The GENEVA WAY - Part One GENEVA to ST. GENIX-SUR-GUIERS

Gerry and I walked the Geneva Way in August and September. The 18-day 246 mile Camino took us from Geneva to Le Puy, France. We enjoyed the journey. It was quite rural, and most of the walking was on trails. We did pass through a few small towns and villages. Each day was an exciting adventure. The walk was more difficult than last year's walk in Italy, but we managed with relatively few aches and pains, and fresh blackberries every single day!

Low hanging fruit tempts us daily

We arrived in Geneva tired and jet-lagged on Thursday afternoon August 15. We were scheduled to begin our Camino on Saturday, so we had Thursday evening and all day Friday to "play tourist" and sight-see Geneva!

We stayed at the Hotel Edelweiss, which was very conveniently located in the center of town. Highlights of Geneva include the Jet d'Eau, the large fountain, and one of the city's most famous landmarks. Its strong engines pump 500 liters of water per second to the height of 140 meters.

If the wind changes direction, one can easily get soaked

Located just 20km from Geneva, Mont Saleve is called the "Balcony of Geneva" and offers wonderful panoramic views. We used the (free) public transportation to the base of Mont Saleve, and then took the cable car to the top.

On the top of Mont Saleve

A view of the Swiss Alps in the opposite direction:

We returned to Geneva in the afternoon and explored our "neighborhood".

The Cathedral St. Pierre, built in the 12th Century

Monument Brunswick, located in the Jardin des Alpes, is just a few blocks from the Edelweiss Hotel.

Very pretty.

We found Geneva to be a very clean, beautiful, modern city.

Day One: 14.1 Miles  Geneva to Mont Sion

We took advantage of the bountiful breakfast buffet at the Edelweiss (yogurts, granola, fresh fruit, juices, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, potatoes, breads, cheeses, croissants and more) to properly fortify ourselves and then we were off.

We rode a tram south to Carouge, a municipality in the southern part of Geneva, and took our first steps on the Camino at 8:15 am at the bridge that crosses the river l'Arve.

Hooray! The commence of the Camino! I can't help but smile.

Navigating the first three or four miles was a bit frustrating. The "maps" Camino Ways provides us are vague and unclear (to say the least). Thankfully, Gerry has an excellent sense of direction and does a wonderful job of navigating us.

We walked by healthy Charolais cows on several occasions.

Moo

We also passed by vibrant purple flowers along the trails. The purple flowers and the blackberries became a daily theme of this Camino. Featuring a steep ascent or descent, there is nothing better than to graze on blackberries and take in the beauty of Mother Nature.

Eye Candy is good for the soul

We passed by an ancient seminary in a lovely tranquil setting.

Joining a seminary has its perks. I wouldn't mind living here for a spell.

There were many outstanding views today. I could go on forever with photos of them all, but I won't. All in all it was a great first day on the Camino. We arrived at our hotel, Inter Hotel Rey Saint-Blaise, a bit tired, and very appreciative of the outdoor pool!

Aah! Time to cool off after a long hot day one

 

Relaxing at the Hotel Rey, before dinner

The Hotel Rey didn't have a restaurant but next door was a gourmet restaurant, La Chef des Champs. We were given a dinner voucher. It was a set menu, but we were very pleased with this three-course meal.

First Course - Couscous salad with shrimp

How did they know I enjoy fish?

Grilled white fish with sauteed vegetables and a rice pilaf

And, the finale, the dessert - the best Creme Boulee I have ever tasted in nearly 60 years on this planet.

Often I give Gerry some of my dessert, but not this time

Day Two:  12.2 Miles  Mont Sion to Chaumont

It was sunny and warm on the Camino today, but a good deal of the walk was through the woods. There were plenty of ups and down, and a few challenging ones, but we took our time, stopped often, and enjoyed the day.

Starting off in the morning under sunny skies

Much of the walking is on a rocky trail. We especially like walking through the forests.

Toward the end of our hike we pass by an ancient stone bridge with a lovely stream beneath.

It was the perfect place to take a break and give the feet a well-deserved ice bath.

This feels refreshing

Here is another view from a high point on the trail.

We see vistas like this day in and day out

Near the current town of Chaumont are the ruins of the "Chateau de Chaumont", a medieval fort last renovated in the 1600s.

Gerry at the "Chateau"

We looked down on the village of Chaumont from the fort. Our B and B, Le Manoir, is the white building, far right, next to the yellow building. It is a historic 17th Century manor.

Chaumont is a quaint town, but not much to it.

Our hosts, Lennart and Fatima fed us well. We dined a la fresco in their backyard.

First course salad with tomatoes, feta, olives, cucumbers and seasonings

Our entree was a rich risotto with salmon

A fruit compote for dessert spiked with a little rum

Day Three:  15.9 miles  Chaumont to Motz

The forecast was for a rainy day, and we were prepared with our rain ponchos packed in our backpacks, along with a jacket and extra pair of socks. We were mentally prepared as well.

Fortunately we didn't get much rain, with just a few brief showers and not enough to merit donning our rain ponchos.

It was a fruitful day! First we ate blackberries along the trail, then plums, apples, cherries and grapes. It was a trail record for us - foraging upon five varieties of fruit in a single day!

An hour into our walk under threatening skies

Dark clouds above was today's theme.

A view of the Rhone River

We walked along the banks of the Rhone for a few miles.

Gerry often befriends animals along the trail.

We see more animals than we do people each day

Many villages sprinkle the countryside

When we arrived in Motz we called for a ride to our Hotel Beau Sejour in the  town of Seyssel, approximately 10 km from Motz. The town of Seyssel is a pleasant place on the banks of the Rhône, but unfortunately it rained that evening and we didn't get the opportunity to explore until about 9:00 pm when the rain finally let up and we took a post-dinner stroll.

My entree of grilled fish with a side of macaroni, grilled veggies and a souffle

Gerry's entree of pork with the chef's special sauce, macaroni, grilled veggies and souffle

There's always room for dessert, a sweet custard with a meringue topping.

A lovely presentation

Day Four:  10.9 miles  Motz to Chanaz

After breakfast, we were given a taxi ride back to Motz to resume the Camino. Today was a rainy day but an easy hike. It was very flat as we walked along the banks of the Rhone. The 100% chance of rain proved accurate, so not many pictures. We were fortunate that the rain wasn't heavy for the most part, though it was consistent.

A covered rest stop was welcome to escape the light rain

A photo taken from the rest stop

It was cool (temperatures in the low 60s) and very foggy and misty when it wasn't raining.

Not the greatest visibility

We were happy to arrive in the town of Chanaz and take a warm shower and dry our wet clothes. Our accommodations at El Camino Chanaz were nice, but quite basic. Dinner was served family-style and we ate with the hostess Denise and four other guests - homemade zucchini soup and bread, followed by rice pilaf and a grilled pepper stir-fry, then local cheese from Yenne, and peach cobbler for dessert.

The rain finally let up after we finished dinner. Gerry and I took a short walk to see the enchanting village of Chanaz and enjoy the sunset.

The village with the proximity of the canal add a certain charm

It was good bye to rain until day 16 of the Camino.

Lovely cloud formations

One of my favorite sunsets on the Camino

Day Five:  12.5 miles  Chanaz to Yenne

This was my favorite day on the Camino thus far. We experienced ideal hiking weather - partly cloudy skies with a gentle breeze most of the day.

Highlights included countless views of the Rhone Valley, colorful roosters, walking through lush wooded areas, the hamlet of Jongiux, and seeing an ancient chapel on the cliff near the end of the hike.

It is beautiful from the start

Lovely vistas and views of the Rhone most of the day.

We passed by several colorful roosters today.

They seemed friendly and cooperated with our photo-taking

We always appreciate walking in the woods. Today was especially pretty with the moss covered trees.

Gerry's green shirt blends right in with the foliage

Many views from the high points on the trail.

Dark clouds at times, but never any rain.

The last vineyards we will see for several days

The little village of Jongiux was picturesque with the gray and white church which looks like a lighthouse in an ocean of vines.

Gorgeous

The ancient chapel on the cliff edge offers a natural vantage point with a view of the valley far below.

Gerry on the hillside near the chapel

In Roman times this chapel was dedicated to Silvanus, god of herds, fields, gardens and peasants (a very useful local god). Inside the chapel is an ancient stone slab which bears the oldest Christian inscription to have been found in Savoie, dating back to 504.

Sometimes the people we see as we approach towns look like characters from a movie. I couldn't help but being amused at their fashion statement.

Or, is it a fashion faux pas?

We arrived in Yenne, the largest town we've seen since Geneva. There is even an ATM machine so we finally have some Euro (not that we've seen much to buy along the way).

We even find glace (ice cream) finally.

Day Six:  15.9 miles  Yenne to St. Genix-sur-Guiers

Today proved to be the most challenging day (thus far) on the Camino. We walked up the steep Mt. Tournier before descending gradually to the plain, an ascent (and descent) of more than 2,400 feet.

Most of the ascent was in the first half of the walk and we trekked through forested areas. We stayed relatively cool, even though the temperatures reached the upper 70s.

Highlights were the typical walks in the woods, and seeing hundreds of butterflies, as well as close-up pretty flowers, and the ever welcome blackberries. It seems whenever there is a steep ascent I can graze on blackberries and gaze at purple flowers. This helps and makes it so much easier.

A lovely walk through the forest once again

And we pass this old stone house which has seen better days.

We peer inside, but nothing of interest

When we reach the ascent of Mt. Tournier we are rewarded with a wonderful view.

The French countryside is lovely

We happened upon an "orange carrot", otherwise known as a giant 4-inch slug.

Glad we didn't step on it!

Butterflies are delightful. We were fortunate to get a few photographs of them and seeing hundreds of them today made us smile.

Not sure what type of butterfly it is

And this one, with the singular dark "dot" is quite interesting

There is pink, and then there is PINK.

This qualifies as the latter, PINK

We arrived at the town of St. Genix-sur-Guiers, known for its Saint-Genix brioche.

Saint-Genix cakes were created around 1880 by Pierre Labully, a pastry chef from the little Savoy town of Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers. They are delicious round brioches filled with bright red pralines, with sugar crystals and pralines on the top.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to taste them. The bakery in town was closed for "August vacation".

Our accommodations were at a lovely B and B two miles from town, called La Trancoulette. We ate dinner outside in a beautiful, tranquil setting.

La Trancoulette

Our hosts, Veronique and Jean were very gracious. They served us a delicious tuna lasagna for dinner.

At La Trancoulette, relaxing before dinner

And so marks the end of Part One of the Geneva Camino.

We walked 81.5 miles during this first segment. We have two more six-day segments. The first segment was fairly challenging, but both doable and enjoyable.

I love the Camino lifestyle and find it to be very rewarding, and a welcome opportunity to connect with myself and with nature.