Travel Series – Switzerland  Part 1: Ollon

It has been a dream of mine to visit Switzerland since I was a little girl. In my childhood dreams it was always the beautiful snowcapped mountains that captured my imagination. Living in South Africa for most of my life, snow is not something we saw very often (if at all) so it always held a magical quality in my mind (I’m sure those of you who experience snow EVERY winter might not share my same magical feelings where snow is concerned!! haha).

Dreams into Reality

My trip to Switzerland was completely serendipitous. I did a fabulous extended family session for my good friend Lexi when her family from Switzerland were visiting. We had such a fun session and once I delivered the pictures Michelle (Lexi’s sister) left me a fabulous review and extended an invitation for me to visit if I was ever planning on coming to Europe. Needless to say I was so excited and that was the start of what became a fabulous 9 day trip to the little town of Ollon, an hour’s train trip from Geneva.

Beauty wherever you look

My first impressions of Switzerland were even better than my childhood dreams. There is beauty everywhere you look. Ollon is situated in the foothills of the mountains to the south-east of Lake Geneva. It’s  a beautiful little village with a mixture of old original buildings right in town and more modern houses on the outskirts. Being at the foot of the mountains means there are beautiful country roads lined with big trees, hillsides lined with vineyards, sweet cows with big bells lazying in the fields!! The first thought you have is a sense of peace!

Amazing Hosts

The amazing Cerusini family welcomed me into their home and were the most fantastic hosts throughout my stay. They made sure that I had the full Swiss experience. Ollon is perfectly positioned between France and Italy. With the French border 40 minutes in one direction and the Italian border 40 minutes in the opposite direction. Having a local involved when planning an overseas trip is definietly invaluable as Michelle made sure I got the right visa so that I would easily pass through the various borders whilst on my trip which meant I was able to take a trip to Evian, France as well as an epic trip to Aosta in Italy with a memorable trip over the St. Bernard pass in the alps.

I had the most amazing trip and saw so many beautiful places!! Switzerland stole my heart and  I am hoping to share some of that love with you through this new mini series. I’m kicking off the series with a few pictures of the town that sealed my love for Switzerland ~ Ollon!!

*These images are a mainly iPhone pictures…I didn’t always have my camera handy and the scenery was just too good not to capture so out came my phone to make sure I got it ALL!!!

A very special family with the most amazing hearts!!! 3/4’s of the Cerusini family who hosted me so graciously!! What a blessing they were and still are to me!! Friends for life.