Photographing Haut de Caux

Beautiful sunny Tuesday morning, so I decided to head to Rochers de Naye to see the Marmottes Paradis. The train leaves from Montreux through a really inclined route build around 1890. The tunnels are VERY narrow, the rail is VERY close to the edge, the curves are VERY sharp and the view is AMAZING!!!  The trip in itself makes it worth going. Some of the bigger towns on the way up are Glion and Caux.

Image 1 - Train from Montreux to Rochers de Naye

The views were so stunning that I have decided to stop in Caux for a while before continuing my trip to Rochers de Naye. Caux is a tiny college town. The Swiss Hotel Management School is located there in the magnificent Caux Palace. (Being a professor at this university is my Swiss dream job J) The train station is charming and everywhere you look the view is remarkable.

In Switzerland there are very well marked hiking trails pretty much everywhere. Pedestrian tourism, as they call it, is very strong. Lured by the signs, I got myself on to a trail to Haut de Caux. It said it was just 20 minutes from the station. Well, the problem with the trails is not their distance but their incline. Little did I know that I would be climbing over 200 meters in altitude for the next 20 minutes. But once I arrived, recovered my breath and had a chance to look around all the tiredness was forgotten.

Image 2 - Haut de Caux west view

From Haut de Caux, you have a privileged west view of the Lavaux Vineyards – now a UNESCO world heritage site (I will be photographing them soon… I am just waiting for all the grapes to grow a little more) – with Montreux and Lausanne cities in the backdrop. On the southeast side, you have Lake Geneva with the Alps and if that was not enough, looking north you experience the magnificence of Rochers de Naye.

Image 3 - Haut de Caux Souteast view

Image 4 - Lavaux Vineyards - UNESCO world heritage site

Mesmerized and overwhelmed, I started climbing a little further to Liboson d’en Haut. The views where just getting better and better. The 20 minutes of hiking ended up becoming a couple of hours with many stops to photograph and appreciate the view. The trail passes through many original Swiss Chalets, minus the delicious dipping sauce.

Image 5 - Chalet with a view

I could not decide on which one I prefered... Let me know your opinion.

Image 6 - Chalet with a view

By this time it was lunch, so I picked a bench with a view of Lake Geneva and the Alps for my break. I could not resist and had to take a photograph with me in it! Hehehe For those that know my photographs, I very rarely have people in it, especially me. J

Image 7 - Lunch break

I savored my snacks and gave my legs a break while reading some news on the local newspaper. I can’t stop practicing my French after all. Following the pause, I returned to the hiking where I met a local artist, Jean Jacques, from a picturesque chalet embedded into the rocks. Unfortunately, he was leaving to a meeting but he gave me his card so I can call him and come back to photograph the inside and outside of his place. I am planning in doing so closer to summer to get a different feel for it and to capture the singular atmosphere that the warm weather brings to places.

  

Image 8 - Jean Jacques' chalet

In about 500 meters, it was the end of the hiking trail for me. Because it was closer to the east side of the mountain where the angle of the sun doesn’t get to it very often, the snow was too high. I tried to continue for a little bit further, but when I approached a small bridge-like-passage without rails with a steep incline, I decided to quit. Near by there were some gigantic mushrooms and I ventured myself photographing them. The same way as I am not a birdie, I am not Mushie (hahaha! I just invented a new photographer category). I consider it a failed attempt, but I won’t get discouraged. One day, the mushroom’s stars will all align and I will get a good picture of them. 

Image 9 - Mushrooms - just for the record! 

On the way down – much easier on my legs! – I stopped at a field to register the really early spring. It is only mid March and the wild flowers are blooming. In Lausanne, since end of February the grass is green and the wild flowers are showing up. This morning, when walking my dog, I noticed the trees full of buds ready to explode. It will be a festival of colours.

Sorry, I digress… back to the field in Haut de Caux… I was able to photograph the spectacular Rochers de Naye with the foreground of tiny little wild flowers. In order to be able to capture both the flower really close to the ground and the mountain peak, I had to lie down on my belly and hand hold my camera. Not the most comfortable position, but as Rob Kennedy told me so many times, you have to be a slave to the image.

Image 10 - Foreground of wild flowers with Rochers de Naye in the background

If you haven’t notice by now, I never made my way up to Rochers de Naye. 

Probably the Marmottes would still be hibernating…