course we donated to Denis and Martine.