Despite the forecast predicting rain for the next 5 days we awoke to a bright clear blue sky at 7am.
Randy scored early tickets for the ascension of Mount Blanc observation area on Aiguille du Midi.
The gondola was packed with climbers and everyone else wanting to capture a rare clear day. Not anyone’s favorite thing to be packed like sardines in a cable car, suspended over snow covered mountains, or pressed against climbing gear.
The hills (mountains) are alive with the sound of music (people)
With songs (noises) they have sung (heard) for a thousand (hundred) years
Once at the top the woolen mittens and hats adorned our bodies. The air was thinner and crisper than down below. Despite people talking about the beauty around, the area was still and silent.
This magnificent, rock-jagged mountain range stretched across France, Italy, and Switzerland. We saw hikers beginning to transverse ridges and cross the Vallée Blanche area from the observation tower. They looked like ants barely moving.
We took our turns in the glass room known as the “Step into the Void” room with a glass floor. Explored the tunnel of snow, and enjoyed being in all the beauty. Over the intercom we heard the announcement about the cable car ride to Italy being open with no wait.
Our last day in Zermatt and we surprised Zach with a ticket to go paragliding with Uncle Greg. Zach has always been intrigued with flight and creating airplanes out of anything he can find.
This activity caught him by surprise; he even asked if we were kidding. As an old soul, Zach takes in the world around him through his eyes. Occasionally he reveals excitement, rarely in public though. The morning came early for several reasons. We had to pack, check out, and get the guys to the train station to summit the mountain for flight. The exact mountain we hiked yesterday would serve as a launching pad for both Zach and Greg.
“There’s a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall And the bells in the steeple too And up in the nursery an absurd little bird Is popping out to say “cuckoo” Regretfully they tell us But firmly they compel us To say goodbye . .” and farewells to the guys and they were off. So long, farewell we hope we see you soon! The guys will be like Lousia in The Sound of Music, just prior to picking up Gretl and leaving the party, ”I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly…. Goodbye.”
The rest of us headed to the landing field covered in green grass, rocks and black face sheep. How exciting for Zach to land in a field with his favorite animals.
The sheep gave Mazie, Sarah, and I something to do to bide our time. These sheep were extremely cute and stringy-fluffy.
Bells and GPS monitors were attached to the collars. Against a far off brick wall we spotted a lonely sheep herder resting in the shade.
Randy and Cody watched the sky for the guys. We watched several paragliders land safely in front of us. Each landing gave Mazie more confidence that her brother would be safe. Oh, a little important note, the guys were attached to professional paragliders who fly with FLY ZERMATT, which was a fabulous company.
Finally we spot Greg doing acrobats in the sky. He was having a great time. His landing was adventurous, but nothing they couldn’t handle. On the ground the wind caught the chute and pulled them a little ways on their knees. In the end, laughter was heard and a few bruises appeared the next day.
Zach came in for a smooth landing within 2 minutes of Greg. Mazie rushed him and gave him a huge hug! Once unharnessed a successful simple smile was radiating from Zach’s face. He loved every minute of paragliding over the Alps.
Cody absolutely loved the snow. He went crazy and learned new aerobatic tricks. We found several alpine ponds surrounded by snow for him to explore.
This hike was CRAZY. We climbed every mountain set before us on this path. We searched high and low for the best possible routes. We even forded every stream known and unknown in our path. We did not follow rainbows and yet many bucket list items or dreams were found.
Yes it was downhill for the most part, but we chose paths in snow. Parts of the snow paths were covering creek beds, which were waking up from winter IN JUNE! Why is this important, because we came to a place where we were walking along and all of the sudden our next step dropped us up to our knees in snow and our feet in running water. Have you ever hiked in knee deep snow unprepared? Luckily most of us were wearing hiking pants and some sort of boot. (We learned fast from the Matterhorn training adventure trail just yesterday.) We went from cautious foot placements to following other deep steps and laughing.
The views and the day remained beautiful, despite the 7 day forecast of rain.
Once back in the village we stopped to see the hotel that Uncle Greg stayed in as a little kid. He even had a letter he wrote to his uncle on the hotel stationary with him in hand.
Drum roll please, strike up the band, march….Not quite what we expected to wake up to at 6:15 AM on a Friday morning. Luckily we all fell back asleep for a few more hours.
Once more awake I decided to head out to the grocery store and grab breakfast for our stay. We were staying in the oldest part of Zermatt. The structures of houses were eye catching. Building pillars shaped like mushrooms prevented mice from getting in the buildings. Once home I saw USA precious gifts adorned on heads and in mouths.
On my return home I came upon the start of a parade. Unfortunately, I left my phone at home. The band was playing again. People young and old were in procession walking through the Zermatt village streets dressed in traditional Swiss outfits, even the three year old boy with his suspenders and hat. Little girls wore white dresses with simple wreaths adorning their heads. Next came men in khaki suits with mountain climbing gear, ropes and ice picks. Bringing up the rear were people dressed in black with a look of mourning. Upon further research I discovered it was Corpus Christi Day. (A festival day designed to commemorate the Holy Eucharist – the body, blood and divinity of Jesus Christ. During the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, the father of Protestantism Martin Luther spoke out against the use and celebration of consecrated items and holy bodies like the Eucharist, calling it “only play-acting” and “vain idolatry.” Luther especially disliked the use of symbols and figures during Corpus Christi, instructing his followers to not observe the holiday. The Calvinists of Geneva also followed suit, along with most Protestant-dominant areas of Switzerland.)
Back to the title of this post, Climb Every Mountain. Eventually we headed out to the Gornergrat Railway.
This cog-wheeled train climbed us up from the village, through the forest, around glimpses of the Matterhorn, ascended to 3,089 meters, and finally stopped on Gornergrat Mountain. It was time to explore the views from the top. Randy held on to Cody during most of this excursion.
Reflection captured by MazieSnow this deep
After we had our fill of the top we adventured on hoping to climb down the mountain, which is another post for sure.
Arriving last night (June 6, 2023), we basically slept, ate breakfast, changed hotels, and headed for a small adventure hike. Precious cargo was traveling by plane and train, bound to meet up with us in the late afternoon!
We set off for the indoor funicular to Sunnegga with Cody trying to lead the way! Once we reached Sunnegga we enjoyed snacks and drinks overlooking the valley with a bird’s eye view of the famous Matterhorn. Zach’s bucket list has been accomplished within 24 hours of his arrival to Zermatt! The clouds were nice enough to part for a rare spectacle of the Matterhorn sans clouds. A small hike up and the reward was even better.
A small hike down gave the view of a small lake, in which swimming is allowed. Cody even took to the water, however his confidence to swim across to fetch a stick was quickly thwarted either by cold water temperatures or inability to judge the distance. In the water, Mazie found a huge log that looked like a rock next to her island rock.
Log
Next we decided to hike back down to the village. The All Trails app gave us confidence we would arrive at the train station in time to meet precious cargo. The hike meandered along a tree line with beautiful mountain views. We studied and felt young evergreens that were as soft as a baby’s bottom. Then we dove quickly straight down a dusty thin trail. Looking behind us I saw others following us or following the trail app.
This thin trail down was crazy. Cody and they kids were nimble and quick, having a lot of confidence in their abilities. I trekked on gingerly, having packed for the day on nice meandering trails. The soles of my shoes were worn smooth and could not grip. Also I was without an ankle brace as added measure for my 4mo post ankle sprain injury from another steep mountain descent. Almost all of us were on our bottoms many times in order to safely maneuver step gradient landscapes. Randy even stayed back several times to help the hikers behind us. Finally, we intersected with a more developed trail. At this junction we translated a sign explaining the trail we had just descended was actually a training trail for climbing the Matterhorn. How about that!!! This news did not help the sounds of frustration coming out my mouth.
We proceeded down the more manicured trail. We found bunkers, which spurred the kids along. We saw views of the village rooftops. We took wrong turns. Our confidence in meeting the train carrying precious cargo was dwindling rapidly. At this point we were walking as five separate units without all being in view.
Inside the bunker
Alas, we made it to the village. The race, for some with energy still left in their legs, began. Lo and behold, we reached our new apt flat the same time as our precious cargo, Uncle Greg and Aunt Sarah. Hugs and excited kids were seen and heard throughout the village.
We ended the afternoon with drinks, hanging out, Swiss fondue and a plan for the next day!
Later this week, Tuesday June 6, 2023, I took a train to Marseille to meet up with dear friends for a few hours. I have never explored this city and its ports.
Our first adventure was meeting up with each other. After the train I took the metro (in the wrong direction) while Rebecca and her family were holding on for dear life in a fast moving taxi on narrow streets.
The second adventure was using a public FREE porta-a-potty. Wish I had thought to take a picture! It was very spacious, contained a sink, locking door, and self cleaned after each use. Well Well Well…We individually were stuck locked inside at some point. Unfortunately when Rebecca was locked inside the self cleaning mode decided to start. She described the scene inside as water gushing out of a nozzle all over the floor and toilet. She leaped back to the wall standing on tiptoes to avoid getting her shoes soaked. The bathroom was speaking clearly in French about the process, which neither of us understood. She was yelling from inside. I was yelling from outside counting down the rinse cycle I found on the panel of the port-a-potty. Zero came, the door opened and Rebecca and I had the biggest laugh together.
Our third adventure was visiting La Major Cathedral. The temperature was cool on the inside. Mosaic floors with wooden benches beckoned us down the center aisle.
Our fourth adventure came about as we saw a strike parade near the Old Port area. Sure enough it was Tuesday, which in France is the most common strike day. A highlight was us actually “breaking the picket line” to cross the street to get to ice cream.
We sat and talked for a long time in the ice cream store, just like old times.
Finally our last adventure together in Marseille was walking through the city market a couple of blocks away from Old Port. We experienced bright colors of fruits and vegetables, huge amounts of fish and eel.
We said our goodbyes and each of us headed to our next destination. I had to catch a train to Geneva for dinner. With an hour plus before the next train I walked down to the water, found cars worthy of quick photographs and a burger from Five Guys. It has been so long since I have had Five Guys that I ordered a cheeseburger for 17 Francs. It came as a double burger not a single. Hmm, at least 17 Francs made a tad more sense now.
After dinner I took several more trains passing through the village of St. Niklaus. I eventually met up with Randy and the kids in Zermatt around midnight. They had stopped along the way, played disc golf, and enjoyed yummy food on their adventure to Zermatt.
A day or two to catch up before we hit the road again. I enjoy traveling and experiencing new sights. I enjoy hosting people who spend their hard earned money to come visit a new place. I enjoy showing off our surrounding experiences with others. This is also a photo dump post with pictures that really do not tie together.
Mazie, Cody and LezSnails sleep on tall grass and flowersHail and more hailYoungLives Zoom MeetingsMazie’s specialty, French ToastPassion fruit bloomrose bushes at the end of vineyard rows
I typically have a day of silent depression when guests leave. The house is quiet. Routines try to find their way back into existence. Yet everyday still has the potential to be new for me due to the weather, the amount of daylight, school deadlines for the kids and desire to explore. Just when I think I have finally gotten to the point of predicting how the day will go, it flip-flops or takes a slight deviation from what I view as normal. Normal now is really not normal. We are thinking about what to see before we return to America, how to start packing, and when to start the goodbyes of our French friends.
Marceau and JuliaLife with PoohJulia’s sister EllaLavender is in bloom
We tried a different church, one that incorporated both French and English from the front. I wanted the kids to realize that most anywhere in the world you can find a church that speaks English. The church we visited met in a hotel near the city center. It has been several months since the 4 of us worshiped together. Typically Randy is downstairs hearing French, while the kids and I are in the balcony with simultaneous English translation. This visiting church service was in English with French translation all up front, much like I experienced in Uganda. The speaker says a few sentences, the translator translates, and this back and forth repeats. It can make for a long service. Some songs were in English, which were music to our ears.
Mazie and I headed to Saint Rémy de Provence, Monday May 29th, to experience sheep herding through the village before they were headed to the fields for summer. This reminded us of the cow parades we experienced in Switzerland. The parade was led by a few donkeys. A wave of sheep herded close behind.
Hundreds of sheep, a few goats mixed in the herds, and a sheepdog followed around the town circular block two times. Bells were clanging from the sheeps’ neck.
We enjoyed seeing the proud shepherds and their families.
Poop happened on the streets of Saint Remy de Provence. The street cleaning machines concluded the parade. We found lunch and headed home right before the storm!
Some friends of ours with two little girls, ages 2 and 4, tried out their first international trip with kids to come see us in Southern France. I would classify the parents as world travelers, however adding two young kids requires a learning curve for everyone. The girls rocked it and did really well. The parents rock it as well, slowing down their normal sight seeing adventures for beaches, city train tours, carousels, and mini adventures. The girls took to Mazie and called her their best friend.
We enjoyed showing them the city-center, castle ruins, our favorite eating establishments and neighborhood highlights. Mazie even took them on her own to Le Petite Paradise exploring animals and bounce houses. Perfect outing for everyone.
Lees in France 