Day 10
Well, it was a better day today, though it not appear to be so at 8 when I got up. In fact, as I was in the bathroom and heard the raindrops on the skylight, I thought “here we go again” and skipped my shower.
But this time, once we hot the road towards Vevey, it indeed cleared up a bit, and once we found the lake (Geneva) side it was looking better. We did not know where we were, so I went inside a Gendarmerie, got buzzed in past the vestibule, and had a nice conversation about where the Place du Marche was (only 300 meters), parking rules, etc.
By the time we walked the 300 meters it was time for lunch, and we tried to find a Fodor’s place with “Clef” in the name but couldn’t. Ended up at a nice, full, hotel / restaurant where Jill & Dave had the Plat du Jour (fish soup and ham, green beans and potatoes au (Gruyere) gratin, Miss K a pizza, water (San Pelligrino)for 68 CHF. It was nice, but smoky.
Took a walk through Vevey’s old town and back along Lak0e Geneva’s waterfront. OK, but not spectacular. Kristen enjoyed a rde on the carousel.
But this time, once we hot the road towards Vevey, it indeed cleared up a bit, and once we found the lake (Geneva) side it was looking better. We did not know where we were, so I went inside a Gendarmerie, got buzzed in past the vestibule, and had a nice conversation about where the Place du Marche was (only 300 meters), parking rules, etc.
By the time we walked the 300 meters it was time for lunch, and we tried to find a Fodor’s place with “Clef” in the name but couldn’t. Ended up at a nice, full, hotel / restaurant where Jill & Dave had the Plat du Jour (fish soup and ham, green beans and potatoes au (Gruyere) gratin, Miss K a pizza, water (San Pelligrino)for 68 CHF. It was nice, but smoky.
Took a walk through Vevey’s old town and back along Lak0e Geneva’s waterfront. OK, but not spectacular. Kristen enjoyed a rde on the carousel.
Then a ride through Montreaux (humming “Smoke on the Water” the whole way) towards Castle Chillon. Montreaux was very touristy, but not as crowded as we remembered from 16 years ago.
Got a half-decent parking spot near Chillon but still about ½ mile from the front gate. Last time we were there, we were about 100 yards (but memory has a way of playing tricks on you…)
Dave remembered all the courtyards and exterior spaces, though none of the interior except Byron’s “Prisoner of Chillon” dungeon. Jill, on the other hand, remembered nothing, and must have confused Chillon with another castle.
Still, it was nice, even though last time it was May, and no one was there but us, vs. this time it was crowded but not ridiculously so.
The castle is in a great spot, right on the lake, and very photogenic. I took some photos in the courtyards while Jill & Kristen toured every room. One wonders, though, how much is truly original, vs. a “Disneyland” reproduction. My hopes are with “original”.
Got a half-decent parking spot near Chillon but still about ½ mile from the front gate. Last time we were there, we were about 100 yards (but memory has a way of playing tricks on you…)
Dave remembered all the courtyards and exterior spaces, though none of the interior except Byron’s “Prisoner of Chillon” dungeon. Jill, on the other hand, remembered nothing, and must have confused Chillon with another castle.
Still, it was nice, even though last time it was May, and no one was there but us, vs. this time it was crowded but not ridiculously so.
The castle is in a great spot, right on the lake, and very photogenic. I took some photos in the courtyards while Jill & Kristen toured every room. One wonders, though, how much is truly original, vs. a “Disneyland” reproduction. My hopes are with “original”.
Had some refreshments overlooking the lake after exiting, then on the way back through Bulle we satisfied Kristen’s craving for McDonald’s. It was the one place on the trip I refused to put on my French accent, and just ordered a “Hamburger Happy Meal” in my normal voice. Hey, they are the ones mispronouncing stuff this time, not me!
Then across the street to Co-op for dinner fixin’s – this time a pre-prepared, though not frozen, pizza, which Jill ended up serving with salad.
I got a “Tete de Moine”, or Monk’s Head, cheese to smuggle back home, plus some shrink wrapped Appenzeller, and my “big” Swiss souvenir – a $25 Italian espresso maker!
Back home at 8 p.m. to enjoy the view, see the mess our sparrows made with the parakeet seed, have a cocktail and the pizza.
Girls are playing solitaire, we’re listening to “Sinatra Live at the Sands” on the iPod, and life is better than yesterday. Hey, we even had sun from 4-8 p.m.! Wow! That will change your attitude after almost a week of rain.
Jill’s looking at the weather report and it’s looking like tomorrow might be no rain too… today it was forecast that we would see “Grands Éclairs” and we figured we would see either large scale clearing, or big chocolate éclairs falling from the sky! I’m glad we saw clearing, though giant pastries would have been a sight!
Then across the street to Co-op for dinner fixin’s – this time a pre-prepared, though not frozen, pizza, which Jill ended up serving with salad.
I got a “Tete de Moine”, or Monk’s Head, cheese to smuggle back home, plus some shrink wrapped Appenzeller, and my “big” Swiss souvenir – a $25 Italian espresso maker!
Back home at 8 p.m. to enjoy the view, see the mess our sparrows made with the parakeet seed, have a cocktail and the pizza.
Girls are playing solitaire, we’re listening to “Sinatra Live at the Sands” on the iPod, and life is better than yesterday. Hey, we even had sun from 4-8 p.m.! Wow! That will change your attitude after almost a week of rain.
Jill’s looking at the weather report and it’s looking like tomorrow might be no rain too… today it was forecast that we would see “Grands Éclairs” and we figured we would see either large scale clearing, or big chocolate éclairs falling from the sky! I’m glad we saw clearing, though giant pastries would have been a sight!