Sunday Sept. 1,2024 - Trains to Leysin, Switzerland

Deb here again. We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, with croissants, yogurt, cereals, fruit and good hot drinks. We made the 20 minute walk back to the train station and of course arrived with plenty of time to spare (that’s the way we like to roll). Our train arrived on time, so at 10:12 we boarded and by 11:29 we were in Geneva. The terrain switched to beautiful rolling hills on the way to Geneva, with lots of green and agriculture.

In Geneva we found our way to our next train, which left at 12:29, bound for Aigle. I was so very excited to be returning to Leysin, the Swiss town that I lived in when I was 13 years old in 1970! It was a beautiful ride, along the north shore of Lake Geneva, stopping in Lausanne and Montreux along with several smaller stops.

We got off the train in Aigle, with only 4 minutes to catch our next train to Leysin. The attendant had assured us it was an easy connection since the Aigle train station is small, and we quickly found the train we thought would take us there. We got on the train and sat down, only to realize that we were the only folks on the train while at the same time John spotted a bus heading to Leysin across the way. We hopped off the train and boarded the crowded bus, where we learned that a couple of days ago there was a track issue and everyone needs to take a bus to the train to Leysin. All very confusing but we made it!

On the small cog railway type train up to Leysin we sat near a nice Swedish young man who was heading to Leysin to start his senior school year at the American High School. He gave us a bunch of info, including telling us what stop we should get off at. The ride up to Leysin is pretty thrilling, going up the mountains at a steep incline.

Once in Leysin we walked to our hotel, which although downhill involved a lot of steps with our suitcases and backpacks. We were dripping sweat when we checked in at the Alpine Classic Hotel!

This village is just as gorgeous as I remembered from 54 years ago. We were hungry, so we walked to La Fromagerie, a restaurant the hotel manager recommended and that Tom and Kim had liked when they visited. We ate outside under a table umbrella until a driving rain started around 5 pm. Everything was absolutely delicious, splitting a cheese and herb fondue and a large country salad, followed by a shared creme brulee at the end. 

The waitress spoke very little English, but I told her I’d lived in the village in 1970, and she had us talk with the restaurant owner, Monsieur DuBois. He was delightful, and it turns out he was born in 1970 and has lived in Leysin his entire life. He pulled out a village map and circled the spot where our chalet was (we were in Chalet Pollux, and the identical home next door was Chalet Castor) and he also told me how to reach Nid d'Aigle (Eagle’s Nest Walk) which I remembered from my time here. He then even circled the spot of the village school I attended. Apparently a new school has been built, but the old school is still used by 4 grades. He was as excited as I was to talk about old times in his broken English and my broken French. 

We also visited the museum up above the restaurant, which was filled with all kinds of old artifacts, along with a photo display through the years. Much has changed in 54 years, but much is still the same.

By the time we left La Fromagerie it was time to walk back (up) to the hotel and crash for the night.