Mia's parents were holidaying in Europe and rather than simply visiting Mia in Geneva, we decided it would be better if we went for a stroll in the Alps. After some deliberation, we settled on a hike along the Aletsch Glacier, on the south side of the Jungfrau massif and only a stone's throw from our previous outdoor escapades. We started our trip from Brig, where we caught a train and cable-car to gain some height before continuing on foot. We were cornered by cows and threatened by the weather, but this could not mar what is one of the most impressive sights around: the largest glacier in the Alps. The hike took its toll, but we were well-fuelled in the evening by Swiss cuisine and beer, which gave us the energy we required to descend the next day, in addition to visiting the Chateau de Chillon on Lake Geneva.

Living somewhere other than where you grew up is great, especially when the somewhere else is on the other side of the planet. Not only does it offer a suite of new and exciting opportunities, it also makes you evaluate who is important to you and why. Living in a city such as Paris, I had quite a few visitors, but obviously there is something special about when close friends and family visit, especially if everything falls into place and travelling together is possible. I enjoyed a fantastic trip around Normandy and Brittany with my father when he visited and now Mia’s parents were going to be in Europe and we were keen to piece something together. As Mia was living in Switzerland, it seemed only logical to do something there, and obviously this means hiking. Mia’s parents were coming from a holiday in Italy, and I was coming from Paris and could only stay for the weekend, so it could not be too far away. We spent quite some time trying to cook up with an appropriate hike: we wanted something that actually involved walking, ideally at altitude but without too much of a gradient and without much snow or ice. I had a few ideas, but the one that won out was actually the original: the Aletsch Glacier. I had originally seen an outline of the walk when we were on the train coming back from Zermatt, since the it is required that one take the glacier express in both cases. Some dedicated research turned up a useful page from which we constructed our plan: we would meet in Brig on the Friday night and on Saturday morning catch the train up to Fiesch where we could take a cable car up to Fiescheralp, and complete a walk to Bettmeralp via the Aletsch glacier. We would stay the night at altitude and then drop down to Betten on Sunday morning and from here we could make our way west back to Paris (and Geneva).

The Aletsch glacier is notable for a few reasons, the first being that at a bit over 20 kilometres, it is the largest glacier in the Alps, and the second being it is pretty satisfying to look at. The Jungfrau and Mönch form the northern boundary - where we happened to be just two weeks beforehand - and the glacier flows southward and ultimately drains into the Rhône just before Brig. Access to the area - like most areas in Switzerland - is fantastic, and given that - along with the Jungfrau - the area is a UNESCO world heritage site it can get pretty busy. We rationalised that most visitors would be day trippers, so by staying up high, we could leave a little later in the day and essentially remain behind the crowds and thus not interact with them. Our plan was set, all we needed was a smooth execution.

In an all too familiar routine, I made my way to Gare de Lyon for the 1757 TGV Lyria service to Lausanne (3h40, 95 € return) where I could change onto an interregio to Brig (1h47, 8.20 CHF one way). This put me in Brig at approximately midnight, which was reminiscent of my arrival to Interlaken, although I was not deathly ill and was greeted by the smiles of not just Mia, but also those of her parents whom had endured a long transit across - well, through - the Alps that day. Other than a brief catch up on the walk to our accommodation, we would leave the proper catching up to the next morning.

Hotel breakfasts in Switzerland have always been good and this one was no different. I tasty buffet had us ready for the day, although the weather had us weary, with low clouds and plenty of wind it was unclear if we were going to have everything clear up in an instant, or have a massive downpour arrive from nowhere. The official forecast was for general improvement throughout the day, but obviously in the mountains weather can be highly localised. In any case, once we left our accommodation, stop number one was Migros to stock up on food for the hike - basically lunch and snacks. It was great to witness the disbelief on Mia’s father’s face when we suggested bringing berries - the idea of bringing something so impractical on a hike in Australia is laughable, but for a day hike in the Alps it is absolutely fine - recommended even. Armed with goodies for lunch and treat time, we hopped on the train in the direction of Fiesch.

The station in Fiesch, whilst only 20 kilometres away still takes about 35 minutes to reach (4.20 CHF one way) and our particular train was pretty old school, but charming nonetheless. From the train station it is a 10 minute walk through the small but pretty town to Fiesch FE, the gondola station. Services on the brightly-coloured and retro-themed cable car leave every half hour (9.50 CHF one way) and take about 10 minutes. Arriving at the top, the weather was looking a bit threatening and it was clear that coffee was required before we set off, so we stopped in at the attached restaurant Alpenlodge Kühboden. I tend to avoid such places, as they are inevitably a scam; they have a captive market and can simply provide low-quality service and goods and still do well, and that was certainly the case here. I did not have anything, but I have it on good authority that both the tea and coffee were terrible. In any case, it provided a place to relax before starting the walk.

Many people visiting the area come to “climb” the Eggishorn, which involves taking a second gondola from Fiesch up to near the summit and then walking 500 metres. Another walk is to (and through) the Tälligrattunnel, a tunnel originally constructed to drain the flooding waters of the Märjelen-Stausee reservoir during the spring snow melt. The tunnel is no longer used - at least for water transport - and serves as an attraction for walkers, and the shortest path to reach the Märjelen-Stausee and associated guesthouse, the Gletscherstube Märjelen. The route we were taking did not take the tunnel, but rather snaked its way across the gullies and ultimately traverses the ridge of the Eggishorn and crosses over into the next valley, flanked by the Eggishorn and the Strahlhorn. The walking was initially on a road, which turned into a four-wheel drive track and then eventually a walking track, but was still easy going. We had been living in Europe for some time, but it is always great to see things through the eyes of others, allowing you to look at things anew. In this case, Mia’s parents were blown away by just how green everything was, and the splashes of colour from all the wildflowers made it all the more impressive. The scenery is fairly dramatic, with the vast drop into the valley of the Rhône in the foreground of the Italian Alps. Turning the Swiss to 11 were the large number of dairy cows both on and around the track, producing a cacophony with their bells. The cattle climax was skirting around one particular cow that had no interest in letting us pass, which was a little nerve racking. Between navigating the livestock and stopping every few metres to take photos, we were not making good time, and before we knew it, we were ready for lunch. Conveniently, we were at the point of crossing the ridge where there is a lookout and an excellent place to make some lunch, with a fantastic view over the Fieschergletscher. When we first spied the Fieschergletscher, Mia’s mother remarked that the glacier is enormous - thinking that is was what we had come to see, but knowing what was to come I was quietly content for what would happen once we actually reached the Aletsch glacier.

After lunch, it was only a short walk to the Märjelen-Stausee, which was easily the most densely populated place on the walk. We had not seen anyone on the hike up until that point, but there were many people enjoying the alpine views. We were just passing though and did not hang around - especially given that it was after lunch and we had only done one third of the walk. Around the reservoir itself it was not overly pretty, but some of smaller lakes downstream were delightful - especially the Märjelensee, which providing some views onto the Aletsch glacier. The weather was being a little fickle; however we had some clear moments. In addition to the glacier, the landscape is dominated by the imposing Geisshorn, situated on the western flank of the glacier. The path wends its was down the valley before heading south, parallel to the glacier. I would say the view only improves the further downstream one goes, especially in terms of appreciating the curve in the moraine trails. In any case, it can be hard to not stop every few metres as the view seems slightly better than it was.

Once we had gotten used to our surrounds and taken our happy snaps - which included a family selfie, similar to those which appear elsewhere on this site - we settled into the walking, trying to knock some of the distance off. The path is in excellent condition and is largely flat with just a hint of climbing. The contrasts of the glacier provided plenty of nourishment: deep blues of pools providing a glimpse of the ice below and bright oranges tinges within the surrounding granite. Surprisingly, there we no marmots of which to speak, but we did come across of stoat, which was happy to be looked at, but was not very accommodating for photos - resulting in only blurry images.

As they day marched on, so did we and after a concerted effort to push up to the highest point of the trail, where once crosses the ridge of the Bettmerhorn, we were at 2600 metres and the reality that this wasn’t just a stroll had hit home. In no way is it a difficult walk, but perhaps expectations for how easy it was going to be were misplaced. In any case, the day was getting on; we did not have far to go, only some 4 kilometres but there was a drop of 600 metres. But with the allure of a cosy hotel room, dinner and beer we valiantly continued onward. The south side of the ridge was marred by more infrastructure: it is a ski area in the winter, ergo chairlifts and ski runs are throughout the area. There were a few little streams and a lake above the town of Bettmeralp (the Bettmersee), but not much to write home about. As for me, I was on the back straight and wanting to get to our accommodation the Hotel Garni Sporting and scope out some dinner, as I was not sure what restaurants (if any) would be open. As we were making our way to our hotel, I saw that the Restaurant Bettmerhof was indeed open and looked good. We checked into the hotel, showered up and then readied ourselves for dinner.

The Restaurant Bettmerhof seemed somewhat of a catch-all establishment, with a large terrace, pizzeria and restaurant. It was dusk by the time we arrived and much too cold to sit outside and we were happily nested into the very toasty restaurant. The food was tasty and the beer both bountiful and delicious. I think the most memorable event was Mia’s father ordering something which was effectively raclette by another name and serving method, but the end result was copious, indeed inedible, amounts of cheese. The story of the dish still lives on to this day…

The château de Chillon — The *château de Chillon*

The ramparts of château de Chillon — The ramparts of *château de Chillon*

Breakfast was once again a very pleasant experience, although was perturbed by the number of stuffed animals lining to dining room and a very friendly host who was more than happy to talk about hunting, although her English was not up to the task. Mia’s father and the host got talking quite deeply about the subject, although I don’t think either of them had any idea what the other was saying, but a good time was had by all. We did not hang around for long, as we wanted to see and do other things, in addition to having a long distance to travel back to Paris. After checking out, we made our way to the Bettmeralp cable car station, from where a service departs every 30 minutes (10 minutes, 4.90 CHF) where one can connect to a train from Betten to Brig (25 min, 3.40 CHF) and our in case, we continued on from Brig to Montreux (1h20, 7.80 CHF) with the intention of visiting the Château de Chillon.

Over the years, I had taken the train into the Swiss Alps via lake Geneva a number of times, and every time I pass by the western extremity of the lake, I cannot help but marvel at the both the incredible viaduct highway system but also the Château de Chillon, which is not the typical mountain fortress, but rather a lakeside fortress pressed up again the Alps. The first time I saw it, I resolved to visit and this would be my last chance. Despite a train passing metres from the castle, access to the château is from Montreux via a ferry run by the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (15 mins, 5 CHF, Note: their website is a wreck). When we arrived in Montreux, the first order of business was to deposit Mia’s parents luggage to allow easy travel. The station (along with almost all Swiss stations) has baggage lockers; however the smallest tender we had amongst us was a 200 CHF note. Now coming from France, where 50 € notes set off alarm bells, even 20 € can occasionally raise eyebrows, the idea of going into a ticket office to exchange a 200 CHF note is laughable, let alone exchange it for coins. But in Switzerland, not an eyelid was batted. With bags deposited, we grabbed some lunch and relaxed amid the waterfront flowers, before taking the short boat ride over to Chillon.

Some autumn colour at the castle entrance

The Château de Chillon has an impressive history, dating back to the Romans although the old parts of the modern castle date mostly from the 12th and 13th centuries. As the castle is well located and well preserved, there are many visitors. Entry is 12.50 CHF per person which gets you full access to the castle - which in bigger than it looks - although I think spending more than a couple of hours there would be difficult, there is simply not that much to see. That is not to diminish what is there, I enjoyed my visit but I would not plan a day around it. From there, we were back on the boat and onto Montreux and subsequently onto a train to Lausanne (25 mins, 6.50 CHF) where I would change for my 1824 train to Paris and the Brennan’s would keep going to Geneva. I would be saying goodbye to Mia’s parents, only to see them in a few months due to our impending return to Australia, but I was saying goodbye to Switzerland for who-knows-how long. It is a stunningly beautiful country from which I have many happy memories; I count myself lucky to have spent as much time there as I have.

Adventures

Le Valais

Addendum: since doing this walk, apparently the route has been developed into an official walk, the Aletsch Panoramaweg.