Leysin!

Resting peacefully within the french region of the Swiss Alps is the mountain village of Leysin. We traveled the cog train (the one that goes straight up the mountain) from Aigle and after our one mile vertical clime above Lake Geneva and its surrounding towns we had arrived. The last stop is the Grand Hotel, the one time sanitarium for the worlds elite. It has since been converted into the American School, for those well to do high school students in Europe.

Cog train!

Unfortunately we had no official plans to meet Devon (Brad’s cousin)! We told her last minute we were coming so found ourselves wandering around campus with the computer trying to get signal! and YAY suddenly Devon came running down screaming Brad’s name! Phew! Since they were living in the boarding school, they just had a dorm-like room, and Brad and i were given the “common area” to sleep in, which was actually really cool! But cross-your-fingers that nobody comes in! After dumping our stuff, and eating some food Devon snuck away for us, we went on a short hike, which was sadly strenuous for Brad and me. Mike (Devon’s fiance) had practically sprinted to the top while Brad and I were panting at the bottom still hahah! But it offered beautiful views and we took some fun pics before heading back down for an easy night!

Grrr!

The next morning we went down for breakfast and tried to “blend in” with the other students, but soon enough it came out that we were just visitors! Nobody seemed to mind too much though! Brad and I explored around during the day, but later was the fun part!

Mike and Devon had organized to play Ultimate Frisbee, which apparently they are pro at BUT Brad and I had never even attempted before! So a little intimidated, we learned the rules and joined in to what ended up being an incredibly fun non-stop game! We were panting almost immediately again (We blame it on the ALTITUDE!!) but we both caught and threw some good passes!

Ultimate!

After Frisbee, it was dinner time YUM, a quick shower, and then a hike up to build a fire and have a SMORE party!! Half of the international teachers ARE in fact NOT from America surprise surprise…and actually had no idea what smores were, so it was fun to see everybody’s strategies! Not only was it a beautiful view of Lake Geneva, but everyone had a great time roasting marshmallows and having a few drinks.

Yummmm

Eventually the crowd started dwindling, but the Brad, Mike, Devon, myself and one other guy waited until the fire went out before leaving, and on our way out….with NO light around for miles, noticed how GORGEOUS the sky was!! We all layed down in the grass and watched the stars for a few minutes, and saw 4 SHOOTING STARS!!! In one sitting!! It was so so SO nice! AND i got to make lots of wishes!

View of Lake Geneva!

We headed down into civilization the next day. The town of Veyvey, which is right on Lake Geneva was our destination and the markets were in our sights. After a quick spin through the aisles of fresh produce, spices and merchandise, we knew exactly what we wanted: Cheese Pie!! A yummy treat which we enjoyed on the banks of the lake, and watched two young boys attempt backflips of the dock. I would have been jealous but the cheese pie kept me at bay.

Vevey Markets

After snack time we finagled some free glasses for the wine tasting. This was done inside the Parthenon-looking building to where, we thought it was confined. BUT, as we were leaving we noticed a man pushing a cart around pouring wine to those who had the proper glass. Road wine for us, as we walked through the streets.

The streets were super cute and antique looking! We wandered around a bit before heading to the lake to go for a swim…and found the perfect spot for it…at the fork! It is there because they have some sort of museum of food ha (which we heard wasn’t that impressive). The water was sooo beautiful! It was as blue as the water in tropical islands, and really refreshing! We noticed how much harder it was to swim though without the salt water!

Fork in the lake!

Underwater kisses!

After our swim and chilling out on the grass for a bit, we quickly headed to Montrieux when we saw scary clouds rolling in! There was a jazz festival there and tonssss of markets and vendors everywhere! Really fun to walk around and people watch… some people were super dressed up in heels, others were in shorts and dreads! It was a really nice day and tempting to hang around longer, but we all decided to head back up the mountain to grab dinner and watch Fantastic Mr. Fox (weird movie!)

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We had to wake up bright and early the next morning for our big hike to the second biggest peak in Leysin! Again…Brad and I slightly intimidated after being annihilated by the HILL we climbed the other day! BUT, also excited to see what the Swiss Alps had in store for us.

It was the four of us plus three and within 5 minutes we fell behind the group. Even though we had been walking around cities for three months with 30lb packs, it didn’t exactly prepare us for the constant barrage of steep, rocky inclines we were all of a sudden facing. Not to mention the altitude. We wanted to laugh at ourselves but couldn’t manage wasting breath on laughter… bc of the altitude.

Steep climb!

Eventually we made it to a paved area with a grade less inclined than before. We caught our breaths, and the group and we conversed as we climbed. Once we were halfway we stopped to refill our waters at the mountain cottage restaurant. We waved hello to the chickens and geese, but since it was Sunday, they were all in church and couldn’t respond.

Church’s Chicken – or Chicken’s Church!

Now, for the difficult part of the hike. The inclines got more dramatic as we climbed higher up the mountain. Along the way we had a small snowball fight, climbed ladders and used chains to help get up rock faces and when we made it to the top.. it was all worth it. A 360 degree view of the Swiss alps, nothing above us but the clean blue sky.  Quite a sight to see, which we enjoyed as we ate peanut butter and nutella sandwiches.

Snow!

Beautiful view!

On the way down we stopped for a frappe at the restaurant, made with milk from there cows. They must have been the happiest cows in the world, cause the frappe was delicious! Expensive, but worth the experience (sorry Mike).

Milkshake shack!

Devon and Mike had class during the week, and Brad and I basically took that time to relax, regroup, read and eat! It was really nice to hang around somewhere longer than 3 days, and not have to pack up our backpacks, AND to spend some time with family…and skip the smalltalk! Brad and i went for another hike (I think to the highest peak) by ourselves and were soooo proud we made it to the top! It was really cloudy when we started which made it much easier to hike! But by the top, it was beautiful, clear and sunny! We decided to do a little meditation (thanks Mahima!) and the air was so beautiful and fresh to breathe. AND…there was no traffic, or sirens, or generators in the background…just stillness and bees buzzing around us! Really cool experience!

Scary!

Newbies enjoying the view!

Leysin was a highlight of our trip so far. It was great to breath in some clean air, see the beautiful landscape and challenge ourselves physically.. BUT most importantly spend some qt with family!