Visit to Leysin in 2012

Dwight Peck's personal website

Back to Leysin in 2012

It's as beautiful as ever

La Tour de Famelon, and Larry's party

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Resident in Leysin, Switzerland, from 1977 to 1992, back for a brief visit in 2005, and again two weeks ago to introduce little William to the wonders; now we're back for Mr Larry's surprise party.

The Chalets Ermina B+B, owned and operated by our old friend and former colleague Ariane Giobellina -- the best accommodations in Leysin for everybody.

We're staying this time in Chalet Ermina no. 2 (connected by a tunnel under the lawn, for the blustery winter nights).

This is the Chalets Ermina's busiest weekend of the year, with the international schools in town for a sports contest, so we're well provided for in the dortoir.

And off for a late afternoon hike up towards the Tour de Famelon

The Dents du Midi across the Rhône valley

A family of chamois

We see fewer and fewer chamois in the Jura, so it's good to find that they're still around in the Préalps.

Kristin coming up alongside the Crête des Fers

Old favorites: Mont d'Or, the Pic Chaussy, and the Oldenhorn in the distance off to the right

The Tour de Famelon, our very most Favorite, and some hikers looking for a way down

On the left, a teacher from the American high school, from whom we learnt all about the revivification of our old ACS college library, in progress; it had lain boxed up in musty storage for 20 years under the Schiller University management of the property, but has since been bought and is about to be put to use again.

The Tour de Mayen, scene of many chilly adventures long past

It's time to get ready for the party.

Larry Ware's surprise party

A good 80 old friends waiting quietly in the Station Bar (formerly the buffet de la gare) at the Feydey rail station in Leysin, and Mr Larry (as his students called him) really has been taken unawares.

Presents from the grandkids

Martine, in the background, organized the whole thing . . .

. . . and is presently explaining why.

An amazing turnout

And for us, some of them are old friends we haven't seen in, literally, decades.

Back to Famelon

The next day, we're back to the Chalet des Fers for another go.

It's a chilly day and we're taking our sweet time getting fitted up.

The lovely Tour de Mayen

The Chalet des Fers, an isolated farm locked up tight when we first started skiing out here some 30-odd years ago, before the skilifts and what not, is now a well-known mountain restaurant in the summers and popular ski-restaurant in the winters.

We're still getting fitted up with all the necessaries.

Bienvenue . . . and off we go.

The Tour de Famelon, and rain clouds moving in from the southwest

A hardy fellow who's just come running down from the rocks and is reassembling his mountain bike where he'd left it.

Cleverly he'd spread the parts of it all round in the rocks and is now snapping it all together . . .

. . . and he's off down the hill.

Kristin searching for more chamois, in vain.

A little chilly drizzle is hinting at more to come.

But we're undaunted so far.

But then daunted. Kristin pathfinding a comfortable way down as raindrops plunk down on our heads.

To find Ariane running up from around the mountain to meet us; and then we've got to go home.

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