Lutry to Evian

Monday, October 18

We are back in Lutry for a few days while we relax and prepare for the next parts of our trip. Yesterday, we started the day off with another insanity workout in the picturesque lakeside park right down the road from my (McKayla) grandparents apartment. We all felt a little more sluggish than usual because I think we were still recovering from our long hike/bike rides in Interlaken.

We had a few minutes to spare back in the apartment before we biked over to IMD (the university where my Grandma works) to join her for a yoga class and lunch. The campus is located in Ouchy, right down the hill from the Lausanne city center. We meet up with her and walked through the campus to the sports center only to discover that the yoga teacher was out sick. I think we were all just as happy to have an earlier lunch after having already done our insanity workout. The IMD cafeteria served the most delicious gourmet food. The buffet selections included fig and onion glazed veal, pumpkin risotto, calamari, fresh and steamed vegetables, and an incredibly decadent array of desserts. You can be sure we all had second helpings and then some...without question one of the best meals of our trip. We even got to take containers to go. After a satisfying lunch, my grandma led us over to the university library, so we could all do some research on computers. She told the woman at the front desk that we were her graduate students working on a special project. We figured we would fit right in wearing our biking tights and reflector jackets. We had a productive 2 hours booking hostels, trains, and researching routes.

Afterwards, Amie decided to bike back to Lutry for a hot bath, while Erin and I walked up the hill to Lausanne to do some errands. I mailed 2 postcards, bought 2 maps, and finally purchased a new pair of long spandex after having worn a softball size hole in my old pair. We walked back down to Ouchy where we picked up our bikes and headed back to Lutry. The ride back along the lake was absolutely beautiful. We were both thankful for the crisp fall weather after having endured harsh winter-like conditions in Interlaken. The sky was blends of pink and red, and we had the most gorgeous view of the French alps across the lake.

Tuesday, October 19
Lutry to Evian-les-Bains (67km)

Quote of the day: "You always know when you’re going to arrive. If you go by car, you don’t. Apart from anything else,I prefer cycling. It puts you in a good mood, I find."-- Playwright Alan Bennett, Boston Globe, June 2006
 The sun was shining in Lutry, so we (McKayla and Erin) decided to bike to Evian (the French town directly across the lake). We had amazing views of the French Alps with their newly snow-covered peaks as we cruised down the north-east side of the lake. However, when we rounded the bend to the south side of the lake, the sun disappeared along with the breathtaking views, and we were left with narrow busy roads that led us into France. When we arrived in Evian, we thawed our toes in a little cafe. The town was surprisingly dead, and on this cold October day Evian didn't have too much going for it besides it's famous water. We decided to take the next ferry back to Lausanne because we couldn't stand the cold any longer. We eventually made it back to Lutry where we warmed up with a nice pot of tea.

Meanwhile, while we were having our biking fun time, Amie was making her own fun. She walked along the lake to Lausanne and ate lunch at a dog park (Amie wishes she could bring a dog in her pannier).