Switzerland: The Fairytale of Finhaut & The Majesty of the Alps
“There is nothing quite like climbing to the top of the Alps and looking down upon the earth. Everything in the world suddenly makes sense.” – Unknown
Travel Logistics
I flew from Boston to New York and then to Geneva.
Then, after a few days in Geneva, I took a car ride from Geneva along the A40 to N205 through Chamonix, France, back into Switzerland, to Finhaut. (about a two-hour drive through the mountains & two countries, one-way.)
On the way back I took a local train from Finhaut through Salvan to Gare de Martigny; where we transferred to the fast train, going through Saint Maurice, Bex, & Montreux, around Lake Geneva to Geneva. (about a two & a half hour train ride.)
Initial Travel Anxiety
Switzerland was the first country that I traveled to outside of the United States, so it only seems fitting to begin my international travel adventures here. I was 24 when I took my first trip abroad, and it was somewhat of a last-minute affair. At the time, I had been dating my girlfriend for less than 6-months, and with only a month prior to traveling, she invited me to go with her and her family to Switzerland for Christmas.
Her dad had remarried a Swiss citizen and had been living in Geneva Switzerland for years. All of her siblings had been going for a few years. As exciting as that sounded, spending Christmas in the Swiss Alps with my new girlfriend, traveling, especially overseas, seemed daunting and overwhelming to me.
How would I even begin to plan for a trip like that?
At that point in my life, I had only traveled outside of New England a handful of times.
How would I get a passport? And would it come in time?
And, I thought of all of the things that could go wrong.
Would I lose my luggage? Would my luggage get stolen? Would I miss my connection?
I don’t speak French. How will I read any of the signs? Get in a cab? Order food? Or communicate with anyone?
As my head filled with panic and fear, I got super anxious about traveling. For a moment, the whole idea really paralyzed me, and I even doubted if I should go. Thankfully, despite all of this, I decided to go anyway. I simply couldn’t pass up this opportunity to see a part of Europe.
Now, given that I was a last-minute invite, that meant I needed to fly on my own.
AHHH!!!
More anxiety.
How would I successfully negotiate the airport and immigration in Switzerland? Thankfully, some of her family members surprised me in NYC and we all traveled together to Geneva. Everything went off without incident.
Geneva
The first time I visited Geneva it was a whirlwind; it was unbelievable. It didn’t seem real. Everything was literally new & foreign to me. I couldn't believe I had actually done it.
At the time, I was just happy to be there and more than willing to act like a tourist. We had three days in Geneva, and I was determined to see & experience as much of the city as I could. We walked all over the city. I saw St. Pierre cathedral and many other landmark buildings. We walked along Lake Geneva and through various city parks. We walked through the shopping district. I tried lots of Swiss chocolate and a variety of pastries from various shops and street vendors. We even went out one night for a traditional raclette cheese dinner. That was a real experience. It’s melted cheese that is served with little steamed potatoes, along with lots of pickled things… like gherkins, olives, and pickled onions along with cured meats. I can say I liked the cheese & potatoes…
I also did my best to cobble together French phrases, but with most people in Geneva speaking some English and the people I was with spoke fluent French. I ended up learning one French phrase that first year:
“un chocolat chuad s’il vous plait.” (one hot chocolate please.)
I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be the first of several holiday trips to Switzerland during my mid-to-late twenties. And Geneva turned out to be one of my favorite cities during that time of my life, as the city really grew me. Ironic, given my initial travel anxiety. I never had that kind of anxiety again. After multiple trips, the city had the feel of a small town, not a big city and I really liked the vibe of it… the people, the cleanliness, how safe I felt; and it had a certain sophistication to it.
Finhaut & the Swiss Alps
Like Geneva, I didn’t know what to expect the first time I traveled to Finhaut, Switzerland. All I was told was that we were renting a house in a small Swiss village. When we arrived, I realized how small. One grocery store, one restaurant, a church, a few hotels and one main road that zigzags up & down the mountain. I believe the population of the small village was like 300 people, total. We would regularly walk from our rented house down to the market to pick up bread, vegetables and wine.
Regardless of its size, the village was lovely and the people, friendly. And the house, was amazing. It sat alone on the top of a hill at the edge of the village. We had to walk through snow to get to it, as the road to get to it, well, just ended.
It was three stories. Extremely rustic. Literally, woodstoves and fireplaces. Minimal electricity. We always worn layers & hats to stay warm and had to sleep under down comforters. If we let the main fire go out in the middle of the night, we could see our breath in the morning, until the fire got going.
It made me think of what it must have been like in earlier times in our history. Rising with the sun. Sitting by the fire at night. Literally no distractions. This was before cellphones, portable video games or the internet. A week of bucolic, simple living. Lots of bread, cheese, chicken paprikas and wine. Phil’s chicken paprikas was delicious.
I can’t remember if there was a tv or not. If there was, it was never on. I just remember people reading books & a lot of evening sing-a-longs (and some dancing) to a combination of 60’s & early 70’s folksongs + Paul Simon’s Graceland & Rhythm of the Saints. Friends of the family from France and Geneva came to visit, eat, drink, laugh… and talk in languages I had no idea what they were saying.
The landscape surrounding the village was stunningly beautiful. I had visited the White Mountains of NH and had skied in Vermont and Maine, but wow. No words. The first time I got off the ski lift at the top of one of the mountains, and looked out over the mountain scene, MAJESTIC! It took me breath away. I had never seen such incredible mountains! It’s just like the pictures! It seems unreal.
That first trip to Geneva, Finhaut & the Swiss Alps was incredible.