Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland (ski resort)

 

My last visit to Villars (population 1,500) was four years ago. We're having a hot spell and figure it would be cooler in this mountain ski resort. It is!  

I've also been corrected in that Switzerland has three other towns called Villars so, Villars-sur-Ollon is the correct name. Actually, at one time there were EIGHT villages/towns in Switzerland with the Villars name. Switzerland is a small country so how is it that the people didn't know about other towns having the same name when naming their town Villars? All eight towns were within 100 miles of each other. There's a similar problem in Germany with multiple towns having the same name. 

It's not even 9AM which explains the absence of activity on Villars main shopping street. As mentioned in my blog posted four years ago, Villars is home to four international boarding schools. One school, Beau Soleil is one of the most expensive schools in the world--sending your child there will set you back $150,000 a year. 

That overhead wiring you see and the tracks in the street are for the train that comes up from the valley below. About 99% of Switzerland's trains are electrified. Trains have been making their way up the mountain since 1901. My first visit to Villars was back in 2007 and I cycled up. Now, my bike and I hop on the train and enjoy a non-sweaty one hour ride up the mountain.

That big building in the back is the 5-star Villars Palace Hotel--more on that later.

You can see the valley floor below. 

This is the front of the 5-star Villars Palace Hotel. It dates back more than 100 years. The hotel recently reopened after being closed for many years and then undergoing years of renovations. Gotta go check it out.

The Villars Palace Hotel is a real beauty. There's an indoor/outdoor pool. This is the outdoor part. 

Whoa, after leaving the Palace Hotel I come across a huge crowd of people getting ready for some kind of event. 

Turns out it's a trail running race. There's a 30 mile run, 20 mile run and 10 mile run. See those mountains in the background? If you look really close you can see an antenna sticking out on the very top to the right. The run involves going up to the antenna via dirt trails, then coming down and going up and down two more mountain peaks. Wow! 

Cycling down the mountain I pass through several mountain villages. This village has a slew of very old chalets. This beauty dates back to 1751.

This chalet dates back to 1662 and sits right next door to the one in the previous photo.

So, a half-block down from chalets in the two previous photos stands this almost finished apartment complex. Boy, I bet it took years to get approved--it really changes the character of the village. 

A few miles from Bex (population 7,700) I pass this salt mine complex. Back in 1554 salt was discovered and put Bex on the map. Back in medieval times salt was as valuable as gold. Up the road a mile or so is a visitor center where they'll take you into the mines. 

Here's a train returning to Bex after its Villars run. 

The train weaves its way right through Bex's main street--coming within inches of buildings. 

Came across this new apartment building in Bex and can't figure out why this pole full of signage was put up. Were all those signs stolen or just copies?