The first stage! (and the answer to the livestock question). Part I

Today feels like an achievement.  After 11 months of planning, six of training and two days of travelling I got the first stamp on my pilgrim passport, and completed the stage from the Great St Bernard Pass to Echevennoz.  

I travelled to the Pass on a bus.  It took me several attempts during the planning stages to ascertain how these buses work; the Pilgrim's book says there are only two buses a day in the summer, and when I searched online for "buses to St Bernard Pass" this seemed to be the case.  In fact, on every day except Sunday, there are five up and five back, linking with a Swiss service at the border.  I only know this now because I've done it, and know that the search term required is: "Aosta to St Rhemy en Bosses, St Bernard."  Swiss bus and trains tell you there's a 25 minute walk from one bus to the next; it's more like one.  I'm including these details because I intend to share this blog on a pilgrims' chat site, and it may save others a great deal of time.  Just get the 211 up to the pass from the Swiss side, or the St Rhemy bus from platform 2 at Aosta bus station from the Italian.

During the pandemic, all public transport in Aosta is free, and there are rules about which door to get on, where to sit and wearing a mask.  The limit is supposed to be 20 on this one, but 28 actually travelled up to the Pass today, and I had to give one of them a mask because he hadn't brought one.

The road up was breathtakingly impossible; sheer walls of seemingly impenetrable rock gave no hope of more road, yet round the bend would appear another stretch.  Tortured rock formations twisted up towards the sky, and the slopes were dotted with pink clusters of rose bay willow herb.

Once at the top, a short amble, in thinner air, across the border to Switzerland once more, and into the Hospice (pilgrim resting place) run by the white-ro ed monks who also have the dogs.  The dogs live down in the valley, but there's a dog museum.  I went the other way, into the pilgrim refectory to get my first stamp from a sweet monk running the bar, who asked about my Swiss surname. Then out to enjoy the setting and buildings.

Then the momentous moment of stepping out onto the Via for the first time, back across the border and up to the statue of St Bernard, sternly telling me to go back to Switzerland.  

I demurred and plunged off into staggering scenery.  This view at my back.

This in front.