Eva on the Via Francigena (and beyond)

Song of the Day: Why Georgia — John Mayer

“Cause I wonder sometimes about the outcome / of a still verdictless life / Am I living it right

While I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan of John Mayer, I’ve always liked this song. In particular I associate it with sitting in my dorm’s basement my freshman year of college, singing along with my roommates and proctor.

Today was one large game of hide and seek with the Alps. I rose before dawn, per usual, and slowly packed up my things. Nathan called me as I was getting ready to head out — he was heading home late from watching the US Open — and by the time I left the campground the sky was a pale pink. Looking out on the horizon I saw the unmistakable spine of mountains, far in the distance. I couldn’t believe it — the Alps! It must have been too hazy to see them yesterday, and even in the clear morning their outline was faint.

I made my way into Orbe and stopped at a boulangerie, paying 2.60 for a mediocre pain au chocolat made with milk chocolate! A rude awakening all around. The town was very charming, I thought as I descended a staircase down to the valley floor. From here I had over an hour of walking across the valley’s flat industrial and agricultural land, passing fields and a Nestle factory dedicated to Nescafé. Maybe unsurprisingly, the smell of coffee followed me down the street.

I quickly passed through the town of Chavornay, where I struck up a conversation with a woman walking her dog, who was completely shocked to hear where I had come from and where I was headed. I turned out of town and followed a quiet road up through some fields, up a hill, and into the quiet forest. I followed a gravel trail through tall pines, and heard what I think was a deer, though didn’t see any other wildlife. I was grateful for the respite from the sun, which by now was out in full force, and I always admire the look of the light filtering through the trees.

I broke out of the forest onto another country road which led me into Goumens-La-Ville, which had a small open church (which unfortunately was very hot and stuffy) and a bakery open on the outskirts of town. I got a local pastry and an orange juice — 10 Francs, ouch! — and sat on a picnic table outside for a quick break. This town was one of two decision points: I knew that I would not walk all the way to central Lausanne today, instead walking to one of the suburban / outskirts train stations. I had identified 3 potential options, and while I was currently navigating to the middle option (in terms of distance walked), Goumens was my last chance to switch to the shorter option. Wanting to walk more and in a good mood, I decided to switch instead for the longest option, though I would have one more town to potentially change my find.

The way out of Goumens was a bike path cutting through rolling fields, now high up on the top of this foothill — the Jura’s last gasp. To my right, I could see the high cliffs above Jougne marking the valley I had walked yesterday. And once again, to my left, were the barely-there silhouettes of the Alps, so faint they barely showed up in pictures. I looked back and forth a few times, amazed at the distance I had covered not just in the last 24 hours but in the last month. The idea that I had walked to Switzerland (okay, barring a few short train journeys) was still mind boggling to me. And the Alps loomed ahead, promising a difficult next few days. But, I love the Alps and have long been obsessed with them, so their presence didn’t instill the trepidation that it might have otherwise.

Passed by a few cyclists and a runner, I soon was tracing the edge of a soccer field where a youth league practice was happening. The town of Saint-Barthelemy allegedly had a chateau sitting high above town, but I was unable to see it as I passed through. Now it was really hot and the next section was more wide-open farm tracks, so I was somewhat regretting my decision to take the longer path. However, I eventually headed back into the woods and then soon enough made my way into Etagniers.

When I was still a few miles away, it seemed from Google maps that I would arrive just a minute after then train left. Well, I thought hopefully, maybe it will be delayed and I can still make it. Then of course remembering I was in Switzerland I realized there was no way that was happening. However, I must have made up the time somewhere, because I managed to get to the tiny station and buy a ticket just before the train pulled up (right on time).

From Etagniers it was just 20 minutes to the center of Lausanne, industrial suburbs flying by. I was glad not to be walking this section based on what I saw (and the heat!) I texted Shefali to let her know my ETA, and once I was off the train headed out in search of lunch.

It’s Saturday, and Lausanne was packed to the gills. The main street in the old town was lined with a farmers market, where I purchased some Tibetan momos (steamed dumplings) as a snack. I followed the market up to Palace de la Palud, which had a massive Swiss flag stretched across the main square out front. From there I followed the signs guiding me more and more uphill to the Cathedral, whose bells I could hear toll out the hour.

I arrived in the Cathedral and got my stamp, and immediately decided to skip the bell tower — no way I was going up narrow, steep steps with my pack. I walked around and took in the Gothic structure. It was a lovely building architecturally, but — and I can’t put my finger on why exactly — it felt like a less solemn or venerated space than the other churches and Cathedrals I had visited. To me, it just seemed to lack that certain air.

A bit let down by the Cathedral, I found a spectacular overlook just around the corner. It had a few picnic tables and nearby was a food truck selling tacos: “Mexican Food, Local Swiss Products.” I was very hesitant about this (I have avoided all “tacos” in France) but after scoping out the wares — and prices — I figured this was a reasonably good option. In the end, the tacos al pastor and ginger beer were quite good, especially paired with the view, and hit the spot. I ended up chatting for a bit to two Italian women sitting next to me, visiting from Milan, who couldn’t believe I was walking to Rome, and wished me luck. It was great to speak Italian again after so much French, and it was a relief how quickly it came back. However, my Italian has definitely been impacted by the French learning – I caught myself agreeing with “Oui, oui” instead of “Si, si.” Ah, well.

I took the metro down to the waterfront and popped into a shop to grab a bar of chocolate and a bottle of wine, and then headed to the lakefront to meet up with Shefali (!!!) I still can’t believe how lucky it is that we happened to cross over in Lausanne at the same time. We set up on a dock, spread out our towels, and drank Swiss wine while we caught up. It was so good to see her — we became friends in Rome but she feels like someone I have known for much longer. I was glad to see her doing well and enjoying life in London (and vacation in Lausanne). And I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to slip back into the normal routine with her, even though my day to day has been anything but normal. I’ve heard that for people who completely pilgrimages like this one (or any long trek) that the return to “normal life” can be extremely jarring, so I was glad to see that wasn’t the case here….not that this was very normal for us!

We swam for a bit (the water was cold but extremely refreshing, especially after today’s walk) and then were joined by Noah and their friend Shantanu. We jumped in a few more times but mostly sat in the sun chatting. Shantanu had done a similarly long journey — a bike ride from Austin to Alaska — and had crazy stories to tell from that experience.

Around 3:30 they had to go get ready for the wedding the were in town fory, so I headed to my hotel a few blocks away to shower and do some laundry (and very briefly use the hotel sauna — trying to maximize my time in nice hotels when I have it!) Afterwards I lazed around for a bit, and then once the sun was a bit lower headed back out. I had an early dinner at a bar right next to the water which offered reasonably-ish-priced sandwiches and local Pinot noir, served cold. The sandwich was fine but the fries were really delicious. I did a quick grocery shop for stuff for tomorrow (Swiss chocolate, of course), and then went to write and watch the sunset with some Movenpick ice cream. It was a clear night and the sky was fully lit up in orange as the sun sank below the mountains. Lots of people were also sat along the lakefront admiring the view.

Before it got too late, I headed back to the hotel to do my goodnight calls, finish this post, and get to bed early, since I won’t be doing any packing up tonight. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow, but don’t I say that every day?

Final mileage: 12.62mi
Walking time: 4h 41m
Elevation gain: 827ft

Accomodation: Movenpick Hotel