Day 21 – Bye Bye Switzerland

Geneva to Le Mont Sion, 27Km

Dreadful night. 3hrs 47mins sleep. I was tired and fell asleep early but was woken at 2am by my two fellow roommates complaining to the mosquito man about the noise he was making. It turns out he was an insomniac and he never slept at all. His phone was making odd noises. He called various people and spoke in a language that I didn’t recognise and he repeatedly turned all the lights on and off as if they were a novelty. And he walked around the room with his duvet wrapped around him in the style of the Tuareg. Perhaps he was disturbed by the particle accelerator underneath us or the fear of catching malaria.

That was the end of my sleep. This morning I changed my plan to stay in the pilgrim house in Charly (10 beds, no reservation or food, 15 euros) and booked a hotel instead. It’s a shame because pilgrim accommodation is a lot more fun than sitting alone in a room.

So after referring the matter to Andrea who runs the facility, I found a nice cafe in a very arty part of Geneva for breakfast then set off towards France. The path took me on a long detour through woods when I could have stayed on the road and saved two kilometres. And then, there it was, the border, or at least the relics of it; a simple and symbolic red and white barrier and a faded customs notice. Not a hint of a welcome to the EU. It’s as if they’re already members.

The border marks the end of the Via Jakobi and the start of the GR65 which runs to Le Puy. It’s the same path I followed in 2017 from Le Puy where it’s called the Via Podiensis but this section is called the Via Gebennensis. I was pleased to see it again.

I needed a cash machine. Most of the accommodation wants cash and cash machines are rarely found in rural areas. So I had another detour, this time to the shopping centre in Neydens to get Euros and a chilled strawberry smoothie which works well at 30 degrees in the shade. It’s the last cash machine and shop for 30Km.