Wallis, Switzerland

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Wallis is one of Switzerland's 26 cantons (or provinces). Ticino is the Italian-speaking one, and Wallis is the French-speaking one. This is Nima and Marit on top of the Furka pass, near the Rhone glacier. The Rhone flows from this giant chunk of ice, and runs through the valley and right past the condo-apartment that we stayed at.

The weather wasn't great, but it gave us a day to stay in and drink beer at the Larch while the girls went to the spa.



This cow stared down me and Marit as we were walking by on the way along the valley to the next little town for dinner. What was on the menu? Why, more meat and cheese of course! Always, always, meat and cheese.

Breakfast in Ticino

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So Switzerland started in the city... Baden, and then Luzerne. But two weeks on what I'm remembering is the Alps. This is Leigh at the breakfast table at the Chalet in Ticino. The drive up the side of the mountain is actually indesribeable... Ian has a video that kind of tells the story. It's switchback roads, really steep, single lane. So what happens when someone is coming down when you're going up? Just guess.

This is the typical Swiss breakfast: it starts and ends with good bread. Then you'll have butter, cheese, jam, oh coffee for sure. The extras are juice, deli meats (local of course) usually some yoghurt, fruit if you're lucky.

The time at the chalet was so great. My cousin Stefan was our guide, and we did a couple of easy hikes to the local mountain eateries. Ticino has great local wine, their specialty is Merlot, both read and white!



A day trip in Ticino took us to Locarno, one of the most southern cities in Switzerland. It's in the Italian part, so it has a totally different feel than the central German-speaking area. We went down the mountain for the 59th Annual Festivale Internatiaonale di Film di Locarno. This is a picture of some local castle, branded with the festival's graphic of the spotted leopard. Cheryl pay attention... swag coming your way.

We were sad to leave the Italian easy-going mountainous region and head across the Nufenen pass to Wallis, but more friends were waiting! But seriously, just look how hip AND relaxed yours truly and my buddy Ian look sitting in front of this little terrace. It was some kind of city building-turned film fest venue, and was very civilized. Great wine on the terrace was followed by some of the weirdest short films I've ever seen. Loved it.