Montreux

One thing we thought was really cool about Lac Leman, or Lake Geneva, when we got there was the ferries that run up and down the lake. They are very large and look like the ones in pictures we saw at the Steamboat Era Museum in Irvington, Virginia. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s steamboats sailed all over the Chesapeake Bay carrying freight, including seafood, and passengers. They were the only practical way to get between a lot of places and Washington or Baltimore. There was even a steamboat landing on the Coan River about three or four miles from where we live.

Once automobiles were invented the steamboats faded away. What a cool idea to have ships looking like those from a long gone era sailing up and down the lake. They even looked like they had paddles on the sides! We just had to take a ride on one. So we did.

Imagine our surprise when we found that our boat really was an authentic steam side paddle boat, built in 1910! Not a replica, but an original! Running beautifully. It was really cool! We had a great cruise.

We then got back on the road and walked to Aigle. It was a perfectly nice walk, but after the last two days it just seemed ordinary! Some nice views as we walked up the narrowing valley, but nothing spectacular. Our standards have gotten pretty high after the last two walks!

We did enjoy watching Mount Vélan, near the Great Saint Bernard Pass, getting closer and closer. It was covered with snow! Watching it grow closer made us feel like we really were closing the circle on our trip. We’ll be in Martigny, where we started hiking, in a couple of days.Read more