Switzerland

Switzerland was not on our original travel agenda, but Nicola received an incredibly generous invitation from her friend, Carine, to spend a week at their family chalet in the Swiss Alps - what an absolute gift, at the perfect time. We arrived in the dark, after a very long day of travel, on the last bus up into the mountains, where Carine was awaiting our arrival with her headlamp on. They were so apologetic that there was 'no snow', even though to us, it looked like there was plenty! Apparently at this time of year, Mottec, the small village we were staying in (population: 20), usually has about 2m of snow. With Europe having experienced its warmest winter ever, the snow was reduced to the higher slopes and some icy patches around the village.

After a brief overview of what to do in the valley, Carine left us to our own devices. We were more than content to chill out in the chalet, wander on the slopes around us and enjoy the downtime from 7 weeks of pretty intensive travel. The Anniviers Valley runs from Sierre to Zinal and is spectacular. The Navisence River runs in the narrow valley, and the surrounding mountains boast five peaks higher than 4000m. The valley is also filled with wildlife, and we spotted chamois, deer, squirrels and birds. There is also a FREE bus service in winter that runs between all the villages in the valley - gotta love Switzerland. On our first day we explored the village of Zinal. The tourism office was incredibly helpful, with piles of information and they even gave the kids bags of goodies as Christmas presents. The information included a history of the villages of Zinal and Mottec, a map of the walks and ski runs, and lists of multiple winter activities in the area.

Despite the free bus service, we were treated to a personalised tour of the valley by Carine's wonderful mum, Marie-Helen. We started off by taking the ski lift up to Sorebois, where we all had a go at tobogganing ('luge') down the slopes. The snow-deprived African children then disappeared to build snow forts while the adults sipped coffee and admired the mountin view towards the Matterhorn. We loved wandering around the quaint old villages of Ayer and Grimentz, which have retained their classic charm - from the rough-hewn chalets, 'raccard' houses (propped up on wooden pillars and slate slabs to prevent mice from getting at the stored grain) to the water wheels, village water fountains and cobbled streets. Marie-Helen then treated us to Viande des Grisons (the Swiss version of biltong) and a traditional Swiss fondue lunch at her house. We were very spoiled.

The Anniviers Valley is also home to the famous Sierre-Zinal trail running race in August. Although much of the 31km route was snowed over, Nick had to try out at least the last few (very vertical) kilometers of the route into Zinal. He managed three runs around the slopes, much of which included snow and ice. Carine's comment: "Nobody runs when it is like this!".

While we were based in a single spot for a while, it was a good time to catch up on a bit of school work, reorder our bags and generally take stock of things. A cough which had started a few weeks earlier for Daniel and Nix, seemed to be getting worse, not better, despite committed optimism that it was improving. It was time to dig deeper into the medical supplies bag and see if we could beat it.

Another highlight of our time in the valley was a walk from Zinal up the Navisence, much of which was iced up and snowed over. We were spellbound by the ice structures and play of light on the river. The kids never tired of running up and down, looking at all the weird ice crystal formations, picking icicles and eating snow ("we don't eat the yellow snow, Mommy!"). They even got up close to the debris left by a recent avalanche. A magical walk.

For the first full moon of the year, Carine took us up the mountain behind Grimentz to catch the rising moon. Despite some minor whinging from the junior Grahams, we made it above the treeline just as the moon appeared behind the Alps. We will struggle to forget sitting in silence on that quiet mountain, watching the bright glow and mountain silhouette to the soundtrack of Carine's drum. A perfect evening was capped off with savoury crepes and French cider (wow!) at a restaurant in the village.

On the morning of our final full day in Switzerland, Nix suddenly cried out "It's snowing! It's snowing!". We all rushed outside to witness our first heavy snow of the trip and danced around catching snowflakes and making snow angels. That morning also happened to be the Epiphany or 'Feast of the Kings', which is a big deal in this area, we came to learn. It was being celebrated in the nearby village of Chandolin with a mass, followed by a procession of the Three Wise Men, after which they hand out goodies to kids. We were intrigued, so set off in the ever-increasing snowfall towards Chandolin. It was a pretty hairy drive, but we managed to make it to the church just as the mass was finishing. We felt very privileged to join into what appeared to be a very old tradition, complete with pipers, drummers and, of course, the three kings. Following some speeches and benedictions (none of which we understood), we ate 'Epiphany cake' (which includes a ceramic king and queen baked in, a bit like the money in Christmas pudding) and sipped Gluhwein in the snow. We walked around the village and through the forest to appreciate the magical snow scene that was emerging. It felt completely surreal. Another travel high.

Our final evening found us building a bonfire in the snow. On Carine's suggestion, the kids half-buried tea light candles in glass jars in the snow in the garden, so that they made little pools of glowing snow. The combination of huge drifting flakes, roaring outdoor fire, crisp air, glowing snow and a mug of gluhwein in your hands is pretty magical. For our final meal, Carine inducted us into the traditional Swiss meal of raclette. A special grill sits on the middle of the table, and you select your slice of cheese (e.g. smoked, herbed, goat), place it on a little non-stick 'spade' under the grill, and then, when it's bubbly and melted, pour it over a boiled potato, with a range of accompanying goodies, pickles and spices. Absolutely delicious! The Swiss have really perfected the delightful art of table-based cooking and eating - such fun, it feels like a real celebration.

It continued to snow through the night and by the time we woke up to get ready to leave, another 20cm had fallen. The chalet and surrounding area was transformed, and the kids couldn't resist a final romp in the snow as we said our sad and grateful farewells to Carine. The snow proved a little tricky to navigate as we dashed to the main road to catch the bus and say goodbye to this beautiful place.