Swiss National Day was celebrated on August the 1st and commemorates the founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291. It was a gorgeous day - roasting hot with clear blue skies. I ventured down to the lake to have a barbecue with some colleagues and every piece of open grass or beach was occupied with everyone barbecuing or having a picnic. I am telling you, eating by the lake is a national past time in Switzerland! For a nation that value privacy, it seems quite odd to me that on these sorts of occasions nobody seems to mind having their personal space invaded. Anyway, two things the Swiss are good at are eating and being outside... so why not combine them :) After the barbecue I went to Lutry (a nearby town on the lake) and met a friend for a walk and some ice-cream. And for the evening activity I headed to Montreaux for dinner and to watch a really impressive fireworks display! And the evening ended with us running for the train in the pouring rain... sounds like a Swiss day to me!
One of the things I missed when I was back in SA was being outdoors and being outside so often during the day. In SA, we drive everywhere and definitely do not spend enough time outside! So I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to do some hiking and be in the mountains! We went to the region of Valais, and hiked from Vernayaz to Les Marecottes. What was meant to be a "2.5 hour easy walk" (according to the guide book) turned out to be a 4 hour "not so easy" walk up and down a gorge, but it was a fantastic hike!
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