Fortunately, though, we\u2019ve 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\u2019ve built decks along the waterfront with umbrellas for shade\u2014perfect for sunbathing and dipping into the lake. We\u2019ve 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\u2014glass and all! Sabine also shared a local secret with us: a free outdoor pool in the village next to ours. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Okay, back to the part about getting a little time to myself\u2014without 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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few days later, Sabine and I were invited on a \u201cwalk\u201d with some of the women from gymnastics. Now, we\u2019ve learned it\u2019s very<\/em> 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\u2019s still called a \u201cwalk.\u201d So now Jason and I refer to any hike here as a \u201cSwiss Walk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sabine and I joined five other ladies\u2014Vero, Anne, Elena, Sabrina, and Caroline\u2014for an 11.5 km \u201cSwiss Walk\u201d up Dents du Midi, with an elevation gain of 1,000 meters. We have an incredible view of Dents du Midi from our apartment\u2014it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love hiking and have been lucky to go on quite a few here, but I\u2019ll admit\u2014this one was a bit more challenging. Maybe it was the heat, the climb, or both, but about two hours in, I was hoping every<\/em> corner would finally reveal our destination: Lac de Soi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trail started in a forest, passed through alpine meadows dotted with sheep, cows, and blooming wild rhododendrons, and\u2014three hours later\u2014finally ended at Lac de Soi, a stunning alpine lake tucked beneath the peaks of Dents du Midi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lac de Soi was amazing. It wasn\u2019t quite like the glacier-fed alpine lakes I\u2019m 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\u2019d been away all those weekends. Pretty incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We enjoyed our picnic lunches lakeside, soaking up the sun. The walk down was actually the toughest part\u2014three steep hours of downhill, and by the end, my knees were not<\/em> pleased. Still, as much as I loved the \u201cSwiss Walk,\u201d I was very happy to come home and enjoy a cold beer on the balcony and be back with my crew: Jason & Cedar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/littlecedarfarm.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1749062d-d732-44d9-8ab9-ca5aec8daf13.jpeg\")