Colorado Trip - Day 5: Fondue Or Fondon't?

The temperature was so perfect, we bundled up under the warm comforter and slept with the balcony door open all night.  It rained several times during the night, but the overhang kept it out of the room.

Good morning world

As usual, I woke up first.  I got cleaned up and walked through the village to Starbucks, then went to the lift office and bought gondola tickets for us.  The tickets were good all day for both gondolas.  I headed back through "town" and stopped at Mountain Cupcakes for breakfast burritos.  The owner was very nice and made them from scratch while I waited.  While they were cooking she wiped the rain water off a picnic table and a couple of chairs.

Vail Village

Gondola One

Todd joined me around 9:30 and we ate at the picnic table outside the shop.  My burrito was huge; in a wheat tortilla with sausage, hash browns, and cheese gravy.  It was delicious and messy.

After breakfast we rode gondola One to the mountaintop.   Then we hiked approximately a mile along the Upper Fireweed trail to the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola.

Up and over

Into the woods

There were all sorts of rocks and ravines on the slope that just get covered up by the snow in winter. 

Approaching the Eagle Bahn gondola where they had both full-sized and child-friendly rope courses and other activities.  The start of the Eagle Loop trail is to the left of the gondola.

Disc golf course

We took the gondola down to Lionshead Village and went to Garfinkel's for lunch (which was nasty).  Todd had depressing chicken fingers, and I had a house salad and tomato basil "soup".  The "soup" tasted and looked like watered down marinara sauce with some cream added.  Naturally, we had to cleanse our palates afterward at Haagen-Dazs.  I had a scoop of deep chocolate peanut butter in a waffle cone.

Next we went back up the mountain on the Eagle Bahn gondola, and walked the Eagle Loop trail.  We hiked back across the mountain on the Lower Fireweed trail, and took gondola One back down to Vail.

I love this photo

Panoramic View

Hello

Ski trails

Lower Fireweed trail

It became overcast and we had a light rain at the very end of the hike and during the gondola ride.  The gondola stopped for about five minutes at one point, and of course it happened to be at the place where the ground fell away and we were suspended up the highest.  The wind picked up and the car swung from side to side - a lot.  It was a little nerve-racking.

Please start going again

We arrived back at the hotel around 3:30pm.  The maid was in the room, so we went downstairs and Todd hung out in the library while I used the restroom.

Bar view from the library

Lobby view from near the library

Coming up the stairs

We went back upstairs a little while later and the maid had left.  We were both slightly sunburned, so I put on lots of lotion and took a cool bath, then we relaxed until dinner.

Vail Village in early evening

Another view

We had reservations that night at 7pm at the Swiss Chalet restaurant in our hotel.  This was going to be our fancy dinner night, but it was more like eating at a Disney restaurant - it was fancier food in casual dress, and the restaurant was really well themed.  The restaurant's specialty is authentic fondues and Swiss Raclette cheese.

Welcome to the Swiss Chalet

Here's a promotional shot of the restaurant from www.jetsetter.com

I had never had fondue before, so was not prepared for the smell - you notice it, faintly, immediately after opening the heavy wooden door and entering the restaurant.  At first it's hard to place, but as you're seated, and eventually as your own melting pot is placed in front of you, it becomes strong and unmistakeable.  There's no delicate way to put it...

Fondue smells like ass.

It actually tastes fine, but it becomes quite an effort to raise that prong to your mouth over and over again.  Luckily, Todd had the fondue and I only sampled the stuff.

I started my meal with the Tessiner Suppe, which was a "cold blond tomato soup with a hint of garlic, cantaloupe melon, and sautéed shrimp".  It was incredible, but it wasn't a hint of garlic; it was loaded!  So delicious.  I could of easily had another bowl and given a happy "fuck you" to the swill at Garfinkel's.

After the soup I had Schlemmerpfanne (which amazingly the Day One app doesn't think is a misspelled word) which was a "6oz cheese gratinated beef tenderloin, house-made spatzle, with mushroom sauce and summer vegetables".  It was also very good.  With dinner I had a glass of the same pinot noir I had had the previous evening at Bully Ranch, and for dessert I had a Toblerone mousse with fresh berries, which was sort of...meh.  Dessert was redeemed when my decaf coffee arrived and was cutely accompanied by 2 one-bite sized pastries:  an orange biscotti and a little jam topped cake that were delicious!

We left the restaurant and toured the village in the dark to walk off dinner.  It's extremely dark at night, but there are gas lamps, torches and street lights, and lights on in some of the shops.  As we walked we saw other people out for a stroll and could hear music coming from this restaurant, or conversation and laughter from that patio, etc.

We walked for about 30 minutes and then headed back to the hotel to turn in for the night.  The smell of the restaurant was still on us, so before we went to bed we put our clothes in a plastic bag in the closet.  I don't think I'll need to eat fondue again.