To reach the Glacier, we drove only one hour. But there was no snow anywhere. In fact, when we reached the Glacier's "parking lot", there was nothing but green grass. It was here I learned that we were only halfway up. The glacier was actually situated another 1,500 meters above us. Immediately, we boarded a cabin chair lift with 50 other skiers for the ski park.
It's difficult to describe a ski resort that rests approximately 500 meters over the tallest peaks of the Swiss Alps. It really does feel like skiing on top of the world. The appearance of the slopes can only be described as a marshmallow desert of wavy snow dunes, sharp rock protrusions, and seemingly impermeable clouds that temporarily pass over the brilliant sunlight causing a momentary suspension of any visibility.
The slopes, though not particularly steep, offered unique challenges because of their narrowness. The family that I was skiing with decided to ski a black diamond run. Uneasy about the prospect of a 3,000 meter drop should I fall off the glacier's edge, my ego automatically lead me to the face of an enormous head wall when I was informed that a 10 year old girl had skied the slope last winter without problems. Why couldn't I remember that I am in Switzerland- and most ten year old girls are skiing double black diamond runs backwards with their eyes closed and arms tied behind their back? I'll blame it on being 21 years old and on a pair of skis. After an exhausting 30 minutes on the longest ski run I've ever experiences, I made it down the bottom of the chair lift, where, extremely relieved to still be alive, I promptly dropped to my knees and confessed all sins, said ten hail Marys, and five our fathers.
The day ended with a 20 minute break on a broken chairlift- a perfect opportunity for my skin to fry like bacon. Though I had applied sunscreen and chap stick liberally, a snow covered glacier on a sunny day is conceptually very similar to an aluminum foil hot dog cooker that elementary school kids make in science class. I'm sure the wolves, bears, vultures, whatever animals may inhabit such an altitude- were disappointed to put the ketchup and mustard away as we were finally rescued from the glacial oven.
I should mention that at the end of the day, my sinuses were about to burst. One's nasal passages don't appreciate being under the "pressure" of a brewing sinus infection and 6,000 meters of altitude change in one day! The day ended with steak and fresh vegetables on the deck overlooking Lac Leman (I know now not to call it Lake Geneva while I'm here, lest I want to offend everyone who is not from the city of Geneva).
Yesterday I was able to sleep in, load some pictures, eat a leisurely breakfast- and set out for the city of Lausanne on my own. I made many stops in the Swiss Riviera's largest city- including the 12th century french Gothic cathedral, the 13th century castle that is now used as the city hall, the beautiful harbor where sailboats leave for dinner excursions beneath the Alpine mountains surrounding the lake, and the shore gardens blooming with flowers excited about the end of one of Europe's harshest winters of all time.
Unfortunately, my relaxing time down at the Ouchy harbor was interrupted by my sinuses, leading to the experience described in the previous blog post.
Today, after a fairly restless night, I boarded the train for the village of Veyteaux and the nearby Chateau Chillon. The castle is situated on a rocky island that has been used for defensive purposes since the time of the Roman Empire. The original castle was built in the 11th century, beginning a period of building that would last until the mid 1500s. By far the most impressive aspect of the castle, besides the latrines that drain right in to the lake (talk about eco-friendly plumbing!) was the defensive structure. Not only is there a natural moat created by the lake, but the castle has several interior walls, ramparts, and hidden keeps that prevented the French from ever taking over the castle. The castle itself maintained a place of immense economic significance because of its location between the northern European kingdoms and the Italian kingdoms- a prime trade border. Like the state of Illinois, the castle set up a series of toll booths along the way to bother traders from the northern states that were better at football and baseball. Eventually, the Savoy kingdom that possessed the castle for centuries got the boot from the city of Bern, who were jealous of the castle's future prospects of tourism revenue from post card and wooden sword sales.
After visiting the castle, I walked along the lake shore from the chateau to Montreux, the city known as the vacation capital of the Swiss Riviera. Though I was a bit annoyed by the vast population density of elderly American tourists lazily hitting tennis balls and entering the Montreux casino to spend their daily supply of quarters, it was hard not to appreciate the gentle breeze off the lake, the crystal clear skies proudly exhibiting the mountain tops, the blooming flowers and the well-crafted "Madagascar" characters made out of old pine needles. In another life I will rent roller blades and go from Lausanne all the way to Sion (on the Italian border). With the vast network of foot paths, it's possible to walk throughout the entire Lake Geneva region, following the same path the entire way.
EDIT: Once again, the powers that are BlogSpot have prevented me from uploading pictures of my beautiful adventures in Switzerland. If my vivid descriptions are not enough for you and your wild imagination, I suggest you visit my facebook profile until I can get these pictures up here.
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