Hello friends…
I am writing from the lobby of a youth hostel in the historic French town Besançon. Just crossed the Switzerland-France border earlier today.
I ended up spending four nights in the Swiss town Gryon, high up in the Alps. The hostel there is wonderful, and many of the occupants were “long termers” who come back every summer and stay for weeks or even months. I can understand why; it was paradise.
My days were spent going for beautiful hikes in the mountains, along rivers, up mountain-sides, and next to sweeping views of lush valleys. I love the Alps. I made some friends with some fellow hostelers who shared my same passion for hiking, and funny enough several of them were from California. We cooked some nice group dinners in the hostel kitchen, including the first Mexican food I have had in over a month! One guy in the hostel is from Mexico and he made the best ceviche I have ever tasted. Nights involved drinking wine by a bonfire, playing my drum along with singing and guitar-playing travelers, and enjoying the crisp Alpine breeze.
It was hard to pull myself away from Gryon, but JB’s wedding is coming up soon and I want to get a good taste of France! Not much seems to be happening in this town–I picked it due to its proximity to the border. I think tomorrow I will take the high speed train to Paris. Probably will skip most of the southern cities, as I have heard they are overrun with tourists, overpriced, and crowded.
So far Switzerland might be my favorite country of all. Between the great outdoor activities, the incredibly friendly people, the richest chocolate I have ever tasted, and cheese that smells like the feet of angels, I was one happy Dave.
The feet of angels smell like cheese?
Ewwwww.