It’s me, Sheila, again! I wanted to jump back on here to share a few experiences I’ve had without the rest of my crew. While it’s been amazing to spend so much time together as a family, it’s also healthy to take a little time apart… I’m afraid we’d drive each other crazy if we didn’t!
The community of Chernex is so friendly. Shortly after we arrived, all three of us were invited to take part in everyday life here. Cedar was invited to join the little kids’ gymnastics class, Jason was invited to the guys’ gym night, and I was welcomed into the ladies’ aerobics group. I even thought about joining the women for their weekly swim in the lake—until I remembered how much I don’t like cold water, especially after arriving here in May! I mean, I’d definitely sign up now that the lake is 23°C… but unfortunately, with the kids on summer break, the weekly swim has paused for the season.
Fortunately, though, we’ve had some amazing weather here in Chernex, which has kept us either lakeside or poolside. We discovered a lovely little spot just a short train ride away in La Tour-de-Peilz. They’ve built decks along the waterfront with umbrellas for shade—perfect for sunbathing and dipping into the lake. We’ve spent some great afternoons there, even enjoying an Aperol Spritz (or two) from the food trucks and bars that let you take your drinks back to your deck chair—glass and all! Sabine also shared a local secret with us: a free outdoor pool in the village next to ours. It’s incredible! A sleek stainless-steel pool surrounded by loungers, a splash park, a playground, and lots of grass for picnic blankets. We went while school was still in session, so we often had the place nearly to ourselves.
Okay, back to the part about getting a little time to myself—without Jason and Cedar. As part of the year-end for the ladies’ aerobics, a dinner out was organized. I was invited to join, even though I only attended four sessions. I felt very honored to be invited and to be considered part of the group. Sabine and I carpooled with our good friends, Celine, Manu, and Noemi in her brand new car. It felt nice to be the five of us ladies going out for a nice meal. The dinner was at a tennis club and the menu was meat fondue. With all my Swiss experiences, I am a bit embarrassed to say that this was the first meat fondue I’ve had. Maybe not the type of meal you have outdoors during a heatwave, but none-the-less, it was amazing!
A few days later, Sabine and I were invited on a “walk” with some of the women from gymnastics. Now, we’ve learned it’s very important to distinguish between a walk and a hike in Switzerland. Chernex sits above Montreux, so unless you’re heading downhill, most walks here are actually uphill. But even if you’re climbing a mountain? That’s still called a “walk.” So now Jason and I refer to any hike here as a “Swiss Walk.”
Sabine and I joined five other ladies—Vero, Anne, Elena, Sabrina, and Caroline—for an 11.5 km “Swiss Walk” up Dents du Midi, with an elevation gain of 1,000 meters. We have an incredible view of Dents du Midi from our apartment—it’s the range with snow still on the peaks. We set off early in the morning to beat the heat, since the heat wave was still in full swing.
I love hiking and have been lucky to go on quite a few here, but I’ll admit—this one was a bit more challenging. Maybe it was the heat, the climb, or both, but about two hours in, I was hoping every corner would finally reveal our destination: Lac de Soi.
The trail started in a forest, passed through alpine meadows dotted with sheep, cows, and blooming wild rhododendrons, and—three hours later—finally ended at Lac de Soi, a stunning alpine lake tucked beneath the peaks of Dents du Midi.
Lac de Soi was amazing. It wasn’t quite like the glacier-fed alpine lakes I’m used to back home, but it was special in its own way. Vero, who organized the walk, explained that about 30 years ago, two brothers spent every weekend up there building rock walls, pathways, and archways around the lake. When they were finally finished, they brought their families up to show them why they’d been away all those weekends. Pretty incredible.
We enjoyed our picnic lunches lakeside, soaking up the sun. The walk down was actually the toughest part—three steep hours of downhill, and by the end, my knees were not pleased. Still, as much as I loved the “Swiss Walk,” I was very happy to come home and enjoy a cold beer on the balcony and be back with my crew: Jason & Cedar.
