Beyond the Genevois Borders: Montreux
Saturday, 24 January
Originally, the plan was to see the first day of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Alps east of Lac Léman. However, despite the promises of this area having the "perfect microclimate for aerial balloons," the weather took a turn for the worse and it got cancelled. Not to be deterred, Jess and I decided to go to Montreux on the east shore of Lac Léman anyway. It is to be noted that Jess was a champion in this regard, as she had been out the night before celebrating Australia Day, and she was likely still drunk when she finally met me at the train station the next morning. Girl couldn't even bring herself to buy breakfast before getting on the train for fear of getting sick. Nonetheless we boarded the train and headed out, with her nursing a bottle of iced tea the whole way.
An hour or so later, we were in Montreux, home of the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, and hence this statue:
God bless the Swiss for loving Freddie Mercury as much as I do. After scouting out the statue, we wandered around Montreux for a while. The city is just beautiful, from the lake to the mountains and all the exquisite architecture in between. The pictures can all be found in the slideshow at the bottom.
Then since Jess hadn't eaten yet, we moved on to objective #2: röstis. For the unfortunate uninitiated, just think of these as the most delicious hash browns you will ever eat. Shredded potatoes cooked in butter and onions, then broiled or fried and topped with whatever your heart desires (although the traditional thing is ham). I opted for tomatoes, cheese and a Swiss version of pancetta.
Good god, here come the 5 kilos everyone keeps telling me they gained in Switzerland. But so worth it. The best part about the whole restaurant experience, though, was the waitress. She came up to our table and described to us the daily specials in flawless French, then turned to wide-eyed and uncomprehending Jess and in an unmistakable Cockney accent, said, "D'ya get tha?" I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair.
On to objective #3: Château de Chillon. This castle has parts dating back to the 11th century, and was the inspiration for Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner of Chillon" (no, I haven't read it either). This was my very first castle, and it did not disappoint.
It has it all, from amazing ancient frescoes, to dungeons and torture rooms, to a keep rising 4 floors above the rest of the castle. Jess wins quote of the day, as we finally reached the top of the keep after seriously winding ourselves hiking five stories: "This is probably going to sound really American, but they should have a warning." It could just say: no weaklings.
At this point we were both exhausted, so we headed back to catch the train home. Jess was dreaming of her couch and a silly movie, while I was looking forward to an early night of Guitar Hero with Barras' friends and a full restorative night of sleep. Jess got her wish, and my plans changed drastically, which seemed to be the theme of the day. Tomorrow, friends, I will tell you all about it.
To see all of Montreux, go here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v432/troublecity/Geneva/Montreux/?albumview=slideshow. I haven't labeled all the castle pictures with their dates of origin yet, but I will soon.
Originally, the plan was to see the first day of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Alps east of Lac Léman. However, despite the promises of this area having the "perfect microclimate for aerial balloons," the weather took a turn for the worse and it got cancelled. Not to be deterred, Jess and I decided to go to Montreux on the east shore of Lac Léman anyway. It is to be noted that Jess was a champion in this regard, as she had been out the night before celebrating Australia Day, and she was likely still drunk when she finally met me at the train station the next morning. Girl couldn't even bring herself to buy breakfast before getting on the train for fear of getting sick. Nonetheless we boarded the train and headed out, with her nursing a bottle of iced tea the whole way.
An hour or so later, we were in Montreux, home of the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, and hence this statue:
God bless the Swiss for loving Freddie Mercury as much as I do. After scouting out the statue, we wandered around Montreux for a while. The city is just beautiful, from the lake to the mountains and all the exquisite architecture in between. The pictures can all be found in the slideshow at the bottom.
Then since Jess hadn't eaten yet, we moved on to objective #2: röstis. For the unfortunate uninitiated, just think of these as the most delicious hash browns you will ever eat. Shredded potatoes cooked in butter and onions, then broiled or fried and topped with whatever your heart desires (although the traditional thing is ham). I opted for tomatoes, cheese and a Swiss version of pancetta.
Good god, here come the 5 kilos everyone keeps telling me they gained in Switzerland. But so worth it. The best part about the whole restaurant experience, though, was the waitress. She came up to our table and described to us the daily specials in flawless French, then turned to wide-eyed and uncomprehending Jess and in an unmistakable Cockney accent, said, "D'ya get tha?" I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair.
On to objective #3: Château de Chillon. This castle has parts dating back to the 11th century, and was the inspiration for Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner of Chillon" (no, I haven't read it either). This was my very first castle, and it did not disappoint.
It has it all, from amazing ancient frescoes, to dungeons and torture rooms, to a keep rising 4 floors above the rest of the castle. Jess wins quote of the day, as we finally reached the top of the keep after seriously winding ourselves hiking five stories: "This is probably going to sound really American, but they should have a warning." It could just say: no weaklings.
At this point we were both exhausted, so we headed back to catch the train home. Jess was dreaming of her couch and a silly movie, while I was looking forward to an early night of Guitar Hero with Barras' friends and a full restorative night of sleep. Jess got her wish, and my plans changed drastically, which seemed to be the theme of the day. Tomorrow, friends, I will tell you all about it.
To see all of Montreux, go here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v432/troublecity/Geneva/Montreux/?albumview=slideshow. I haven't labeled all the castle pictures with their dates of origin yet, but I will soon.