Sion

Today, Wednesday, Oct. 13, we visited Sion, which is the capitol of the canton we are in, Valais.   We were invited for lunch at a friend of Helene’s, Nadine, who is an architect, and designed the building and the beautifully decorated penthouse apartment where she lives.  She has the most amazing view of the beautiful city on one side, and of the vineyards and mountains on the other.  Exceptional! 

We were invited for a very special lunch.  In the Sion area it is traditional to have a meal of roasted chestnuts at harvest time.  Our meal consisted of the chestnuts (which we had to crack open), several kinds of cheese, and wine.  It was very interesting and very good. 

After lunch we walked around Sion, through the narrow winding streets, visiting some churches, and other sites. I took lots of photos, but haven’t off loaded them yet. There is a huge castle and an even bigger church on the top of a hill in Sion that are magnificent.  We also visited a Romanesque church built in the 11^th century.

It’s so wonderful visiting a place where you know someone and have the opportunity to visit people’s homes and experience something of the real life there.  I am thoroughly enjoying these experiences, even with the language differences.