Day 47 and Day 48 - Walking the Via Francigena - Yverdon-les-Bains To Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland - Walking In A Heavy Rain Storm With A Strong Southerly Wind
Day 47 and Day 48 - Walking the Via Francigena - Yverdon-les-Bains To Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland - Walking In A Heavy Rain Storm With A Strong Southerly Wind
We rested for another day in Yverdon-les-Bains.
We did our laundry, walked around town, Jules got a good haircut and a shave in a very manly barbershop, and we got a small bottle of Swiss CBD oil, to help me manage a toothache that has been bothering me the last few days.
The old town of Yverdon-les-Bains is home to a Castle that dates back to the 13th century.
Small shops and restaurants are spread around it, across the brick and cobblestone streets of the old town.
We visited the tourist information center and asked there about the best and shortest way to walk from Yverdon-les-Bains to Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, our next destination.
We’d already booked an overnight in a hotel in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, because we knew that we would not be able to walk all the way to the center of Lausanne in one day.
It was a clear evening when we walked back from another delicious Vietnamese dinner, and it was hard to believe that tomorrow the weather would be stormy all day.
We woke up this morning to the sound of heavy rain on our windows.
The day was misty and dark grey, and it was raining heavily.
We decided to walk the shortest way to Lausanne, to minimize the hours of walking in the rain.
Out of Yverdon-les-Bains, we walked on sidewalks, but as soon as we left the outskirts of the city, we had to walk on the road, and cars splashed us with muddy rainwater.
Within an hour, our shoes and socks were totally wet.
Cars generally passed us with some care, but as we crossed an intersection, a tractor cut dangerously in front of me, making both Jules and I shocked at the driver’s lack of care.
We decided to get off the busy road as soon as we could, and walk along the designated pedestrian route that cuts through the interior.
It was a hilly road which was much longer than the direct route south, but it was worth it not to be walking by the cars.
We walked on single lane paved roads, farm tracks, through forests and small villages that smelled heavily of cow manure.
The rain came down heavily and the wind intensified.
It got so strong at times, we had to stop walking and almost push against the wind.
We walked without a break for hours, feeling cold, wet and disheartened.
I was having a hard time trying not to focus on the pain in my tooth.
We arrived at a small village, and as we passed by the bus stop, I jokingly asked Jules how he felt about taking the bus the rest of the way.
We checked the bus schedule and saw that a bus would come by in forty five minutes.
It was too cold and windy and we were too wet to stand around and wait that long.
The village had no restaurant or cafe for us to rest in, so we kept on walking.
An hour later when we reached the outskirts of another village, I was ready to take the bus.
We had walked for hours leaning into the Southerly wind and we were wet and very cold.
We made it to the bus stop one minute before the hourly bus pulled over.
We waved to it to stop like two wet refugees waving to their rescue boat.
We boarded the dry bus, and in less than thirty minutes the bus deposited us in front of our hotel in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne.
The hotel’s restaurant stayed open in order for us to have a late lunch.
We dropped our backpacks in the room, and rushed downstairs, still in our very wet shoes.
We ordered hot green tea and Jules ordered a veggie burger with fries, and I ordered a warm goat cheese salad.
We showered, washed our muddy wet shoes and, feeling clean and warm again, we went straight to bed.
After our long rest and late lunch, we decided to skip dinner and just had some of the snacks we had with us.
Tomorrow, after only a few hours of walking, we will arrive in Lausanne.
Hopefully the weather will dry up as predicted.
With love and blessings,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Daily Steps - 38,764 Steps
8 hours of walking
Active walking time - 7 hours
Daily Kilometers - 28.5 Km
Total Kilometers walked from Canterbury UK - 1050 km
Accommodation:
Galion hotel in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland
A simple and comfortable suburban hotel with a restaurant.
