Housesitting, Housesitting in Switzerland, Neighbourhood Walks

Housesitting in Aubonne

Suzanne

I can think of no better way to get to know an area than to wander the streets.  

Let et me show you some of the neighbourhood walks where we have enjoyed walking. These walks are all within a few km’s of where we are housesitting.  Our housesit is in the old part of a commune called Aubonne with the adorable Fudge and of course with the equally lovely Squire.

Let’s go for a wander.

20170407_155434_edited

Aubonne is a small municipality with medieval history, different period architecture, narrow streets, bush walks, water fountains, pots of flowers, mountain vistas, an award-winning Pâtisserie as well as locals cheerfully greeting us around each corner.

20170414_103655_edited

What is not to love?

20170407_095823_edited

 Which brings me to the subject of greeting the locals.  Let me explain the difference between here and France.  Though this is a French sector of Switzerland, there is a difference, which is the other word allocated to addressing a woman or man, and that is Madame or Monsieur.  If you do forget, and just say “BonJour”, a reply with much emphasis on “Madame” is mentioned in response.  Basically, you have just been told off politely!  With a smile, I walk on by and hope that I get it correct in my next encounter!

Which was to be the next day to the woman below, who always acknowledges us while passing her house.  Today she was happily chatting with a young waitress from the restaurant across the road, who luckily could understand me when I asked if it was okay to take her photo.  This photo for me represents village life from years gone by and the here and now.

20170414_104101_edited

Usually, we start our morning walk seeing her pop her head out of one of the quaint windows that open directly onto to the roadside after saying “BonJour Madame”.

Unless we head another way going via an ancient archway to a seat. This overlooks a slice of the countryside with an abundance of vineyards and trees.

20170410_110913_edited

 

What is surprising about this area is the of the number of vineyards.  They are located in rural and within the city limits and valuable land around Lake Geneva.  Wine from those vines would definitely be sipped slowly and appreciated as I would imagine the price per bottle to be pricey compared to the average bottle of wine!  In less than a kilometre, we can be sitting [as seen in the below photo] on a seat overlooking a vineyard.

20170408_132624_edited

 

With a population of approx 2,550 people, this commune/village has three churches and a temple, one that stands out and which we have walked past numerous times in the Temple.

20170407_162608_edited

An impressive building is Le Château d´Aubonne that stands in grandeur on top of the hill with its fabulous vistas of the village and Swiss Alps.  I was not able to see inside as there was no one around, and the doors were not open.  Which was disappointing. Though I did capture some views of the outside and surrounding area so that compensated for not having the opportunity to enter Le Château d´Aubonne.

20170407_162215_edited

Side view of Le Chateau

20170414_102844_edited

The view was worth the walk up!

Another walk worth mentioning is one on top of the hill to tree-lined paths that meanders on the top of a gully.  The sound of a stream running, trees rustling and birds singing means it is a tranquil place to walk and think.  One that we have loved to repeat during our stay here in Aubonne.

 

20170413_122428_edited

 

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

27 thoughts on “Housesitting in Aubonne”

  1. Pingback: On being nominated for a Bloggers Bash award… – A Brummie Home and Abroad
  2. Pingback: Fudge in Spain – Global Housesitter x2
  3. Pingback: The Best of 2017 – 11 photographs – Global Housesitter x2
  4. Pingback: Cadiz: An Ancient Port City – Global Housesitter x2
  5. Pingback: What’s your concept of HOME? – Global Housesitter x2
  6. Pingback: 50 things we appreciate in our life – Global Housesitter x2
  7. Pingback: Worth a Word Wednesday: the tracks of my life – Global Housesitter x2
  8. Pingback: Dear Fudge and family – Global Housesitter x2

    1. Hi Janis, now this is hard to explain, even though we don’t speak much French it feels though we understand quite a bit. We get by with hand gestures and eventually find words that both parties know. We now feel quite comfortable in countries where we don’t speak the language as we do find ways to do basic communication. Suz

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Gorgeous photos! I love walking and try to go on even a short one everyday. I wrote a similar blog post abut the most beautiful walks in colorado springs. Cool seeing the same concept somewhere totally different – but equally scenic!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your comment. I love walking and taking photos. Will have to go and check out your post as I haven’t seen it or visited Colorado Springs 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. April, it is the French part[?] of Switzerland, many people speak French, and I suppose the architecture would represent that part of the community. It is very much a mixture of France and Switzerland. A few Swiss flags flying amongst the community gardens, such in case you forget it is Switzerland 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks, Parul, that’s very kind of you to say. Lovely village to housesit in and I enjoy taking Fudge, the dog for walks around here.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s