According to my calculations, there are still just under 20 kilometers left until the destination in Geneva. This means that the planned 500 kilometers will have been achieved (of course, this is a completely stupid goal, everything else matters much more).
But let's see, I'm curious to see how much the imminent end will also be felt emotionally. Now, in the early morning, while talking to the cleaning lady in the empty dining room, it is as always - relaxed, full of anticipation for the upcoming stage. No trace of the farewell blues so far.
And for the last time - a cherished tradition at breakfast - I study the travel guide and the map, thinking about the last kilometers to the Jet d'eau in Geneva.
The last stage has two very different faces: pure nature in the morning, total settlement in the afternoon. The hike along the Versoix forest river is a pure experience of nature and the arrival at the Quai du Mont-Blanc is a proud moment.
Length: 17.75 km, Ascent | Descent: 670 m | 690 m, Hiking time: 5 h 07 min
Farewell Blues
I'm getting ready for a pretty dull stage on noisy roads and not much nature. The map shows an almost completely built-up region stretching all along Lake Geneva. Not exactly something I prefer, but I have to get past it.
The first kilometers correspond one hundred percent to my worries, but then, completely unexpectedly, I find myself in a forest again after just under one hour.
It might be the last one. I stop, listen to the wind in the branches, the murmur of the nearby brook. And now, out of the blue, I am overcome by the realization that my journey is at its end, that here, in this inconspicuous copse, the essence of the last four weeks has come together.
It takes a moment to regain my composure, because I don't want to go any further, I want to linger, listening to the birds one last time, smelling the beguiling aroma of the wet trees, letting my gaze rest in infinity. Now it is there, the expected and feared melancholy that belongs to every ending.
I realize now that the next few weeks at home might be a tough challenge.
The beauty lingers
But after a few deep breaths, the end is calling, I continue along the path, no one crosses my way, it seems as if the last kilometers belong to me alone.
I do not say that outside the forest just ugliness triumphs. Pretty little villages stretch along the way, you can see the affection for beauty, even if it's just a few flowers to decorate a mundane village fountain.
And there, no longer such a surprise, I recognize from afar today's destination, the Jet d'Eau, the fountain in the harbor basin of Geneva. Now it's truly just a few more kilometers, hardly worth mentioning, but I'll enjoy every meter, every minute, as if it were my last.
Towards Jerusalem
The pace becomes slower and slower, as if I had to savor the remaining little that now follows with all my senses.
Not far from Geneva, a young man approaches, already recognizable from a distance as a long-distance hiker. His steps are slow and deliberate, the small backpack slung loosely over his shoulder, on his face as much peace and quiet as one can have.
We greet each other, he is French, just under 30, slim and fit, and of course asking me about my route, and just as naturally I very proudly reveal to him that I have completed my route of 500 kilometers in just an hour.
"Et toi?"
He laughs and explains, almost ashamed, that he is on his way to Jerusalem.
It takes a lot to make me speechless, but that knocks me out of my shoes. What do a measly 500 km count? In a split second, I am cut back to my correct level.
"Jerusalem, wow, c'est loin."
"Oui, mais j'ai le temps."
At this moment I realize how much I envy him, how much I would like to march across Europe to the Middle East. But these are dreams I save for the next life.
Done!
Still a little unsure whether I really want to experience the moment of truth, I follow the riverside path in the direction of the Jet d'Eau, passing boards with any subjects and themes that do not interest me at all, overtaken by heavy-breathing joggers.
And then I'm there, the fountain rushes on the lake, calling me to him, I have to pay my respects. So I set off, just like all the other tourists and strollers, only I have a slightly longer way behind me to be here.
I address the first young man I see, asking him to take a picture of me and the Jet d'Eau, and put on my proudest face.
And then I say goodbye to the lake for the last time, the lake which has grown so close to my heart. A glance at my heart rate monitor shows me that I'm only a few meters short of the magic limit of 500 kilometers, enough to get to the train station.
The traffic around me is deafening, the many people on the street frightening, the shop windows boring. And exactly beneath the last signpost with the number 3 and the designation "Alpenpanoramaweg" (or "Chemin Panorama Alpin") I stop my watch for the last time, it shows 501 kilometers.
I did it.
Before melancholy and sadness overwhelm me, I have to make a move right away, so I sit down in the first restaurant and reflect on the last four weeks.
Insights of a fabulous tour
Four weeks ago I would never have imagined that I might indeed be standing in Geneva today, 500 kilometers in my legs and, if the estimate is correct, something like 800'000 steps behind me.
And yet I did it.
One step at a time, always along the Panorama Trail, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes in rain and storm, sometimes in heat and blazing sun. It hasn't been easy all the time, but it was never, NEVER, anything but one great wonderful unique experience.
I think that I have very rarely been in such a perfect balance in my entire life. When everything is just perfect, when you forget what's wrong, when everything negative has disappeared somewhere, waiting quietly for times when life gets worse again.
Can it possibly be that these four weeks have been among the most beautiful of my entire life? That this long hike was the best thing, better than all the wonderful trips around the world?
I've never been so close to happiness before.
You can't expect more.
And thus my hike comes to an end. And to all those who have accompanied me in one way or another, I say thank you and say goodbye with a wistful look back.
And for the last time the matching song: The Rolling Stones - The Last Time
