Montreux

The tour company provided us with a free morning to get over jet lag – we got about 11 hours of sleep and were up for a 9:00 am breakfast overlooking the lake. We decided to tour old town Montreux, which was an uphill hike for an exhilarating start. We wandered through the winding streets enjoying the buildings, fountains, and views. At the top of our climb, we visited the church of St. Vincent with spectacular views across the lake. Walking downhill, we passed beautiful residences and hotels all with lake views. A stop at the must-see Freddie Mercury Experience at the Casino Barrière Montreux. The museum highlights his shows, music notes, and a recording studio.

In the afternoon, the tour restarted with a bus ride to Vevey to see the Chari Chapman statue and a lake cruise to the Chillon Castle. Chillon Castle is a medieval island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives access to the Alpine valley of the Rhône. The rocky island on which the castle sits was both a form of natural protection and a strategic position to control passage from the north to the south of Europe. The castle took on the oval shape of the genuine island upon which it was built. It is approximately 100m long and 50m wide. It also took its name from the rock; the word ‘Chillon’ meant ‘rocky platform’ in an ancient language.

The history of the castle is marked by three great periods: those of the Savoy family, the Bernese bailiffs and the Canton of Vaud. (see https://www.chillon.ch/en/castle/) For more info.

Our local tour guide provided great background on the life cycle of the Castle, the dungeons, wine cellar, dining rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms.

We bused back to our hotel, refreshed, and headed out to dinner at All’ Angolo – a great outdoor dining experience – limoncello spritz, burratina salad and pinse – made of wheat, soy and rice flour (a lite flatbread). Of course, served with a Petit Verdot and a Limoncello aperitif. Then a pleasant walk back to our hotel just in time to miss a full sunset.

Chillon Castle

Vevey

Montreux Citi Views

We left Florida on Tuesday, August 4^th, and landed in Geneva on Wednesday, August 5^th at 10:00 am. We hooked up with our guide and driver for an hour drive to our hotel in Montreux. Montreux is a traditional resort town on Lake Geneva. Nestled between steep hills and the lakeside, it’s known for its mild microclimate and the Montreux Jazz Festival, held in July. The town’s promenade is lined with flowers, sculptures, Mediterranean trees and grand Belle Époque buildings. Offshore is a medieval island castle, Château de Chillon, with ramparts, formal halls and a chapel with 14th-century murals. Montreux is also noted for its relationship with Freddie Mercury and Queen. Our hotel overlooks Lake Geneva (Lac Léman, another of its names). Out of our room window we can see the façade of the town’s main railway station. After settling in, we walked the Lakeside promenade before dinner – enjoying the views of the mountains in France on the opposite shore, the flowers, and the statues of musicians and literary notables spaced along the walk and in several pocket parks.