A walk near Col de la Croix, 2014

Dwight Peck's personal website

Winter 2013-2014

Dispatches from way, way behind the lines in Switzerland

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

A short walk near the Col de la Croix

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), called the "Ramsar Convention", is anticipating the 47th meeting of its Standing Committee over the next week, and the eminent environmental consulting expert Mr Jones has been engaged to help out.

That's not the Ramsar Convention in the photo; it's just a hay shed.

Mr Jones has got himself free for the day preceding the solemn proceedings, and we've come up to the famous ski resort of Villars-sur-Ollon, in the Swiss Préalps, to go for a walk in the snow.

We're on the road leading out from upper Villars up towards the Col de la Croix, chatting merrily.

And catching up on the sometimes hilarious news.

The paved road to the Col de la Croix, and down to the village of Les Diablerets on the far side, is closed to traffic for the winter and used by skiers adventuring down from the ski lifts far above by the Chamossaire.