August 6: Home Swiss Home
I am so darn happy! Today’s adventure took me on a little train from Nyon Switzerland up the Jura Mountains to St. Cerque, where I followed my favorite hiking trail up another 1600 feet in elevation to eat at my top choice restaurant of all time. It’s been years since I’ve been able to visit this place I think of as home away from home and I am so grateful to be here.
I can’t think of anything better on a cold rainy day than an invigorating hike through the woods to a familiar little chalet with hot cheese fondue and homemade fruit desserts. After a quick breakfast in my hotel, I headed over to the train station to board the small red mountain train up to the beginning of my hike at an elevation of 3415 feet.
One of the things I love about hikes in Switzerland is that they are a little bit like going on an Easter egg hunt – you know what you’re looking for, but you don’t always find it. The trails are marked in yellow in a variety of creative ways, some of which are easier to see than others. The signage can be as simple as a black arrow in a yellow diamond on a rock or as modern as a street sign with the name of the location and estimated time to arrival. Sometimes the signs are in front of you but other times you must look up or behind you to find them.
Even though it was cold and rainy today, I decided to think of this hike as a reconnaissance mission – an opportunity to try and remember the trail before my second attempt on Wednesday, a day that should be much sunnier. I remembered some of the details – turn right in town just before the large pink building, go behind someone’s yard, head uphill, pass through a lumber yard, go down a small residential road, hike through several cow pastures, and then climb up several rocky inclines.
After making one wrong turn and getting wet, I was delighted to see the familiar old chalet-style restaurant at the top of the Dole Summit. I sat at my favorite table, caught up with the waiter, and ordered the cheese fondue. It was served hot with bread that was crusty and still warm from the oven. As I broke off generous pieces of the thick bread and swirled it in the creamy Gruyere mixture, my taste buds danced with joy. The dessert was a juicy and mildly sweet concoction of fresh apricots topped with a crispy crumble that perfectly balanced the heavier meal.
Miraculously, shortly after the meal, the clouds parted, and the rain paused long enough for me to get a glimpse of Lake Geneva down below. The French Alps were still hidden in the white and grey mist but I am confident I will see them when I return in a few days.
Hiking down from the mountain was a little more difficult because the rocky areas were so slippery in the rain. But I enjoyed the sound the water made falling on the leaves and breathed in the fresh mountain air, happy to be alive and to have another day in the Swiss mountains.
