Tag Archives: Switzerland

Trip in Switzerland : the kingdom of cats

Claire had great time visiting this exhibition which takes place for the seventh time open air and in the barns of Rossinière, a charming Waldesian village nestled at 920 m (3018 ft) altitude in the Pays d’Enhaut.

This contest was created in memory of the famous painter Balthus who lived in Rossinière from 1977 to 2001 (date of death) and who loved cats.

Strolling through the alleys, you can admire nearly 70 cats created by professionals, families, or students. Here are a few :

Oh ! Qu’il est mi(g)non – Marc Cherix
?
Firmin, Athéna, Polux et Eugénie – Festival au Pays des Enfants
La nuit, tous les chats ne sont pas gris – Bulle d’Air
Chat -brûle – Jean-Daniel Martin
Chatourne en rond – Ueli Tschabold
Le Chafé – Lucien Racine

The exhibition takes place this year from June 11th to September 10th, 2022.

Trip in Switzerland : the Vallorbe Caves

This is my little cave of greenery ; I like to hide there to watch what’s happening in the garden. But during the holidays, Claire and Momo went to real caves, much larger: the Vallorbe Caves.

7 million years ago, tectonic movements folded the terrain to form the mountains of the Jura, and the sea that covered the region withdrew definitively. A river meanders above and below ground : the Orbe. Over the millennia, it shaped, with the surface waters, the incredible architecture of the caves.

In 1893, diver Pfund descended into the source to a depth of about ten meters, but he noticed that the vast gallery continued much further. On September 12, 1964, speleologist and diver Christian Giurumello discovered the caves during a dive in a siphon already explored several times. The caves opened to the public in 1974, and since 1992 offer a permanent exhibition of minerals from all over the world, the «Treasure of the Fairies».

The tour lasts about an hour and a half and leads to a huge room where a game of music and light dramatically stages this natural cathedral. From here, the route continues towards the exit via a slightly different path that ends with the exhibition of the treasure of the fairies.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the visit !