Aren’t sunny weekends in autumn just perfect for beautiful promenades – along rivers, through forests and discovering towns and landscapes. And the good thing about promenades is that you don’t have to go far, you can simply start in front of the house and see where you get.
From the doorsteps, my favourite walk takes me through a forest to a small lake called “Katzensee”. The light, the colours and the peaceful atmosphere are wonderful and invite to dream, relax and recharge. Often I go alone but whenever I go with a friend we share the beauty of the place and good conversations. Some people still swim in the lake and others have a coffee from the little kiosk at the shore of the lake.
Last weekend I went a bit further to the north western corner of Switzerland. A beautiful two-day-walk took me from St. Ursanne to Seignelégier. Most of the time, the little path follows the river called Doubs, a border river between Switzerland and France. The name apparently comes from the word doubts or to be hesitant as the river suddenly changes its north direction by 180 degrees and continues towards south. Still in St. Ursanne, I buy a bread and some honey from the region, I fill up my bottle with water and start the walk. It is beautiful and quite and only every now and then someone else comes my way. It feels like being far away from anything. After a short snack break, I relax under a tree next to the river, the leaves being my bed. Recharged, I continue for another few hours and finally arrive to a village called Soubey. Spontaneous accommodation at a farmers’ place, a mattress dormitory in the roof of the house. The village counts with a population of about 150 people.
At the breakfast with the very friendly and hospitable farmers, I learn more about the region and the farmers’ life. I wonder how the region develops in the future. For the 13-14 relatively big farms (75ha, for Switzerland rather big) currently only in two cases there seem to be a successor. They tell me that the younger generation is in small towns or cities and not ready for a life in the nature as a farmer, definitely not a 9-5 job with evenings and weekends off.
While I still wonder, I continue my walk along the river and it comes to my mind that eventually, this is the time for nature to regain some space, well deserved space.
viafranziska.com 