A Little Life in the Alps

It has been a delight to host our family and friends here in Chernex. Having houseguests gives Sheila an excuse to build a weekly itinerary of events—something she loves—and it gives us the chance to “show off” some of the local insider knowledge we’ve gained while living here.

Our next guests from back home in the Fraser Valley, Sonya and Len, arrived this week via Paris. They’re visiting us on the first leg of their European vacation, and we were eager to help ease them into the European lifestyle. That means croissants, fresh fruit, and cheese for breakfast every day, a big lunch, an apéro dinner… and maybe a little wine now and then.

Fresh off our Stresa mini-vacation, our first order of business was some house cleaning. We moved Cedar into our bedroom on the air mattress, and as has become tradition, he set up his room as the Auberge, complete with chocolates on the pillows.

We met Sonya and Len in Montreux and brought them back up to Chernex, where we enjoyed a little apéro before heading down to check out the Jazz Festival. The festival had just kicked off, and it’s truly a sight to behold. The city of Montreux—normally home to about 27,000 people (a third the size of Chilliwack)—balloons to over 250,000 when the spectators start arriving. Montreux Jazz is the second-largest jazz festival in the world, second only to Montreal!

But tonight, the weather wasn’t on our side. As soon as we got off the train, the wind whipped up and things turned stormy. Sheila and I had been in town earlier to meet up with new friends of ours from Saas Fee—Paul and Karen—who were in town as Porsche VIP guests to see Neil Young and Chromehearts. We had seen storm clouds brewing, but as with many summer storms here, they often pass quickly with more bark than bite. This one, however, had a bit more staying power. After a quick stroll along the lake, we decided to cut our festival outing short and head home. Sonya and Len, still jet-lagged from their flight, didn’t seem to mind.

The next day we spent exploring Chernex, showing Sonya and Len around the village and helping them get oriented. That evening, we were invited over to Sabine and Yvan’s for a “traditional” Swiss dinner—and my first fondue of the trip! I’m sure there’s an art to a proper fondue, and if so, Sabine and Yvan have absolutely mastered it. I’m also sure there’s probably an art to not overeating at a fondue party—one I have definitely not mastered.

It’s hard to gauge how much melted cheese and bread you’re actually eating. Unlike a grilled cheese sandwich (of which I can politely stop at one or two), with fondue, you may have no idea you’ve just consumed two blocks of cheese and a full loaf of bread—until you’re climbing the six flights of stairs to your apartment. Needless to say, there wasn’t much room left for dessert. Still, we were spoiled with a truly authentic Swiss meal, made by dear friends.

After a restless night of wild cheese dreams, we awoke to more sketchy skies. Our mission for the day was to make it to Epesses (yes, that Epesses) for a private wine tasting with Madame Chevalley. We planned to train there and then walk into the village. What started as a light drizzle had turned into a full-on rainstorm by the time we arrived—and none of us were prepared for a rainout.

Luckily, wine tasting fixes everything.

Unlike some of the rushed wine tastings we’ve experienced back home, this one was expertly curated. Madame Chevalley welcomed us into her cellar, where we gathered around a large old wooden table and tasted eight or nine beautiful wines. Sonya and I took on translation duties (mostly Sonya, to be honest), as Madame Chevalley spoke primarily French. But after a couple of glasses of wine, we were all speaking some delightful blend of French, English… and maybe even a little Spanish for good measure.

Meanwhile, Cedar—who had been left in charge of the breadsticks—polished off the entire basket while we tasted.

After an afternoon like that, nobody was too motivated to cook dinner, so we stopped by one of our go-to pizza spots near the famous Vernex water fountain. Jet lag was catching up to our visitors again, and they were probably thankful Sheila hadn’t packed the evening with too many plans. We had big plans for their final two days with us, so a good night’s sleep was in order.

I don’t mind being at home during festival nights, though. From the comfort of our balcony, I’ve now listened to Chaka Khan, Neil Young, Royel Otis, and tonight I’m listening to – Diana Ross all without ever leaving the apartment.