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Cinque Terra to Arnex – Thursday 21st July
We have a train journey starting as 13:36, so we explore a little more of Riomaggiore. The cemetery. It is unique in Ligure – the graves are built into the walls, rather than in the ground. The castle and the church. It appears that there is a festival on Sunday – perhaps that explains the band music we heard Tuesday evening.
We take the train from Riomaggiore to La Spezia to pick up the train to Milan. I had not yet dated our Eurail pass and the ticket inspector becomes rude and abusive, threatening to fine us €50, except our passes for Cinque Terra are still valid. All the way from Rome there was no ticket inspector and in an 8 minute train journey we get this!
I’ve had calls from home. Dotty is very weak and the doctors want to insert an angioplasty. It will happen after 7:30am Australian time and they should know the outcome approximately midday, that is 4:00am here.
We change trains at La Spezia and sit near a couple who are just married. He is British, ‘James’ – very toffy accent, and she is Australian. They are going to Portofino for part of their honeymoon. I’m glad we chose Cinque Terra, it is much more down to earth.
We travel along the coast to Genova then north to Milan. Genova has expanded. I’m amazed to see a huge apartment block spanning the hills behind Genova, near where I lived. It must be a kilometre wide!
We leave Genova late and at each stop we are further behind the timetable. I go and find the conductors who agree that we are late but are not prepared to suggest a solution. They don’t even know which platform in Milan our next train to Lausanne will leave from.
We arrive in Milan at 18:22, platform 21 and have to find our train which leaves at 18:25 from platform 3. It is a mad dash and we are very anxious. We find platform 4, but platform 3 is around the corner. It is not easy running with so much luggage.
Our carriage is the first. There is a huge crush to get on board – one lad has a cello, a couple of very large Yanks have very large bags and the train is already due to leave. The conductor is calm so I relax.
The Yanks disgrace themselves. The argue, biker, eat sloppily, spread themselves over 4 seats. She whinges about a bee sting, he whinges about her not doing what he wants. They both whinge about where they are going. It is continuous. They get off at Brig and we heave a sigh of relief.
As we travel through the Alps we get a phone call from Denis. Yes we are on time (or will be by the time the Swiss sort this train journey out) and all looking forward to seeing each other.
A quiet wine and a smooth journey to Lausanne. Denis is there. Big hugs and kisses and handshakes, and then we drive to Arnex.
It is lovely arriving in someone’s home. You’ve seen pictures and heard descriptions but being there is another thing. Martine is waiting for us and she prepares a light dinner of pizza out of the freezer, beer and wine and a yummy tart. It is late in the day and we are ready for bed.
Arnex – Friday 22nd July
Overnight we get messages from Mark that Dotty’s heart is OK and 2 stents have been inserted. It all sounds positive. Brendan Moloney also rings – frightens the life out of me – can he have the house for the weekend. Oh dear, back to normality soon!
It’s washing day. Bruce & Denis got to pick up Denis’ new car, an Opel. Ev rings – he has problems with the pool.
We walk around the village, see the vines, Martine’s family home, ostriches that his brother-in-law is breeding for the market, and the church. Denis is very proud of the village and his Swiss family.
In the evening we go to the Paleon Music Festival in Nyon. The festival runs for a week and Friday is the heavy metal day, so there are a lot of ‘noisy’ bands. We watch some of those and some Indian groups which include fire eating and walking on nails in their repertoire.
The food stalls are amazing. There is a fantastic array of foods from every corner of the earth. There is a huge emphasis on food and crafts from developing countries. We settle on Chinese and Thai food with wine – how civilised.
At 10:30pm Rammstein come on the centre stage. Rammstein is a band from the former East Germany which specialise is heavy metal and heavy messages. The crowds are massive and it is hard to see the stage, but we can see the screens. The act, as Hayden and Evan have promised, is amazing. The pyrotechnics. The lighting. The costumes. The sets. All exceptional.
Arnex to Zermatt – Saturday 23rd July
Another breakfast on the terrace and we pack up to go to Zermatt.
The Gloin tunnel is slow so we travel along the lake past Lausanne where Martine works, Vevey where Denis works at Nestle and Montreux. It is Saturday midday so the traffic is slow but we enjoy chatting.
We drive along the Rhône Valley to Visp and then Täsch. Denis parks his car there and we take the mountain train to Zermatt.
At Zermatt the station square is full of electric vehicles and horse drawn carts. It is amazingly quiet. The hotel sends its own electric cart out for us.
The hotel is quaint, very Swiss with lots of wood, little windows, red shutters, balconies with geraniums. We get settled into a room with a stunning view over the Matterhorn, and take photos whilst we can.
It is 4 in the afternoon. We wander into town and stop at Hotel Poste for a late lunch of soups and salads on the balcony, entertained by people wandering up and down the main street and a herd of mountain goats.
Because it is late in the day Denis and Martine choose a short walk to Z’mutt. The wild flowers are beautiful, so I stop and photograph them – all of them!
The uphill climb is challenging but enjoyable. We see marmots on the way there and back. Elisse would love this. At Z’mutt we sit in one of the cafes and have a beer. We are back at the hotel many photos later at about 7:30pm.
We have got to have a fondu, so we walk into town to find a fondu restaurant. Cheese fondu and the local wine Fondant. It’s great fun. We skip the fondu dessert of fruit and chocolate – that seems to be over the top, settle instead for a Williams, a very strong pear liqueur which I love.
Zermatt – Sunday 24th July
The Matterhorn is veiled in clouds and the Barclay’s decide that the journey to it is not worthwhile. Instead we head to Sunnegga Paradise on the cog train and walk to Blauherd and then to Flahalp
It is a hard walk, I found that climbing up steep hills was very hard on my thighs. It was lovely country above the tree line, first the grassy areas with marmots and heaps of pretty flowers, colourful flies and moths. Our first stop at Sunnegga Paradise is 2288m (Zermatt is 1620m). We are on rough paths, steps and narrow ledges.
Further up it is grey and rocky, barren with flowers and grasses in the rock crevices. Once again I stop and take photos. The second stop is Fluhalp at 2616m. Lunch is good, cheese and gherkin, chocolate cake and apple tart and beer.
On our way down we can hear a Swiss horn – for the Asian tourists. It sounds great in the cool air. Martine particularly enjoys it.
We miss the last train back to Zermatt, so we have to walk down the hill. We find a ski slope instead of the hiking path and it is very steep. Back onto the hiking path and through the forest of larch trees (in German ‘Lärche’), the same deciduous pines we saw in Heidelberg.
We pass through the village of Ried – is this a common name in Germany? Ried Parnaby’s ancestors were German.
We reach Zermatt, aching and tired. We have walked a massive 16,987 steps, approximately 14.4km. We have climbed 328m and descended 996m (nearly a kilometre).
Dinner is Brätwurst and Rosti – fantastic! Rosti (crispy, fried, shredded potatoes) is German Switzerland’s national dish.
Zermatt – Monday 25th July
Another lovely smorgasbord breakfast. Chopped fruit, yoghurts, cereals, grains, sliced meats and cheeses, bread and pastries, coffee and warmed milk.
The forecast for the afternoon is better that the morning, so we separate and do some shopping.
We meet at lunchtime and the weather has deteriorated, not worth going to the very top to see the grand, veiled lady. Instead we take the ‘Zermatt Express’ Cable Cars to Schwarzee Paradise at 2583m where we have lunch.
We have just started the walk to Stafel and Biel when the rain comes and turns to hail. It is bitterly cold. Bruce had managed to find a reasonably priced jacket so we all cover up. I get to use the ‘plastic bag’ rain coat that Lorraine and Rob gave me, which is very effective.
We have to decide whether to continue or turn back. Let’s take a chance and continue. The worst is that we can get wet…
It proves to be the better choice as the weather dries out and we wander down the Heidi hills, seeing lakes, sheep, deer, cows with enormous cowbells and many, many more flowers.
We stop at Biel for soup and beer and watch marmots frolicking in a nearby field.
We continue on. Now we are in the forest and there are more flowers! Martine is getting anxious and tries to hurry us along but there is too much to see.
We watch a helicopter ‘climbing’ the Matterhorn and coming down again, as if it couldn’t reach its target. The clouds are black and look very dangerous.
We see a herd of cows coming down the hill for milking, bells ringing and udders full – poor ladies can hardly walk. There is thunder and dark clouds around the valley. Martine is becoming more anxious.
We reach Furi at 1867m and take the Matterhorn Express down to Zermatt, in the rain. It is still raining when we arrive in Zermatt, so we take shelter in a nice little bar and have cake with wine/beer/tea. A very pleasant way to sit out the rain storm.
Martine had noticed ‘Café Gaby’ and thought it looked nice, so it is a unanimous choice for dinner. We all have pork and rosti – it is my favourite meal in Zermatt!
Zermatt to Arnex – Tuesday 27th July
Another good breakfast, but we still can’t see the Matterhorn. We pack up ready to leave and choose plan B, which is to walk through the gorge that we have seen from the cable cars.
This turns out to be delightful. A walkway has been built along the gorge, clinging to cliffs. There are steep steps and narrow platforms. The noise of the rushing water is huge. If you fell in survival would be out of the question. At the end of the walk there is a 2.50ChF charge – worth it.
As we come out of the gorge and return to Zermatt the lady’s veil is lifted. Denis and Martine are keen to take the trip to Klein Matterhorn.
The trip itself is amazing. Cable car Zermatt Express to Furi 1867m. Larger cable car to Trockner Steg 2939m. Further cable car to Gletscher Steg and a lift and flight of stairs to the top of Klein Matterhorn at 3883m.
Before we left I had noticed that the temperature was 0°C and the wind 61kph. It feels every bit of that, especially for Bruce and Denis who are in shorts.
As we travel in the lift one lady kindly does up her man’s shirt buttons. He is in tiny shorts and a light cotton shirt. And yes, he is up there on the platform in the howling wind and freezing cold, unbelievable!
There are skiers coming and going in a constant stream. There is summer skiing at this height.
After photos at the top and a good look at the surrounding peaks we go into the café for soup and ham and cheese toasted sandwiches. Certainly not gourmet stuff, but good in the cold.
Next is a visit to the ‘Glacier Palace’, 15 meters below the surface of the glacier, the highest Glacier Palace in the world with deep crevasses, can be explored in a very spectacular way. How weird to see wine tasting down there!
It is evident that Denis and Martine have a great love of the mountains and especially love hiking in them. It is hard work, tiring on the legs and the air is thinner. But the experience is wonderful, the scenery spectacular. And I have started a love affair with the wild flowers.
We return the way we had come on the cable cars, marvelling at the glaciers and the rocks. In parts it feels as if the cable car will hit the rocks, just enough has been carved away to allow the car to pass through or over.
We chat to a New Zealander who now lives here and works in the rescue team. He is a pleasant guy and seems to enjoy his life in the mountains. He tells us that it is a better alternative than constantly chasing the winters from hemisphere to hemisphere.
Back to the hotel and collect our luggage and take the electric taxi to the station. In a little over 2 hours we have driven through the Rhöne valley, beside Lake Geneva and through the farm lands to Arnex. The little Opel has performed very well on our journey.
Martine cooks us Spaghetti Bolognese with a salad. We have bought apricots on the way home, so we halve them and lay them on a pastry sheet, sprinkle heavily with raw sugar and cook slowly (at 250°C) for about 25 minutes. Delicious! Must try with apples or pears.
We chat – must meet to celebrate our 60th birthdays (or the boys at least, in 2007/2008. Will Rob be OK with his new life? What are our retirement dreams? How scary.
Farewell and thanks to Martine who is back to work early in the morning.
Next page: Arnex to Frankfurt and home
