Summer is here!

Warm weather means hiking and climbing! Here are photos from last weekend, during which Tanya and I managed to do both. On Saturday we hiked in the Jura mountain range, to Mont Tendre, which is the highest peak in the Swiss Jura. There is a higher point in the range, but it's in France, and that seems to rather diminish its status when it's mentioned by people here. In any case, it was a very pretty walk and we saw buffalo.

Buffalo! Including a little one.

These plants each collect a sparkling drop of water.

At the top of Mont Tendre (1679 m), the highest peak in the Swiss Jura.

The magnificent view of Lac Léman from Mont Tendre.

On Sunday we broke the climbing drought and went cragging near Les Avants. On the way back we realised we had an hour to wait for a train, which is like eternity here, so we decided we would walk to the next station instead of waiting. This was a mildly risky proposition because the proposed walking time to the next stop was an hour and a quarter and we weren't wearing proper shoes. Thus followed a madcap rush down the mountain in sandals, including a wrong turn, frantic searching for the yellow signs that mark tracks, a couple of muddy fields, and a slippery path through the forest. It turns out this is really a great way to wait for a train, because the time just flies past. We made it with three minutes to spare. Perhaps best about it, though, were the extra fantastic views we got of the mountains. This weekend was what we've been waiting for while Switzerland rained its way through Spring - a warm weekend of being outdoors.