Friday, 10 August 2012

The Alps and Alexa - Our Time in Switzerland


(We are super behind, we know, so just imagine you are reading our next few posts a week or so ago. Enjoy!)
 
Tuesday, July 24th was a great day, not because of where we were (in the beautiful Swiss Alps), but because of who we were with—our long-lost pal Alexa. Alexa has been in Val d’Illez, a small town about two hours by train from Geneva, since January. Her time there is almost up, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit her in her temporary home!



We spent the day in Champery, not far from Val d’Illez. Well, we started in Champery, but used an extensive network of chairlifts and gondolas to make our around the Alps. These long gondola rides were a perfect way to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery which surrounded us. Families were hiking along trails, mountain bikers rode down treacherous terrain, and cows grazed seemingly freely in the valleys.

Technically, we had lunch in France. No big deal. Neither of us have had eggs in a while (and we’re sure most of you are aware of our affinity for eggs), so both of us ordered the one dish on the menu with eggs…a hamburger. Not exactly a traditional Swiss dish (say that three times fast), but in our defence, we did also have a plate of cheese. Side note: everything in Switzerland is covered in either cheese or chocolate. We also ordered a nice bottle of French white wine; who needs an ice bucket when you can just use a plastic bag and cold water? We’re classy like that.



After lunch, the bulk of our day was spent on the sides of various mountains, looking off into the infinite beauty, taking pictures, and catching up. We got some sun, drank some beer, and had lots of laughs. We wanted to try zip-lining or hang-gliding, but they were closed for the day. That didn’t matter…the time we spent with Alexa was wonderful, and we wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world. We missed our pal. 



Alexa also gave us a tour of her town, Val d’illez. We’d compare it to Banff, only much smaller and no tourists (except us, of course, but we were with Alexa, so we’re okay). We finally had our first true Swiss meal—fondue—for dinner, and after that, we were off.

We’re lucky because we’ll see Alexa again shortly, as she’ll be joining us when we’re back in Lviv during the final week of our trip. Can’t wait to see you again, Alexa!

Day two in Switzerland was spent exploring the world’s third most expensive city—Geneva. Expensive as it may be, it’s quite beautiful, as it sits right on a giant lake. We took a walking tour, a boat cruise, and just wandered about stopping wherever we pleased. Since we have the minds of 5-year-olds, we needed an afternoon nap, and we decided to take this nap in one of the city’s beautiful parks.



We had spent a few sheqels in the past few days, so we wanted a nice, cheap dinner. Seeing as how Geneva one of the most expensive cities in the world, this was not an easy task. We walked up and down the streets, searching for a place within our budget. Even the places which looked a little shabby compared to their neighbours were pricey. Kids, if you want cheap, don’t go to Geneva.

Our Swiss adventure was over after those two days—the perfect amount of time to spend there we think. Next stop…Paris!

No comments:

Post a Comment