Four Castles

Sion, Switzerland
Today we left the Lake Geneva area and the canton of Vaud, and drove east to Valais. You can see that Valais is a special area because it lies in a valley between tall, snow capped mountains. It is also famous for its most well-known mountain, the Matterhorn.

Our route from Lausanne to Sion.

Sion is the capitol of Valais and is known as the oldest city in Switzerland, and is also known for its four castles. Yesterday Katie told us she wanted to see more castles so this had to be next on our list! We rolled into the city late morning and hit up the TI for some maps. A very helpful (and very pregnant!) lady obliged with some directions and maps to get us started.
Immediately we headed up the hill to check out the castles. They are so prolific that you can see them on the hill from the autoroute and anywhere in the city.

Looking up to Castle Valere from the city streets

Castle of the Majorie, now houses an art museum. We didn't get to go in here, but I think it's Swiss folk art that looks really interesting. Would have liked to have seen it.

As we walked through the city on our way up the hill, we passed many little shops getting ready for the parade.

Rue des Chateaux, the uphill street that climbs to the castles

At the top of Rue des Chateaux

The right hand side is Castle Tourbillon, built in the 13/14th c by a Bishop who lived here. To the left is the ruins of Castle Montorge built by a Count of Savoy. For years and years the Count and the Bishop argued over the castle and finally it was burned down during one of the wars. (ha, not sure which one! Not too up on Swiss history!)

Entrance to Castle Valere

Closer view of the ruins

Natalie in the castle's main entrance. This castle has been completely restored and a history museum occupies its buildings (to the right)

 From the castle's courtyard at the top of the hill, the views are breathtaking! The whole valley is laid out before you with snow capped mountains on each side and sprawling city on the valley floor. AMAZING VIEWS!

Here is a great view of the top side of the Castle of the Majorie.

Amazing views of the valley through which we came. Absolutely stunning, can't miss views!

 The history museum in the castle had artifacts from the local area that dated back to 4,000 BC all the way into the Middle Ages. They also had displays that depict the past, present, and future of Sion, drawing the connection that it was a market town (during the Middle Ages) where people passed through, not necessarily stayed too long. Now it is the same way with skiers and tourists. They displayed snow making equipment demonstrating that still, efforts are made to keep "tourists" or non-residents here for longer periods of time.
After a nourishing and warm quiche in the museum cafeteria we moved up to the stone church. This church really deserves its own post, but I'm really tired so I just have to say that I have never been in a church like this one. Some churches (like Notre Dame in Paris) are stunningly beautiful, some churches (like EHCC at home) are comfortable, but the church here has a feeling in it that cannot be described. As soon as you enter the temperature drops 10 degrees and through your misty breath you can look up to view the huge Gothic archways. The church is small, nothing like the large cathedrals of the city, but being built sometime around the 1200's, it exudes its antiquity. The deadly silence inside adds to the feeling you get and when you pass through the glass doors to the inner chapel, you feel God's presence. There were several people worshipping in there so it was inappropriate to capture any pictures; however, when I went in to worship, I did snap a photo using my iphone. I simply cannot do this holy place any justice with my words or my pictures. I can only say that it is a very special place and I can see why these ladies made the climb up here to worship.

The church houses the oldest playable organ in the world. You can see its size in relation to the man standing on the floor beneath.

The inner chapel of the church, named a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II

 We left the church and ambled back down the hill to take a tour of the city itself. As soon as we started getting closer to the city, we realized we were missing out on something loud and fun! We could hear muffled sounds from a microphone and lots of people talking. Upon reaching the street we realized we had missed the Carnaval parade! How had we missed all of those signs!?!?! The streets were thick with confetti and costumed children (and parents)! We immediately ditched our city tour plans and joined in on all of the fun. We bought the kids some balloons, played some carnival type games, and wandered through a magic show for kids. We even saw a truck with a large cannon that was shooting the confetti all over the city! I have never seen so much confetti EVER! Here are some pics from our short Carnaval experience:

All of the children were dressed up with their faces painted like Halloween

The girls with some overpriced balloons. You can see the kids in the background and the confetti on the ground. I believe we paid the "American" price for these, but the girls were happy. ;)

Even the adults were in full attire!

Mom and Dad enjoying some vin chaud (hot wine)

More revelers

By the time the crowds starting breaking up, it was time for us to head back "home" to the boys. The city of Sion is a really fun place and I would highly recommend a visit! There is so much to do in this city! There are many hiking paths and picnic areas up by the castles, vineyard tours with wine tasting, a historic city walking tour that includes several notable buildings, art galleries and museums, lots of quaint cafes and charming streets, plus during the spring and summer bikes are given free of charge for the whole day! What a cool town!