Saturday 30 September, the long trip to Veysonnaz, Switzerland
After our visit to the hills of Scotland (summer of 2000) it is now time to show Elisabeth some real mountains. Therefore, we have rented a chalet, a few kilometers above Veysonnaz, Wallis. Veysonnaz lies at a height of 1400 meters with (when the sky is clear) a splendid view on Sion and the Rhône-valley.
Teije panicks for a moment because he has forgotten to take books with him and we both can't go away without some reading material. He has made a nice pile of books at home, but forgot to put them in his bag. In Doesburg we find a bookstore where we probably are one of the best clients today.

At 8 we leave from Doesburg (near Arnhem) and thanks to the fast German highways we arrive early in the afternoon in Switzerland. At Lake Geneva we stop to take a picture of Montreux It is alternating sunny and cloudy, but at least it is dry. Well, we didn't come here for the weather, we are just glad we can leave Holland for a couple of days.

At the end of the afternoon we arrive at Veysonnaz Station, a village with tourist apartments where we have rented a chalet in Mayens de l'Ours.
Our apartment is only part of a bigger chalet, but we seem to be the only guests. It is a real Swiss cottage, with a lot of wood and very cosy. The name of the building, Beaulieu, reminds us of Beauly in Scotland, where we had a very pleasant stay during our trip last summer.

We have a hall, a bathroom and a large livingroom with a kitchen and a sofa-bed. Big enough for the both of us and so typical Swiss with all the wood..

Nightfall comes very soon after we arrive and we can only make a short walk through the almost desolated village. We are a bit tired from our 1000-kilometer trip, so we confine ourselves in our appartment, enjoying the view on Sion, 1500 meters below us and we have plenty of time to read our books.
The view on Sion is beautiful because the sky is crystal clear, but the pictures we made of it are of a poor quality, so we don't show them here.
Friday 01 September 2000, to Veysonnaz, Sion and the neighbourhood

When we wake up the next morning (late, very late...) and we open the curtains we see only fog. A low cloud has surrounded us and we even can't see the houses 50 meters before us. But within three minutes the cloud disappears. Less than 10 minutes later we can see the bottom of the valley. Mountain areas are known for such fast changes in weather conditions, especially at such heights, but still we are quite surprised.
Sion is only 1500 metres lower but every time we have to drive 15 kilometers to arrive there, a road with many hairpin curves. We walk through the town and drive to neighbouring villages but on a sunday all places are empty and very quiet. It is also between the summer and winter season so there are almost no tourists, nor tourist facilities. The weather is quite nice ( 20°C) and we would have liked to sit somewhere outside a pub.

After a few hours we return to Veysonnaz to make a long walk in the neighbourhood, along narrow paths and streams. There are many chalets and houses in this area, all for rent. They all are pretty much the same, but they fit well in the scenery.

Having walked, climbed and clambered for a few hours we return rather tired to our chalet. We had hopes that the ski lift would be working, but it doesn't start again until November.
We both like to read a good book and we have a sufficient supply (well, Teije just in time) and after darkness falls (about 7 o'clock) we relax with coffee, a beer and our books. We are never bored, and certainly not when on holiday! Now and then we step onto the balcony to watch the bright sky and the lightened valley below.
