Mountains and bike

3.08.2008 - Landau - Visp and a walk in the Saas-Fee Valley

Here we go. We are driving through Baden-Württemberg south through Basel and Bern. The destination is Visp in the Rhone Valley between the Bernese and Welsh Alps. You can get there in two ways: either by driving around the Bernese Alps from the west, or via a shorter route through a tunnel under the Bernese Alps chain. We choose the second way. The attraction of this route is the train ride, which takes us and the dark car about 30 km through a tunnel. We have booked accommodation in Visp. We check in, leave our bikes and luggage and start with a sightseeing car trip to the Saas-Fee Valley. We were hoping that we would be able to take the cable car somewhere in the upper part of the valley, but we were too late and the ski lifts were no longer running. We walked around the valley, looked at the four-thousanders and returned to Visp for the night.

Autokuszetka	Spacer w dolinie Saas-Fee
Miasteczko Saas-Fee	Mini-skansen		Nasz hostel w Visp

4.08.2008 - Cog railway to Gornergrat and descent to Zermatt

Today we will see the famous Matterhorn and the most powerful mountain massif of the entire Alps - Monte Rosa. By car we get to Tasch, then to Zermatt you can only take local buses. We board the Gornergrat cable car, which takes us to an altitude of 3,100 m above sea level. Before us is a beautiful view of a chain of fourteen 4,000-meter peaks from Monte Rosa to the Matterhorn. It's breathtaking. We now descend the long trail down the Zermatt Valley. There is a small lake along the way. The Matterhorn is reflected in each of them. As for the protection of this unique landscape, then we are quite surprised. A dog falls into an idyllic lake. It chases through the water and finally flies out with a fish attached to its tail, which causes general hilarity among all the tourists.

Z okna kolejki	Monte Rosa - widok z górnej stacji kolejki na Gornergrat
Widoczki ze szlaku zejściowego do Zermatt, Matterhorn złapał chmurkę
Widoczki prześliczne, nawet huśtawka jest na tle Matterhorn

5.08.2008 - By bike from Visp to Sierre

We start the bicycle route. We leave the car and with the necessary luggage, we set off through the Rhône Valley. There are two surprises at the very beginning. We forgot to take our helmets from home. They were ready, but someone forgot to take them. Now you need to start by visiting a bicycle shop, where you rent helmets and buy civil liability insurance. Well, you need to know that in Switzerland, a cyclist should buy insurance if he or she does not want to have to pay back as much as you can imagine now because of hitting someone. There is a second surprise. After the last bike inspection, the rack mounting on Krzysztof's bike was not properly tightened. We put our luggage in and tram. The trunk breaks in half. Well, almost all the luggage for my bike, and Krzysztof and Ania will now travel with a backpack. Here we go. The peculiarity of the Rhône valley is the wind blowing in your face, which becomes stronger the closer to evening. Another interesting fact is that in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, dinners are served only until 2 p.m. We couldn't get used to it. First a small restaurant where we learn that it's too late for dinner, then finally a restaurant a fast food place and we got something. Then looking for accommodation. We are in Sierre. We get accommodation in a small hotel with discounts for minors. Interesting Japanese decor. The whole floor is ours.

Typowa szwajcarska ścieżka rowerowa		Lunch	Hotel w Sierre

6.08.2008 - Cycle from Sierre to Saint-Maurice

French breakfast. Various jams, rolls. Leaving the city wisely. Then we look for a trail. We ask at the gas station. We find the signs and run. On the way we buy drinks and food at the supermarket. It's a little late for lunch, but we find a sign on the bike trail to a restaurant that surely has something suitable for us for dinner. There are many interesting items on the menu, but the waitress, who doesn't speak any other language than French, says that now we can only order Walliser Teller. This is an expensive figure, but we hope that at least now we will eat. Yep, we get 4 plates full of slices of ham and sausage, a bit of cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers. Then we drive for a long time. We pass Sion, Martigny, where the Rhône valley changes direction from west to north. Evening is approaching. We find accommodation in bungalows near the town of Saint-Maurice. We also buy orangeade and beers for bedtime. Everyone loves this place.

Drogowskazy rowerowe	Odpoczynek	Winnice
Trasa za Martigny			Nasz bungalow

7.08.2008 - Cycle from Saint-Maurice to Montreux

The weather was clearly worse that day. It drizzles most of the day. Lake Geneva is ahead of us. Our trail runs past the medieval Chillon Castle. We watch from the outside. Then Montreux, the destination of our trip. We were in a bit of a hurry, so we didn't see anything worth seeing there. We are now returning to Visp by train. We boarded accidentally in the middle of the train, where there was a storage space in the aisle between the cars that could only fit two bicycles. We packed all four but you had to be on duty with them, because the bicycles had to be moved every time passengers passed between carriages. The conductor had no complaints. We arrived and although it was after 4 p.m. at the market square in Visp, we finally had a normal dinner - soup and a main course. We are back at our quarters. In the evening we go by car to bathe in the Leukerbad thermal swimming pool.

W drodze z Saint-Maurice do Montreux
Jezioro Genewskie	Zamek Chillon		Montreux

8.08.2008 - Kolejką na Agile du Midi (3900 m)

Bicycles on the roof. We're coming back, but not right away. In Martigny we head towards Chamonix. We go up a very steep serpentine, then go down and we are already at the foot of Mont Blanc. Mountains in the fog. We buy tickets for the cable car to Agile du Midi. We quickly found ourselves at an altitude of 3,900 m above sea level. The upper cable car station, restaurant and shop are carved in the rock, with a terrace surrounding it. There are moments when Mont Blanc emerges, then we quickly take photos. I admit that after two hours I was already feeling dizzy. We take the cable car back to the valley. We saw what is most important in the Alps, the trip was completed.

Zdjęcie na tle ..	... Mont Blanc	Lodowa grota	Chamonix z kolejki