One and a half hours in the “prison bus,” as we jokingly called it. Somehow, I got stuck in this bus both going to and from our destination of the day. Basically, we sat in a large van with benches in the back; we were separated from Christian, our driver and host of the Aumonerie, by a wire cage. As cars passed us on the highway, they would point and look at the ten girls squished in the back and sloshing around like water in a bucket. We would wave and smile, imagining what the passersby were saying to their families: “Look at those girls in the back of the bus. Why are they smiling and waving? They look too pretty to be prisoners.”
Near Neuchâtel, there is a very famous rock formation called the Creux du Van. It takes approximately 2 – 2.5 hours to hike up this incredible incline (good climbing shoes are a must), and when you reach the top, the mist is so heavy that the temperature drops a good 20 degrees. After seeing this place, you cannot stop imagining such a view. Even though the air was heavy with fog, we were able to take some amazing pictures of this colossal structure. As you can see from the photos, it was rather cold and windy (I somewhat resemble Kermit the Frog in my rain jacket).
In some of the photos, you can also see wild mountain goats that have excellent climbing skills and resistance to the cold. Watching them was truly a spectacle.
I hiked for most of the day with Alba (from Spain) and Saskia (from Germany), and we shared many stories of our outdoor adventures in our hometowns and other travels. It was great to be among people who truly love the outdoors and take great care in respecting the environment around them.
After our long and steep descent from the cliff – our legs and arms were trembling at this point – we had a coffee at a small restaurant near the parking lot. It was then that the sun started to shine and there was no trace left of the mist that clouded our view of the rocks. Of course, if we had only waited another half an hour, we could have seen the Creux du Van much more clearly. Midway through our return trip, we stopped to see a panoramic view of Mont Blanc and Lac Leman. The sun was shining as bright as ever, and we enjoyed the few minutes to lie in the grass and rest our tired muscles. At any rate, this experience in nature has to top almost every other hiking excursion I have ever done in my life. The muscle pain and the cold could not have dampened my spirits one bit.
By the way, my legs still hurt.
Near Neuchâtel, there is a very famous rock formation called the Creux du Van. It takes approximately 2 – 2.5 hours to hike up this incredible incline (good climbing shoes are a must), and when you reach the top, the mist is so heavy that the temperature drops a good 20 degrees. After seeing this place, you cannot stop imagining such a view. Even though the air was heavy with fog, we were able to take some amazing pictures of this colossal structure. As you can see from the photos, it was rather cold and windy (I somewhat resemble Kermit the Frog in my rain jacket).
In some of the photos, you can also see wild mountain goats that have excellent climbing skills and resistance to the cold. Watching them was truly a spectacle.
I hiked for most of the day with Alba (from Spain) and Saskia (from Germany), and we shared many stories of our outdoor adventures in our hometowns and other travels. It was great to be among people who truly love the outdoors and take great care in respecting the environment around them.
After our long and steep descent from the cliff – our legs and arms were trembling at this point – we had a coffee at a small restaurant near the parking lot. It was then that the sun started to shine and there was no trace left of the mist that clouded our view of the rocks. Of course, if we had only waited another half an hour, we could have seen the Creux du Van much more clearly. Midway through our return trip, we stopped to see a panoramic view of Mont Blanc and Lac Leman. The sun was shining as bright as ever, and we enjoyed the few minutes to lie in the grass and rest our tired muscles. At any rate, this experience in nature has to top almost every other hiking excursion I have ever done in my life. The muscle pain and the cold could not have dampened my spirits one bit.
By the way, my legs still hurt.
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