Tuesday August 15, 2017 -- In some of the Swiss Cantons (only the Catholic ones), August 15th is a holiday (Assumption of Mary), so that means another opportunity for an excursion. This time, something not so strenuous, since I had twisted my ankle on the hike two days earlier, and wasn't too sure of it. And uphill for a change.
We traveled to the land of Gruyère again, to finish a piece between two trails we had done there before. Our day included a one-hour hike through the "Gorges de la Jogne", along the lake "Lac de Montsalvens", then with a cable car up the hill for lunch at a simple restaurant with a view over the Gruyère Region, then back down and on to the La Valsainte Monastery.
(This monastery is a Charter House, the only remaining functioning Cartusian Monastery in Switzerland. Founded in 1294, the monks who live here live in almost total silence, each individual in his own little cell-like room, receiving visits from family only twice per year. They don't have any particular spiritual doctrine. They believe the key to Cartusian spirituality is solitude. The monastery is not open to the public).
It wasn't one of our most exciting excursions: The gorge wasn't as stunning as I'd hoped, and we didn't see much of the lake along the way. And for me, too many people on the trail, as it was a holiday in this area as well, so there were many familes on the trail. We prefer hiking higher up in the mountains, but this was a good choice for my foot, plus it started to rain just as we finished the hike...
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| Heading by train to Broc, you pass the Chateau de Gruyère |
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| This is the Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc. You can tour the factory (museum etc., but probably not where the chocolate is REALLY made), but we didn't do that. |
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| Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc, near Gruyère |
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| The cute train station in Broc. |
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| The 13-km hike (always slightly uphill) from Broc to La Valsainte took us 3.5 hours. We interrupted the hike at Charmey, where we took a cable car to the hill called Vanoutse, and had lunch there before descending and continuing up the valley. |
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| Les Gorges de la Jogne, first part of the hike. This took one hour to cross. |
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| Les Gorges de la Jogne, first part of the hike. This took one hour to cross. |
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| Although not as exciting as other gorge hikes we have done, there were many interesting geological formations to observe. |
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| This is the end of the gorge. From here it is steep uphill to the dam at Lac de Montsalvens |
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| The dam at Lac de Montsalvens |
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| The dam at Lac de Montsalvens, looking into the gorge |
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| The dam at Lac de Montsalvens. Behind the first hill is the town of Charmey, and behind that, right in the center, is Vanoutse, where we had lunch. |
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| Crossing the lake on the suspension bridge, right before Charmey |
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| Charming buildings in Charmey |
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| Taking the cable car from Charmey to Vanoutse for lunch |
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| View from Vanoutse across the Gruyère landscape. Below is the Lac de Montsalvens and behind it the Gorges de la Jogne. |
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| Heading back down by cable car to Charmey |
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| From Charmey we head North toward La Valsainte monastery. It looks like rain, and the farmers are madly collecting the hay that had been drying in the fields. (The view is Southward with the distinct peak of Le Moléson) |
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| Zoomed view of La Valsainte Carthusian Monastery with its typical cell-like houses where the monks live in semi-solitude. |
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| Last crossing of the river before heading up to the monastery |
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| At the monastery, you can walk around the courtyard and visit the chapel (behind me) but no other access is allowed. |
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| Our friend from a year earlier is actively handing out a beautiful book about the Carthusian Monks. I told him we already had one and loved it. I think he really wanted me to take another one! |
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| Here's the little bus to take us back out of the valley. It only makes three runs per day and two on Sundays. |
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