We met a German pilgrim today after church. We attended the Eglise Evangelique Reformee du Canton de Vaude https://www.eerv.ch/region/joux-orbe/vaulion-romainmotier/pratique/labbatiale/leglise-abbatiale-de-romainmotier
Today is Pentecost Sunday and there were baptisms of two young children, an uplifting experience! The two pastors were both women and the Pentecost story and liturgy were both familiar, even in French. And we participated in communion.
There were many hymns, although not familiar to me and there was not enough light for me to read the small print of the lyrics. The acoustics was fantastic!
The village is also quite beautiful, and looks like everywhere else we have been, clean as a whistle.
After church we saw a pilgrim and spoke with him. He walking from his home in Germany to Santiago de Compostella without money, finding hospitality along the way.
We started the day with breakfast just outside Romainmotier (the village with the church).Irache is Anne-Marie’s friend from singing, staying for 6 months in a campground before she returns to Brazil. Irache has friends in the campground, where she just bought a camper, and we had breakfast together. A typical Swiss group-happy people who laugh a lot.
Lea, a friend of us all from the Camino in France last summer, came on a train today. She is a delightful person and it is good to see her. We are all going for a walk soon, around the lake by Yverdon Les Bains.
The money here is Swiss Franks, not Euro. Swiss people tend towards being tall, and slender,and athletic, but like the positive and happy people we have been meeting, I’ve been told that not all are that way. If you hang around with Anne Marie, you are likely to be both.
The week in Switzerland is going by quickly.
I wasn’t sure what to call this post: “The Hills Are Alive…”or “Rocky Mountain High…” or The Perfect Swiss Day. After a traditional breakfast of fruit salad, bread with homemade jam, and coffee, we got in the electric car and drove down to the town and the other side of the lake.
These traffic circles are here instead of stop signs when roads cross. On this drive there are decorative themes in the circles. The light isn’t great in this photo, but the scene is a winepress and includes a cat and dog posturing.
We drove up the mountain to a trail head parking lot. The car is electric, and running on batteries charged by the solar panel on their roof yesterday.
We ran across hundreds of people running a 110 km race through the area. Swiss people seem to be tall and in great shape and about half were women.
Of course there is a restaurant! My first fondue. Dip bread on a long fork into the melted cheese, et voila!
The perfect day includes a nap, so we all took one is the shade in that luxurious grassy flower covered meadow.
I’m staying for a week with friends in a rural section of Yverdon Les Bains, Switzerland. Josette and I are here to visit our friend Ann Marie, who we’ve walked with three times before in France. Her husband Bernard is a retired university professor.
Their home is modest but modern. They rely on solar power six months of the year. There is a (backup) wood stove in the kitchen, which can also be used for cooking. At this time of year there is no need for heat or cooling. There is ample evidence of the regular visits of grandchildren.
Preparing for an evening dinner party, we take a break for tea in the garden. Dining outdoors is much preferred.
They charge the car during the day when solar power is available. It’s a great car, with impressive acceleration and quiet ride. Traffic is not bad at all!
Bernard has a large garden with vegetables, herbs, and flowers. It is a lot of work but he is passionate about gardening.
I went grocery shopping this morning in Migros with them. We parked in a parking garage (free) with an elevator down to a shopping mall. We got a grocery cart and hand held scanner. As you select items, you weigh and tag them and then scan the tag. At checkout you leave groceries in the cart and point the scanner at a screen. It produces a receipt, which then takes your credit card payment. There is a cart drop off in the garage. Prices are somewhat higher than HEB, but the store is clean and well stocked and organized. About half the size of our H-E-B.
Yesterday we bought food for lunch and dinner in a part of the “centre-ville” which is walking access only. Lots of interesting shops, restaurants, and bars there too. It looks touristy but is also where local people shop for eyeglasses, etc. The optometrist also sells binoculars!
When Bernard goes to the train station in town, he walks (1/2 hour). Trains will get you most places quickly, and they are clean, comfortable, quiet, and fast. walking is facilitated by a paved trail separate from the road.
I don’t know the whole story, but life appears more expensive than Italy or France. Houses appear to be 2-3 times more expensive than even Fredericksburg. However, the landscape of rolling hills, lakes, and mountains is quite beautiful, and the life calmer and less hurried. Compared to Rome, which is crowded, trashed, graffiti-ed, with fierce auto traffic, this is a much simpler lifestyle.
Darned good! Since I gave up raw shrimp I’ve enjoyed the food much better. This was a great meal. Add roasted potatoes €5 and a full pour of a decent red wine for €8. I can’t afford this at home, and couldn’t afford it here much longer.
Chicken with tomato and potatoes. €12 plus water. Just what I needed for lunch yesterday before the coliseum tour.
Leaving tomorrow morning early for Switzerland and our friend (Swiss) Anne-Marie Next year? Via Francigena?
Monday late afternoon! Very poplar place, Rome. It’s like this in all the cool places.
Built as a pagan temple, became a Christian church. Amazing structure! Also very crowded.
We left early again to beat the heat, which is much worse in the city. As I took this photo a seagull was eating a rat in front of us.
The awarding of the Testimonium document is underwhelming compared to the Compostella in Santiago. They stamp your credential and give you a blank form.
The trail is 340 miles over mountains and all kinds of landscapes. It’s physically hard and resources for walkers are often limited. We (except Ann!) took a ride 4 times, mostly just because of too-long stages, so just for the first couple of miles. We got a ride for 20 miles near the end and skipped one stage. Ann and Gayden are tough, strong, fast walkers, and significantly outperformed Kenton and Josette and I. Gayden was not on our plan all the way but met us at Saint Peter’s.
We navigated using trail markings (often missing or confusing); the GPX track from Cicerone; Sandy Brown’s Cicerone guidebook; Apple Maps, google maps, dead reckoning, pilotage, and taking to locals. The Way of Saint Francis-Via Francesca – is much harder than any Camino I have walked. The weather was great most of the time but hot by noon at the end.
The people we met at the lodging, restaurants, bars, and city halls were kind and helpful. Many Italians speak some English, and google translate does the rest. We made a few pilgrim friends along the way (although you could go a full day without meeting any) and a few will show up in a future post.
I read two historical books on Saint Francis before the trip as well as some Italian history. I have opinions on the church’s response to this incredibly popular man I won’t share here; best to stay positive on a pilgrimage.
It’s pretty quiet during the day but at night the streets are full of people.
We arrived in suburban Rome yesterday, an area called Monte Sacro. After resting up we went in search of the afternoon gelato. No luck. Five places listed on Google no longer exist. At 6:30 we went out looking for a bar for a glass of wine before dinner, knowing the kitchens don’t open until 7:00 or at 8:00.
We finally found a small cafe which had a good beer and wine selection, and were allowed to have some while waiting for the kitchen to open at 7:00.
We were not in a tourist neighborhood, this was a real local place. The friendly waitstaff spoke little English, so we used google translate to communicate. We translated the menu with Google lens.
One shrimp, raw. About one pistachio nut, ground. Bland sauce. €14. Others had the carbonara, which was much better, although very rich. Pizza has generally been excellent, and ethnic food very good. Salads can be hard to find. But the fancy pasta dishes?
Today we walk to the Vatican and Saint Peter’s. It will surely be busy with tourists. I miss the villages already.
We skipped the stage for today completely, it was going to be two days wrapped into one, which we are not up to. We’re feeling a little beat up and need a day off.
We have stayed in all kinds of places, most booked in early March on Booking.com. As we get closer to Rome, prices are higher. Until recently our cost per night for Kenton and Josette and I has been averaging €60 per night.
The street restaurants are gearing up for a big night. We are headed for sleep and 6:00 am departure for Sacro Sante, 19 kilometers into the mega city.
This is some kind of pasta. After a while it all runs together, and you have no idea.
The menus here generally have lots of words that don’t translate into English. So we have ordered lots of food without really knowing what it is. And it’s all over the map.
My favorite meal so far-the kebab today. It was a wrap with a salad, French fries, meat. The cook asked me if we wanted everything. I said yes. Three of them. My favorite meal so far. €4.50 each includes water.
robertcdeming 