So……..

We changed our mind 🙄.

We were leaving our hotel In Orsières and a fellow guest was loading up her bike with panniers etc like us, but she was going to cycle up and over the Gd St Bernard Pass.

We began to feel feeble 😔.

And when we got to the station/bus stop, we met a Swiss cyclist (mid 40s) who had arrived from Bern by train (got up at 5am). “Gosh, that’s a long way to come” we thought 😂.

We were both boarding the bus towards the Col/pass.

Anyway, he had lightly loaded panniers and was planning to take the bus (like us ) to where the main road goes into the tunnel and then cycle up the col/pass twice today for fun 😳.

He confirmed that the road to the tunnel was well worth avoiding. He had done this trip five times before 👍🏻.

We asked if it was something we could do? “Yeah, yeah, it’s no problem, you’ll be fine. It won’t take you long either.”

😳

😲

🤔

So we changed our mind and got off the bus with him at the tunnel instead of the top - to do the final 7km @ 9.2% rising to 10%.

😬

🫢

🤦‍♂️

We were very anxious about our ability. We paced ourselves. Stopping for rest at 1km and sometimes 500m.

And it was FINE. 🤩🥳

And no need to walk with our bicycles either! It certainly wasn’t the steepest hill we’ve climbed either. We’ve slogged up nameless steeper hills all along the way!

Admittedly, we got passed by several “Proper Cyclists” (yes, with a faint whoosh!) but we were being collegiate and wished each other “Courage” (said with a French accent of course).

It was a great feeling coming round the corner and seeing the Hospice at the Col, then breasting the final rise and stopping under the footbridge of the Hospice.

We rewarded ourselves with a beer instead of Morning Coffee - it was really still quite early in the day! And mingling with the Proper Cyclists as opposed to the “tourists” arriving by coach or massive motor bikes. 😅.

We went to visit the St Bernard dogs, saw one do clever tricks, another benefiting from a massage (not available to us, sadly) and then there was a group of tourists starting a guided walk with two of the dogs.

Then we went round the Hospice museum - it’s been doing it’s business for 1,000 years. The Romans had a safe house and temple before that. It has benefited from many donations over the years, including from Napoleon - so the Treasury is brimming with priceless ecclesiastical treasures. Including St Bernard’s ring 1,000 yr old 😲.

We went for a walk around the lake and peered down the Swiss side to marvel at what we had done - and peered down the Italian side at what we will do tomorrow and were reassured by its “downness”.

Then Vespers (and as it turned out, Mass) in the Crypt Chapel. There were about 6 monks and the crypt was full with congregation. All in French. Not sure what denomination, but probably not Swiss Reformed Church.

And then supper in the refectory where we sat along long refectory tables (naturally) Served by the monks. The lead cleric from the service was selling wine behind the bar! The wine was from the Hospice’s vineyards down the valley.

And so to bed feeling well chuffed with ourselves. Thank you to that nameless Swiss man who assured us it would be fine to cycle the Col 🙏🏻.

This is our last night out 🥲 as tomorrow we should be in our flat in Aosta.