Ascent to Glion

Late this morning we took a ride on the funicular railway up to Glion, ascending 300 metres on a very steep track over which the road and motorway snake on high bridges. The trip only takes a few minutes and your ears pop as you ascend. It's a single track with a passing place in the middle for the two carriages which make up the train to pass each other. There's also a small station halt at Collonges, near the crossover point. None of this is visible from below, so this few minutes ascent was a journey of discoveries and wonderful views of Lac Leman and the French Alpes beyond.

The train which goes from Montreux to Rochers de Naye has a station at Glion, which it shares with the funicular railway, so you can book a ticket to go all the way from Territet to the top at 1900m. It's a trip we've promised ourselves to make in coming weeks. Near the station there's a large hotel building of the mid nineteenth century, standing in its own manicured gardens overlooking the lake, with superb views. Formerly the Hotel du Righi Vaudois, it's been closed and empty for over fifteen years, so passers by can enjoy the private view once enjoyed by its clients. the gardens are still being maintained, perhaps by the Commune.

We had lunch on the leafy terrace of Cafe de Jaman near the station. Clare had Roesti with goats cheese and I had a generous plate of Spaghetti Carbonara. We were both taken aback by how costly this simple repast turned out to be, but never mind, this is a rare experience to relish. Afterwards we found the Temple de Glion, which has a plain whitewashed interior. It looks far older on the outside, although it was built just before the first World War. It has a fine arcaded terrace overlooking the lake, resembling a cloister, an unusual and attractive feature. 

We decided to walk down from Glion on a route which had flights of steps as well as footpaths. It took far longer than we imagined. Heaven knows how long it would take to climb up! We were both tired and with wobbly legs when we finally reached St John's. We'll pay for this tomorrow with stiff legs I'm afraid.