Travelling Teachers - Val de Travers

On the weekend of the 13th and 14th September we met with the Travelling Teachers group in Val de Travers, in the French part of Switzerland. The new exchangees from Canada had only been in the country for about a month, and we got to talk with them. This time it was us who had some experience here.

The weather was cold and wet for most of the weekend, but we soldiered on. Our first visit was to the Fountain of the Fairies. At the fountain there is a box with Schnapps and cups in it. When you leave a small donation you can take a drink of this strong, aniseed, not for kids drink. Lunch was in a small, cosy restaurant at the top of a hill that was covered in cloud. We ate the specialty of this place, a delicious Rosti pizza. Even though it was drizzling we all had a go on the toboggan run - great fun. Back at our mountain chalet, a warm log-fire was set up and our dinner was another Swiss favourite, Raclette. This is melted cheese over potatoes. The evening was a lovely chance to talk to the other members of the group.The following morning we took a train ride to the Asphalt Mines of La Presta. We went on an interesting guided tour of the underground mine, followed by ham cooked in asphalt with vegies in the mine's restaurant. After this we boarded a steam train for a ride.

It was a great weekend, with good company and interesting places to see.