You walk on both, both do you good. But they do not leave the same memory. Here is how I help you choose.
People often ask me when they come to book. Do I go for a quiet guided hike, or do I try this RandOpéra thing I have heard about. Both are fine outings, both guided, in the same landscapes of the Pays de Gex and the Jura. But they answer a different urge. Here is how I tell them apart, without overselling either.
The classic guided hike
This is the format I know best, and the one I love deeply. We set off walking together, at a pace that suits the group, and I talk about the ground as we go. The wildlife, the tracks, the plants, how to read a slope. We take our time, we get our breath, we look. The pleasure comes from the effort, from the open air and from what you learn as you walk. It is a complete outing in itself, ideal when you simply want to empty your head and reconnect with nature without looking for anything more.
The RandOpéra
The RandOpéra starts from the same foundations, the same guided walk, the same attention to the ground. Except that a high point is added, kept secret. At a bend in the path, a lyric voice rises, with no microphone, a few metres away, carried by the silence of nature. The artist is only revealed on the morning itself. It is no longer just a good walk, it is a feeling you did not see coming. People talk about it differently afterwards. They do not tell you about the ascent, they tell you about the moment the singing started.
What strikes me every time is the range of people who come. Couples looking for an outing for two that is not like the others, friends who want to surprise one of their own, regular walkers curious to try something else, and plenty of people who had never gone near opera in their lives. Nobody leaves indifferent. There is nothing stiff about the atmosphere, we stay in walking gear, we sit down in the grass or on a rock, and it is exactly that gap between the plainness of the setting and the power of the voice that does the work.
The comparison at a glance
| Criterion | Classic hike | RandOpéra |
|---|---|---|
| What you come for | Emptying your head, learning, walking | The surprise and feeling of a voice |
| Pace | Easy, suited to the group | Easy too, with a suspended moment |
| High point | The landscape and the discovery | The secret lyric performance |
| Who it is for | Anyone who likes walking | The curious, with no opera background needed |
| Memory | A good lungful of nature | A rare moment you keep talking about |
So how do you choose?
My rule is simple. If you need to walk to breathe, to move and to learn without looking for any particular effect, the classic hike is perfect, and it never disappoints. If you are after something you will remember, something that gives the people with you a feeling, or simply a morning out of the ordinary, then the RandOpéra is made for that. It is not a question of level or of budget, it is a question of what you feel like on the day. And if you are still hesitating because opera intimidates you, know that there is nothing to understand in order to be moved.
One last marker, if you want to settle it quickly. Ask yourself what you want to tell people that evening. If you picture yourself saying you got some air and walked in a beautiful spot, the classic hike will do you proud. If you would rather dream of telling someone about a moment that took hold of you, a voice appearing from nowhere among the trees, then do not think about it for too long. Either way you will be guided with the same care and on the same paths, the difference is the feeling you want to take home.
You can find the detail and the next outings on the RandOpéra page, and clear your last doubts with the five myths about opera worth forgetting.
On the same theme
- Do you have to love opera for a RandOpéra?
- The RandOpéra, a concert in the open air
- Give a RandOpéra as a gift
Tempted by the outing out of the ordinary?
The RandOpéra sets off from Divonne-les-Bains, as a half day at €40 or a full day at €55, with the artist secret until the morning. Join the RandOpéra WhatsApp group to get the next dates and book your place.