November suddenly arrived and we noticed that we hadn't used the hotel vouchers we had been given for Christmas last year. So it was high time and we hurried to find something. We had planned to go to Graubünden, but when we found out that the hotels we were looking at were already booked for the first weekend in December, we had to find something else. We ended up booking a hotel in Yverdon-Les-Bains, a town in Canton Vaud, in western Switzerland on Lake Neuchâtel. We were in need of a weekend away and looked forward to going somewhere totally new.

Yverdon is only a 2.5 hour train ride from where we live and we arrived at our hotel Grand Hôtel des Bains shortly after 6 on Friday evening. The first part of the hotel was built in 1729 and the second building in 1895/96. In 1989 restoration was completed which included an add-on in which most of the hotel rooms can be found. There is a connecting hallway between the hotel and the thermal baths for which Yverdon is famous for.

Most of the hotel has been tastefully restored and furnished and we enjoyed our stay. The staff at the reception was friendly and helpful. Unfortunately the staff in the dining room was not. They seemed to be in a constant hurry and didn't have time to answer questions or ask if everything was ok. The food was good but not great. We were a little disappointed. The second night we had dinner in town.

 Saturday morning after breakfast we headed out for the hike we had planned. To take the snowshoes or not to take. We decided against them seeing that it didn't look like there was a whole lot of snow. We took the train up to Ste. Croix and from there headed on to our trail head. The snow was frozen and the wind whipped across our faces. There really wasn't much between us and France and that cold wind just hit us. In the forest it was better and I didn't have to pull my hat down over my eyes anymore!

My husband lead the way and I'm eventhough there is a trail in the map, I'm pretty sure there isn't much  more to see in summer! We headed straight up and right through snow and trees and branches. The higher we got up the more chamoix droppings we saw and less of the surrounding area. The fog was coming in and I was worried we'd loose our way. But since it was just up and onward, we finally made it to the top and had absolutely no view! IF we had had a view we would have been able to see from the Bernese Alps all the way past the Mont Blanc. The mean part about the trip is that on our way up to Ste. Croix we actually had that view and were hoping for an even better one at the summit. And the view we saw that morning was nothing like I had ever seen before. Totally spectacular. So that means we have to go back in Spring or Summer to see the view. Oh darn.

Walking back down to the valley was pure bliss. Puffy snow and a beautiful forest. Like a winter wonderland. It was like walking in deep sand, except it was cold. At one point my boots were soaked through, but that's my own fault since I don't have proper waterproof ones and was walking in my summer hiking boots. On the way back from the train station we walked though Yverdon so we could see the buildings in daylight.

Back at the hotel in the late afternoon I headed to the hot stone massage I had signed up for, and after being herded up the mountain, I was desperately looking forward to it. I had never had one before and couldn't wait for it to start. The masseuse met me and asked if I speak french. I said "un petit peu", but I also should have told her to speak slowly. French speaking people don't know how to speak slowly. Although I understood most of what she said, I was only able to nod or shake my head since I couldn't think as fast in French as she could speak. Either way, I had a wonderful time and truly enjoyed the massage. I radiated heat from my inside when she finished, a pleasant and strange feeling. Unfortunately there was a little disappointment when I got back to the room and noticed that instead of having had a 85 minute massage, she had cheated me out of 20 minutes. I may have been her last customer of the day and it being Saturday she probably wanted to go home, but I was paying for 85 minutes and not 65.

After a small rest we headed to town for dinner. Stopping to take pictures and enjoy the Christmas lights.

Sunday we spend the entire morning in the thermal baths, relaxing and bathing. I had wanted to go to the fashion museum in Yverdon, but noticed that on Sundays they didn't open until 2 pm. We decided to skip that take an earlier train home. It was a good decision since I had a lot of laundry to do!