Orsonnens to l’Ecorcheboeuf, 37Km
We are now in the French speaking region of Switzerland and it feels like a different country. This could easily be France. Breakfast is a simple baguette and croissant, everything stops for lunch, the pedestrian is relegated to a sub human species and everyone smokes. It’s also Corpus Christi today but I didn’t see any of those wonderful celebrations I witnessed in Austria last year. Corpus Christi is a public holiday in 14 of the 26 cantons; the remaining 12 presumably celebrate in secret.
Today’s walk was always going to be a bit on the long side. Walter’s daughter is having a party on Friday evening and he’s keen to get home on Saturday to start working on the insurance claim. We therefore aimed for a B&B some short distance from Lausanne and booked the Terre des Âmes.
I can’t remember very much about the walk. We started before 7am and reached Romont by 9am. It’s a pretty small French town. A cafe and boulangerie shared a few tables on the pavement; one provided the coffee while the other provided the croissants. We continued on the flat or slightly downhill path surrounded by endless poppies to Moudon for a proper French lunch and then continued along the river towards our B&B.
The Terre des Âmes was easy to find in the accommodation listing but less easy to find in the woods after a tiring 34Km. So another 3Km was lost before the fabled Terre des Âmes appeared. It was certainly discreet. Emmanuelle answered the door. She asked us to remove our boots in French, German and English and then led us past several chambres including the sérénité, the Chambre Amour and another simply called Privé, to our Chambre Bonheur. Emmanuelle said there would be many ladies floating around in the evening for her yoga and meditation sessions de danse, thérapeutiques, de formation ou de développement personnel etc.. When the first of the small Renaults arrived, we set off to the local bar.
Pilgrimage 
Beautiful pics! The BnB sounds a treat!!
Yes in many ways
Wonderful shots! Not commenting much but absolutely love following the journey. Jealous of those who can easily converse in 3 languages. Bonne route!
Hi Patti, so nice to hear from you. It reminds me of all those wonderful days on the Camino Frances
Hi Tim – Your wit continues apace I see – will you be walking on your own come Saturday?
Hi David, yes until some poor pilgrim crosses my path
Useful information? Swiss Federal Railways has listed the 3 word address of each bus stop in Switzerland.
Indeed it is. I can shelter in a bus stop during rain.
Are those coloured boxes (in the background of the photo of the horses) beehives? No wonder the flowers are glorious!
Yes and I’m going to taste the honey and will give my verdict
Kia ora Tim, What! No gnomes!? If those are beehives in the background of the horses that skinny chestnut could do with a diet supplemented with the honey. As for the cow in the last photo it’s unhealthily fat! Gorgeous photos of the flowers with the poppies reminding me of the VF – wonderful memories of a solo and thought-provoking walk, especially through the battlefields of northern France. Kia kaha.
Beehives for sure! I’ve seen so many. Maybe it’s the land of skinny horses and fat cows. Anyway I agree the flowers are beautiful and always a reminder of past pilgrimage walks
Is the last picture of the cow an escapee from Milton Keynes or the other way round I wonder?
I would guess the other way round but they should have gone to Madame Tussaud’s
Just finding time to catch up with your latest journey, Tim. Looks surprisingly flat terrain today. Look forward to reading more of your observations.
Hello Peter the terrain is flat, finally! Lakeside walking to Geneva unless there’s a sting in the tail