2017-04-13 Genève - Col du Mont Sion (26/109 km)

For Via Gebennensis the route from Gèneve to Le Puy the following link can be used: http://www.wandermap.net/en/route/3471228-via-gebennensis-alle-etappen/#/z7/45.2049151,5.0921631/terrain

After breakfast at the youth hostel I walked through the center and again passed the cathedral (closed) and then through older parts of the city that eventually became suburbs mixed with some fields.

The frontier in a small brook came sudden. I left Switzerland with the medieval pilgrims greeting: "Utreïa e Suseia ! Deus, adjuva nos !" (Further away and higher up! God, help us!) The French side started with industrial areas. Both the topo maps and tracks in the GPS worked well now.


Lunch at village of Nydens. A village growing to become a suburb to Geneva with a lot of new houses being built. Up the hill through another village and then a narrow gravel road through forests and fields. Beautiful. Passed an old castle or rather manor building, Chartreuse de Pomier, that seemed to originally have been a monastery and now a conference center. New tracks through the forests and fields. Upwards, upwards ...

Reaching the top of the hill at 900 m plus - with a burial place (sic!). It was a fantastic view over the area all around. Rested and meditated. Needed after all uphill. Then down the hill a bit to Col du Mont-Sion and a hotel there that I had aimed for. Special price for pilgrims. The lady behind the counter was from Mongolia.

Worked for an hour or two. At dinner I thought I was sitting up close to some Danes, so I spoke to them in Swedish. They looked at me with question marks all over their faces. They were were not Danes but Swizz!!! Spoken "Sweizerdeutsch" is not easy to understand!!! It sounds like a mixture of Dutch and Danish.

 ¡Adiós Suiza, bienvenidos Francia! Después había pasado Ginebra entré la Suiza y el pueblo Neydens. Subí las colinas hasta la cima Saint-Blaise donde hay un cementerio con una vista fantástica. Después una descaso y meditación bajé hasta Col du Mont-Sion donde pernocté.