Day 41 Lausanne to Vevey – 11th July

Distance: 23.8 km – Elevation +80 m -90 m

Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees

I slept well after the rigours of the previous day and woke just after 6.00 am. After preparing myself for the day’s walk I joined Jean-Pierre for breakfast. Leaving the hostel around 7.30 pm we found our way to the lakeshore through a lake-side campsite and our first daylight view of Lack Geneva. It was a clear beautiful day and the lake looked magnificent as its blue calm waters stretched out before us with views of the Alps in the distance.

Today’s walk was a relatively short 21 kilometres to Vevey where we intended to finish our day so it was leisurely walking along the flat shores of Lake Geneva. We walked along the Quai des Chalands with views of the moored paddle steamers being readied, most likely, for a busy day ahead, plying their trade ferrying tourists along the lake. We passed the Olympic Museum before reaching Villette (Lavaux) where we sat and enjoyed an ice-cold beer from a lakeside bar.

From there the path took us to the renowned terraced vineyards of Lavaux, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The magnificent views of the Alps continued to keep us company reminding us that in the not too distant future we would need to cross the mountains to continue our journey to Rome through Italy.

Jean-Pierre’s natural French language skills were used again to find our accommodation in Vevey. A small family-run guest house close to the lake shores – Pension Burgle – where we were well looked after by the host and his wife.