Ahh like a Swiss watch… Geneva 11:10 to Aigle 12:21 and Pierre Alain (PA) met us at the railway station just as we walked out trying to discover where he might have to park. It was lovely to see him, Pauline and Jennifer and to have the opportunity to spend just a couple of days with them. Pauline and PA are very sociable people and their newish venture to run an Airbnb suits them very well. We were treated to the lunch Pauline had prepared accompanied by fresh morsels from their garden and a local Rosé, which was delicious. They had planned to take us out on the lake in their boat, but it was too windy. Pauline suggested we might enjoy the thermal baths at Les Bains de Lavey which was an excellent way for John and I to spend that afternoon. 

Just a minute or two south of Montreux on Lac Léman, is Chateau Chillon a twelfth century castle built on a rocky platform in the lake just a few metres from the shore. The audio guide was excellent and as I have a relatively short attention span the snippets were interesting, targeted and exactly the right duration. It’s Swiss- they may have research to quantify the exact amount of time and content a ‘relatively normal’ person can endure. Anyhow it was entertaining and informative and even physically challenging. We did have to go into the keep and on to the tower which was the equivalent of climbing an eight-story building. Mind you there were some two and three-year-olds, clambering with their parent to the top. It kept me humble. 

PA and Pauline mentioned a couple of giant art installations created by the French artist Saype, using biodegradable paint on grass, which were nearby. We were keen to see them not really understanding what was involved. (See slideshow below)

Firstly, PA drove through the mountains like a rally driver. Yes, he has lived in the area his whole life and knows it like the back of his hand, but I think he was very much enjoying driving Jennifer’s sporty little Mercedes. It was the first of the exhilarating moments. Next, we arrived in the chocolate box village of Villars where PA used his negotiating skills and acquired free rail and lift passes and it definitely helped that he was a local and knew the ticket officer. From there we took the cog rail to Col- de-Bretaye where we then spotted the little girl. The painting had faded a little and the clouds were closing in making her look even more diminished. Undaunted we were heading up to the pass to get a possible view of the boy and his paint book. I think John and I both thought we might be on a gondola or cable car but no it was a chairlift, and it was cold and it was wet. 

The chair was very wet. We had no idea what we were doing. It came around and knocked us both into the lift. We were off. It was probably good that the fog disguised our surroundings as we were both exhilarated as we flew through the air. PA and Jennifer, his daughter, and our darling house sitter from 2012, were quite amused with their naive septuagenarian friends from Downunder. We didn’t see the little boy, but it was an experience we won’t forget.

Because of our contact with Pauline and PA through a home exchange program we hosted Jennifer at our home in 2012. Only weeks into her stay our world was turned upside-down, and we had to race away and be with our daughter and Jennifer was left with the house and her studies. She is such an honourable and good person we will always be indebted to her, and whenever we re-establish contact with her, she never fails to impress us. The following year we met Pauline and PA and were treated incredibly well. We are both so pleased we made the effort to take the Aigle detour.