Fribourg and Lac de Joux
Switzerland is such an incredibly diverse country. After only one hour the Italian language is replaced by Swiss German, the architecture is completely different and food and culture also change. It never ceases to fascinate me.
It was a lovely journey through the centre of Switzerland, via Luzern with its gorgeous lake and surrounding mountains, finishing in the less visited but just as fantastic Fribourg. Here there is a mix of French and German, though more a tendency towards French. The short bus trip through the old city is always a treat, even more so in the late afternoon light. How wonderful to catch up with Marlis and Irs and their family once again. It has been an annual visit for years now!
One place on my bucket list in Switzerland was Lac de Joux in the Jura, very close to the French border. Marlis and I had a brilliant day there, arriving at the little hamlet of Le Pont to start our walk around the lake.
We quickly realised that it was not 9 kilometres around it, but 9 km to the end of the lake, Le Sentier. It was a very pretty, easy walk close to the lake, so there was a very pleasant breeze, venticello( my favourite new Italian word, meaning breeze), most of the way.
The hottest spot was certainly a more than kilometre of boardwalk, which took us away from the lake. Wow, it was boiling!
It was so good to get back to the shade of the forests along the lake shore
and to arrive at the tip of the lake where there were some beautiful nature reserves.
All in all, it was a fabulous day, finishing with a barbecue in the garden - perfect temperature until after dusk, but with unbelievably hungry mosquitoes chomping away at my legs!,
Nearby, we also wandered through a very nice communal area, used in summer by unemployed people to grow their own vegetables and run small cafes. It was a pity that it closed two days ago.
The view up to the multi- storeyed homes high above us was really incredible. Again I had to ask myself the question how they ever built such homes hundreds of years ago.
It was wonderful to be walking through such a magnificent city, with such beauty all around, without hoardes of tourists following someone with an umbrella!
However, they were filming something on this bridge, and if it is a successful series, perhaps Fribourg will soon be overrun too. Hopefully not, for its sake!
With temperatures in the late twenties, it was wonderful to find a lunch spot with fabulous views, but also some shade. Urs used to live next door to this lovely restaurant when he was a boy!
Another brilliant few days with great friends, Marlis and Urs. We had so much to catch up on and yet we still managed to see some new places. Perfect.
Before I left the next day, we went in to the Old Town of Fribourg. Our carpark was just next to the prison, with its high stone walls and barbed wire, such a stark contrast to the gorgeous old homes perched on top of the sides of the River Sarine.
Nearby, we also wandered through a very nice communal area, used in summer by unemployed people to grow their own vegetables and run small cafes. It was a pity that it closed two days ago.
The view up to the multi- storeyed homes high above us was really incredible. Again I had to ask myself the question how they ever built such homes hundreds of years ago.
It was wonderful to be walking through such a magnificent city, with such beauty all around, without hoardes of tourists following someone with an umbrella!
However, they were filming something on this bridge, and if it is a successful series, perhaps Fribourg will soon be overrun too. Hopefully not, for its sake!
With temperatures in the late twenties, it was wonderful to find a lunch spot with fabulous views, but also some shade. Urs used to live next door to this lovely restaurant when he was a boy!
Another brilliant few days with great friends, Marlis and Urs. We had so much to catch up on and yet we still managed to see some new places. Perfect.
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