Mount Saleve

Mount Saleve

Mount Saleve is right across the Swiss Border in France.  It is free with a Geneva transportation pass.   It's very different from Latin America, where crossing borders can take up to 2 hours and can be a disaster.  I have crossed the Swiss/French border 3 times and have yet to have my passport checked or even went through a border where border control was even open, even though Switzerland is not part of the EU. It's nice to be able to border hop & not worry about not having the correct documents.  Mount Saleve is so amazing for hiking. You can either hike up the mountain; it takes about 2 hours. Or else take the cable car up (9,50 CHF round trip) for a college student. 

The first day we went to Mount Saleve, we hiked for about 3 and a half hours desperately lost on top of the mountain.  There was a storm rolling in & we were frantic, but it was so worth it. I would advise everyone to at some point in their life, climb a mountain while it is about to storm.  We were so close to an angry sky and there was an erie quietness to the land.  It felt like a different world. The wind was soft, but the tall grass almost looked like an ocean, moving in waves across the mountain side. We watched the rain sweep across the mountains miles away and saw as it crept up to the city. 

It's so impossible to describe. All of your senses are full to the brim.  The wind kisses your skin, all you can hear are cow bells in the distance, and your vision is full of color, texture, and a view for miles. 

 Another day that we traveled to Mount Saleve, the cows were in our path (as seen in the above photo). I've seen cows my whole life, but it was so much neater to see wild cows with bells roaming on top of a mountain.  I had bent down to snap a photo of one right before realizing that it was not indeed a cow, but a bull.  It started charging after me & we all three took off running towards the fence. Fortunately, the bull didn't pursue us, but it definitely was a good laugh. (The-angry-bull-charing-at-me photo is featured on my Instagram)

My adventures in Mount Saleve are not finished; I have yet to explore the other side of the mountain. But Mount Saleve has been my official happy place since coming to Switzerland. So this is a thank you, appreciation post, for Mount Saleve, home of the angry bulls and whispering clouds.