Jeanne's Next Chapter: Breathe in ... Breathe out

I think I figured out one of the reasons why people in Switzerland yodel; it's the combination of being in the presence of spectacular beauty while you are walking barefoot across freezing snow to slip into a hot thermal bath. It just makes you feel like yodeling.

We live 3 kilometers from the Switzerland border. The German-speaking region in the southwest part of the country bordering Italy is called the Valais and is known for the Matterhorn, some great ski resorts, and lots of sunshine. Annie and Amber arrived for a holiday visit so we decided to take a road trip to check out part of the Valais. Our intended destination was Leukerbad (which means Leuker - baths), a small mountain town known for having 30 natural hot springs. We thought it would be a great way to help Annie and Amber relax since they both have grueling schedules in the U.S.

But first, since the skies were blue, we took a detour to Zermatt which is located at the end of a long valley that ends near the Matterhorn. It can be disappointing to travel all that way only to find the beloved mountain shrouded in clouds or obscured by snowfall. On this day, all systems were go as we hopped on the train that takes you from Tatsch to the car-free village of Zermatt. Then we boarded a funivia, then a gondola, and finally a cable car to get to Rothorn where we had a clear, straight-on view of the Matterhorn. (In Italy, this peak is known at Mt Cervino). It was as beautiful as we had anticipated but instead of feeling satisfied, we felt motivated to return in the summer when the ski terrain becomes hikeable.

We left Zermatt and headed north toward Brig and Visp. It was dark as we drove the last 45 minutes on a narrow, winding road up a mountain to Leukerbad. It was probably good that it was too dark to see the steep drop-offs and flimsy guardrails. We found our hotel (The Lindner) which is attached to its own spa and themal bath complex. We realized it was a different kind of place when we met people in the hotel lobby in their bathrobes. Soon, we too were walking between buildings and through public spaces in our robes and flip flops. The main pools are 35 degrees Centigrade (95 F) but there are smaller pools that are both colder and hotter. There is an entire "Sauna Village" with cold plunge pools that I avoided since no clothes are worn and it is coed!

It is difficult to describe how relaxing it is to sit in a warm, bubbling pool and look at the soaring mountain walls around you. It is a simple place, not fancy or pretentious. Our biggest problem was understanding directions since the primary languages spoken are German and French. We met no other Americans there and only a few staff members were able to communicate in English so we got better at deciphering the stick figure diagrams. Of course we had to have some Fondue before we headed home. Our minds were clear, our skin was clean (albeit a little pruney), and our muscles were relaxed so it was time to go.