Here is my Jougne hotel room, with a lovely view of a forested slope. And then a photo of part of the breakfast spread (juice, fresh fruit, fruit salad, cereals, yoghurt, 4 kinds of bread, brioche, 5 kinds of homemade jam, 4 kinds of cheese, 4 kinds of cold meat, smoked trout and, of course, chocolate to finish up with!) It was indeed a splendid hotel.
Place names tell of the thousands and thousands of medieval pilgrims who chose this area as a crossing point out of France, walking the Roman road over the pass. Hôpitaux-Vieux and Hôpitaux-Neufs are now both cross-country ski resorts, but in medieval days were important hospice centres for sick and suffering pilgrims.
The prosperous Abbaie de St-Maurice (on the other side of Lausanne - it was definitely one of the top highlights of my first pilgrimage walk) established a priory here in early medieval times. All that remains is this chapel built in the 9th century and enlarged in the 12th century to welcome pilgrims.
And then the exciting border crossing into Switzerland. Here it is; obviously wood cutting is way more important than customs, police, visas, border signs and flags. How lovely!
The French side.
The Swiss side.
And that was that.
Things did start reminding me again of my first pilgrimage trip that had started in Lausanne. Near the St Bernard pass, for instance, I had seen WWII defences against tank movements, and here they are again.
Lots and lots of cows. The path sometimes goes right through cow territory.
And then a long stretch in the gorge of the Orbe river. Slippery, rocky, often very narrow paths with a sharp drop down - again another familiar Swiss feature, but somewhat scary at times.
Five pedestrian tunnels on this walk. This was the shortest.
A church at Montcherand is rightly proud of its 11th century frescoes, preserved because in the 15th century, when the church was taken over by the Protestants, they whitewashed over the Catholic ‘decorations’. The frescoes were discovered in 1902. They need regular upkeep and have been restored three times since 1902.
It then poured rain and I arrived tired and drenched at my strange hotel that was completely deserted and locked up. By chance a cleaning lady saw me and let me in. Rebecca stayed in another hotel that was no better. Our French pilgrim friend from two nights ago walked 15 kilometres further to one of the very rare Swiss pilgrim hostels. A zoom call with Canadian friends did cheer me up somewhat.
This was quite the trek! Love the border crossing-- no fuss, no pomp and circumstance. I'm glad they're keeping those frescoes as beautiful as they were when first painted. And that pedestrian tunnel--so respectful of the terrain--delightful. I'm just sorry that such a lovely day ended so miserably.
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