East of Martigny, the town of Sion was fronted by a dense forest, and silhouetted against glacier-topped mountains. The town surrounded two hillocks, upon each of which sat the ruins of a castle, with a third between the two. The village was beautiful, and of greater interest than any since leaving Geneva, so the Darcys decided to make the journey into three days, rather than the expected two, exploring the scenery near-by Sion. The houses of the ancient town were almost all painted in white, making a pretty contrast to the fertile green plain of the Rhône, winding through the valley. The Darcys visited the town’s cathedral that—quite surprisingly—contained a Roman inscription in honour of the Caesar Augustus, another appeared in the Episcopal palace, and others were seen about the town. They ascended the hill to the castle of Tourbillion to see a panorama of the Upper and Lower Valais, shewing all of the gradations in climate from the frozen ice fields of the mountains to the fertile valley fields; as with Martigny, the climate in Sion was as warm and productive as any in Europe.

The following days’ journeys were over similar terrain within the Valais, as they drove through the villages of Chalais, Sierre, Leuch, Visp and thence into Brieg. The Valaisians produced excellent wine, and the mountains above furnished rich pasturage to the cattle, sheep, and goats, which were tended by the children. Passing through to Brieg, the Darcys noticed that the German language was grown more common in the Upper Valais, such that as they progressed, it became necessary that Georgiana conduct their business, she being the only proficient amongst them in that tongue.

The Darcys agreed—with some mortification—that the road was becoming merely a succession of wonders: mountains, valleys, cascades, rivers, snow, ice, and the occasional avalanche, all of which were grown increasingly indistinguishable from the others of their kind already encountered. However, if rationally considered, such a sentiment follows quite reasonably from travelling in the same country many days together; such a numbness of the senses was followed by the humbling thought that one’s powers of observation had more similarity to those of the generality of travellers than could be agreeable.

Brieg was a pretty town seated at the base of the Simplon, with two large churches and a castle silhouetted against the great pass through the mountains. The Rhône wandered through the valley, there joined by a smaller river called the Saltine, descending from the mountains of the Simplon. Cottages were dotted about the hills, interspersed with plantations, allées, and pastures.

“The very buildings hereabouts seem to be made of gold!” exclaimed Elizabeth. “It makes them appear even more grand, and is certainly very beautiful in the sun, but how is this done?”