We departed Zermatt with a couple last pics of the Matterhorn and headed to Montreux in the French-speaking canton of Fribourg. A general comment: I for one had difficulty keeping track of where we were in Switzerland in relation to direction and the primary languages being spoken. In the USA I can line up a directional feel by where an ocean or mountain range is … for example, growing up in California, I always knew the direction I was traveling because I knew the Pacific Ocean was to the west. In Switzerland the main geographical feature is the mountains and they are everywhere.
Another general comment about Swiss cantons … there are 26 of them and they each have their own government. They kind of developed as City States … like Athens and Sparta in Ancient Greece, and as far back as the 13th Century, began forming alliances. The final coalition of 26 cantons occurred around 1840 and formed the country Switzerland has become. So there is an overriding central government with a capital city in Berne but also 26 districts with strong and independent city state mentalities.
So we arrived in the city of Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva for lunch and a couple hours of walking the shoreline. This dismayed my elder cub who is a “ water person “ who wished we could have stayed longer. The lake was huge and beautiful but the views were obstructed somewhat by the temporary construction of stages and lakeside eateries for a big jazz festival. In fact one of the tourist attractions is a statue of Freddie Mercury who performed at this festival early in his career.
We took the bus a few miles up the shoreline to tour the Castle Chillon. This castle was built just off the shoreline on the lake and acted as a toll station for travelers headed down the Rhone River Valley. The castle was also used as a prison through the 19th century. There was a spot in the basement with a hanging gallows and an adjacent window to slide bodies right into the lake !!
We then settled onto a very nice hotel terrace above the water for lunch, relaxation, and views. All too soon it was time to reboard the train to get back into the Swiss countryside.
Oh well, when you’ve seen one Swiss mountain you’ve seen them all !!
But a couple trains and a couple hours later, we arrived at our guide’s favorite part of the tour: mountains, cows, and cheese … in the medieval village of Gruyeres, where the cheese of the same name comes from. It is 2600 feet above sea level on top of a hill. The town still has its existing fortification walls. Only 600 families live in the town, with many more in surrounding villages. Tourism is its bread and butter, attracting many for a one day visit.
This was the view from our hotel window … very tough to beat. That night we were treated to one of the town’s main draws
Raclette and fondue, tableside, with the local cheeses. Everything was brought to the table. A raclette heater melted cheese and a portable hotplate cooked meats and veggies. AND there was a cheese fondue pot as well. Delicious!! This was all topped off by ice cream, local chocolate sauce, and something called Double Cream, which was richer than the chocolate!! Oh, I forgot the locally brewed beers which are close enough to Germany to speak of the quality. Not many in our group tried the beers, opting instead for the local wines. I didn’t hear any complaints.
The next morning we walked off a few of the evening calories by walking to the top of the hill to tour the town’s castle, which was occupied for centuries by the rulers of the local canton. While snapping photos over the walls, I found my Swiss dream house. By the way, the local real estate offices do not post prices with their listings. I think if you have to ask, you can’t afford them.
I do hope it comes with the cows and the adjoining countryside !!
Gruyeres is in the canton of Fribourg whose symbol is the goose. This has a significance to us because Mrs Bear’s original nickname was/is “ Goose. “ So on the walk down from the castle, I snapped photos of some of the town’s goose signs on businesses
The Adventures of Barry Brink 