We woke up Sunday morning to an unexpectedly sunny day and inspired by our previous mountain drives, we decided to head for the hills. I was particularly intrigued by a road leading to a place called the Grand St. Bernard Pass. The online guide book that we've occasionally been referring to described the area in rugged and majestic terms. So off we went, with not much of an idea of where we'd end up.I did know that there would be a 6 km tunnel toward the end of the drive that would spit you out into Italy, and I had also read about a small winding road that would take you "higher up" (I couldn't remember where at the time). Up is good, though, so up we went. (Herein lies the adventure of travelling without a guide book at your fingertips.)
We saw signs leading to the "Col du Grand-St-Bernard" and we figured this was a reasonable way to go, and eventually we made it to the actual summit of the pass. Interestingly at the summit, we also discovered the Swiss-Italian border, complete with border guards (with guns) and border stations. This particular pass, as we have read, is the oldest of Alpine pass routes and has seen many a traveller, including Napoleon and his men. It's also the place of origin for the St. Bernard breed of dogs. St. Bernard apparently was in charge of the building of a hospice on the pass that served as a point of safety. Being at 2470 m the pass apparently can get some pretty nasty weather. The hospice is still running and they still breed a few dogs up here, too.
Here's a photo of the mountains behind the Italian Hostel (middle of photo; Swiss border guard station on the right).
The Swiss and Italian border guard stations are built on the side of a small alpine lake where there were a bunch of people fishing when we arrived. Not sure what kind of fish lives at this altitude, but boy they must taste good (it was chilly up here and I wouldn't have been standing around waiting for a bite from just any second rate fish).
The Italians let people on foot walk over the border and wander around on the trails on their side. As we were exploring we found some Roman ruins that appeared to be in the process of being excavated, a sign of how old and important this route has been. This place has seen so many travelers, yet the ruggedness and remoteness of the area made it hard to imagine that it had at one time been the only conduit between Northern and Southern Europe.
Lucia is quickly becoming quite the little hiker (making Daddy so very happy). The cold temperatures at the top again took us by surprise, so we had to improvise with her wardrobe. That's my shirt she's wearing and as it turns out it makes a pretty nice sports dress. (It's a new trend, and it started here.)
It's hard to go anywhere without Lucia picking the flowers. Here's a typical mountain flower bouquet that she's put together. The alpine flowers are truly stunning in their colour and variety. Mountains have always been a place for me to remember, reflect and be awestruck by God's design of this earth, and the mountains around here are particulary stirring in this regard.
In terms of development, there's wasn't a lot to see up here. There was, however, an abundance of kitschy stuffed St. Bernard stands. The cold-hearted parent in each of us prevailed and we opted against dropping any of our Swiss Francs on any of these little guys.
Before I forget, one of the highlights of the day was Lucia's insistence on "yodelling" while we were walking around outside at the pass. She's seen one little video clip of yodelling in that David Hasselhof talent show on TV and she's developed quite the little talent. Anyways, every passerby - Swiss, Italian, or otherwise - was treated to a friendly "yoda-lay-tee-too" (her wording) from a 4-year-old Canadian tourist. Needless to say, we got a few looks.
It's turning out to be difficult to find an ugly spot in Switzerland. Beauty abounds everywhere you look. This place was no exception. I just hope our pictures don't all look the same (mountains, mountains, more mountains) when we get home. (By my estimates, we're going to have ~1000-1500 of them!)
