Entertaining visitors two

Friday morning was more of a catch-up-on-jet-lag and a late start.

Back down in Martigny the weather was not at all the beautiful sunny day of the day before (which had been predicted) so we drove again around to get the various views and more folklore in the Old Town as well as exploring the local cemetery before grabbing a bite to eat cafeteria style at one of my favorite places.

Vineyards on the hillside

Sign on a restaurant in the "Bourg"

whimsical balconies again in the "Bourg"

 

details on a tombstone

details on a tombstone

Then it was off to one of my favorite museums: The Giannada.

This time I concentrated more on the car museum bit as had already seen the current exhibition, but F took it all in.

Horn on the Turicum

The PicPic

Shell gas pump

Ford Model T

Lizard on the huge crystal in the museum

I also had to drop him at the Protestant temple for a look at the Erni windows then decided that I had to see the Catholic Chapel with the stained glass windows of Father Kim en Joong from Korea (when Leonard Giannada ordered the ones from Hans Erni for the Protestant Temple the city fathers wanted to know what he was going to do for the Catholics: this was his reply).

The Catholic Chapel at La Batiaz

 

Flower beds behind the chapel

It was rainy all day with snow down to around the 1’000 meter level so beautiful in the background.   

The main Catholic church in Martigny with snow on the hillsides

Up in the village of Les Marécottes is stuck

From out of the restaurant window

More of same

With the clouds clearing in time for me to get a shot of Les Dents de Morcles, Fondue next door made a fitting dinner and end to the day.

nothing like a fondue as winter reappears!

Les Dents de Morcle in the setting sun

Scooby indulges

Or partying in the mountains.

My housemate and I drove up for a couple of days, bringing along her daughter so that she could also enjoy the pleasures of the mountains before returning to the USA.

 

Last night had been determined to be Fondue Night – and yes, it deserves the capital letters.

Off we went – accompanied by the ever-valiant Scooby – who at this point has enjoyed so many adventures in Europe that he may never recover.

This night was not an exception: his lady friends (real ones as Petite Cougar and Lady Leopard) were not allowed out, having ganged up on him behind his back, he decided to do well-enough without for at least one evening.

 

They, the women, not Scooby, got a fit of the giggles when the 20 something waiter joined in the fun, even allowing us to let Scooby entertain the whole restaurant with his excellent piano playing.

 

Scooby had the time of his life from looking a wee bit sad with his flowers to checking out the candle sticks, to being served wine (note that his bandage became his bib) – all this before the fondue itself. 

It was a night to be remembered. We hear that tonight is champagne and nibbles: wonder if he will be up to it?

WW

WW is an acronym that has most people thinking that there should be a roman numeral behind it, as in WWI or WWII, but I have a new meaning for WW: Wonderful Weekend!

It didn’t start out all that well: the kids were late meeting me, however, as it was due to the little kids (4-8) graduation ceremony – a huge parade along the main tram line through the center of town – they were more than forgiven, especially as I met them at my older son’s address so was able to call and see him briefly as well.

My younger son brought with him his girlfriend and goat’s cheeses that he had just purchased on the local famer’s market: two-days old, five-days old and eight-days old. Needless to say our evening’s meal of salad, fresh cheeses and bread, was sumptuous!

First though we had to get to the chalet: this involved a leisurely drive through France; a lunch stop once back in Switzerland; a couple of hours at Roche - they were visiting a church, I parked the car in the shade and proceeded to catch up on 7 different newspapers; then “needing” an ice cream led to stopping at one of my favorite places: The Grand St-Bernard relay.

Then it was on up the mountains arriving at 19:00 to a major downpour, which lasted the whole ten minutes of unloading (of course).

We never did catch up on our timing and it was 23:00 before we dragged ourselves away from the table and conversation – I going off to the guest bedroom next door (I have a landlady with a golden heart: when she saw us arriving – three – she rushed down to propose that I stay with them leaving the “young couple” on their own – I didn’t hestitate a nano-second before accepting).

Sunday stayed leisurely: the weather was perfect and we had reservations at the Auberge du Vallon de Van www.vallondevan.ch/‎ for a late lunch.   

Our table was the first one on the grass

Flowers given to me by two cute kids - not my own!

The kids hiked there: I took the car as had unfortunately sprained my ankle just two days earlier. Lunch out on the lawn, under an umbrella – light breeze, not a cloud in the sky – was yet again unbelievably good: mixed salad with a gathered-in-the-wild herb pesto, a plate of the Valaisan dried meats, followed by goat cheese fondue for one and our Swiss rösti (hash browns) with a beef/mushroom concoction more than filling.  We did however reserve the local dessert for later that afternoon: blueberry pie with a thin layer of chocolate in between the crust and the fruit.  Naps all around, followed by dessert and coffee. 

Then they hiked back and I again drove.   

We were not hungry that evening.

Much more water than usual due to the very wet and long winter.

So, although A took the train back to Geneva yesterday morning and S travelled on to Sierre to meet a friend and manufacture some more weapons for his job as camp counselor in July, the memory of our wonderful weekend lives on – a treasure to take out when the weather is bad or the conversation lacking.

Fondue

For those who have never heard of such a thing, fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese: that at least is the short definition, but how to describe what fondue really is… a wonderful meal usually shared with family or close friends as it involves dipping long two-pronged forks into a communal pot in which cheese has been melted into white wine. Now that’s the dry description – again how to explain the setting (usually some chalet with wooden ceilings, checked red and white table clothes, waiters and waitresses in typical Swiss costumes – you’re on your own here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondue the ambiance, the joy in such a simple meal of bread and cheese.

Needless to say, for those of us who live here, there are many animated discussions as to the best type of fondue, the best restaurant for fondue, what drink should accompany it, in any case: it is still a treat.

Fondue at Café du Soleil, Geneva