Gray to Leysin - 25th May

Gray to Leysin - 25th May

 

Oh it is sad to leave E &K and the barge that has seen so much of Europe and which has enjoyed the prosperous times and endured the two most devastating conflicts of the western world - but we need to move on to allow others to enjoy both the hospitality and life on Linquenda - as it turns out we only leave the custodians and barge just 45 minutes before their new visitors are scheduled to arrive.

 

Off through Besoncon to the Swiss border - pay our 40 Euro freeway Toll charge - head on to Lausanne - bear off the freeways towards the shores of Lake Geneva at Ravaz.

 

Descend and descend and descend down the virtual cliff face towards the shore - Admire the houses and vineyards that occupy the steep terraces formed on the steep slopes where the towering alps meet Lake Geneva - battle to get a park to admire the views.

 

 

Our old man gets to appreciate the kindness of young Swiss women over lunch in a park on the lake shore - it is spring - we join a young family as the picnicing population of the park - we enjoy our lunch of french bread, cheese and juice in the warm sunshine while admiring the yachts cruising on the lake - can the scenery get better than this! - well at least for an old man like me it can - the picnicers are joined by two shapely Swiss lassies who proceed to meticulously go about setting up a small charcoal barbeque, laying down rugs and setting up their sunshades - they are almost ready for a day in the park - but not quite - you cannot effectively sunbake in your dress - now unlike most of their Australian sisters who would turn their back on their fellow picnicers, these girls show their generous natures by facing us all and then demurely and with considerable style reach under their dresses and in one movement remove g strings that had clearly been fashioned for them by some minimalist designer - my interest rises to a new level when they proceed to hang their g strings from their sunshades releasing them to fly as flags marking their personal dominion over their sunbaklng territory - bikini bottoms clearly from the same minimalist designer are then elegantly slid under their dresses to replace the personal flags now flying on the sunshades - clearly the preparations for sunbathing are not yet complete - it is time for Bernie and I to depart - we can see sharks in an aquarium - too late! - the sharks have been set free - the young mother nearby reconsiders the suitability of the park for her young boys - Bernie and I move on.

 

Onward and upwards to Leysin to accommodation at the top of this ski village about 20 kilometres from Lausanne - the scenery is majestic - the films of the 60's must have been made here -

 



After the steep climb we reach the mountain meadows and the village still recovering from the onslaught of the ski season

 

 

The B&B is tired - the unkind would say it is exhausted! - Bernie chastises herself - don't worry - only for one night.



 

A large American finishing school is located nearby - tomorrow is graduation and the B&B is full of Japanese and Korean parents here to ensure that the testamur is actually placed in the hands of the children they have so generously endowed - the young men and women so endowed look almost as exhausted as the B&B - I suspect that it is not because of their academic workload but rather, like the Airelles B&B they are suffering the ravages of the ski season.