Bonjour! This past weekend I traveled with my friend Fiona
to Lausanne and Montreux, both of which are located in the French-speaking
portion of Switzerland. It was quite a change from Zurich, with French language
and architecture everywhere.
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| Cathedrale de Lausanne |
On Saturday, we explored Lausanne, a city on Lake Geneva.
Lausanne was not quite what I expected; it had a much different feel and
demographic than Zurich. The vibe in the city was grittier and a bit more
working class/blue collar, which I had not yet really seen in Switzerland. The
portion of the city on the lake was called Ouchy, which of course had us
laughing all day. Despite the name’s harmful connotation, this area was
gorgeous, and Lake Geneva is a gem with beautiful mountains in the background,
much like the other pristine lakes I’ve seen in Switzerland. I swear, after
living in Switzerland, it’s going to be difficult living in a city that does
not have a lake and mountain view. One of the main attractions of the city was
the Cathedrale de Lausanne, a picturesque cathedrale built in the 1200s. It had
fantastic stained glass and really was a great piece of architecture. We
finished the night by feasting on cheese fondue. It was death by cheese, and
every gooey bite was simply amazing.
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| Chateau de Chillon. |
On Sunday, Fiona and I headed to Montreux, a quaint town
surrounded by vineyards and home of the famed Chateau de Chillon. For those of
you who know me well, you know that I have absolutely no sense of direction.
Well, Fiona and I make the perfect traveling pair because neither does she.
Finding our way around was half of the adventure, but we always managed, even
if sometimes it took us an extra hour. We finally made it to Montreux and
decided to make Chateau de Chillon our first stop. Chillon is the most
well-known castle in Switzerland and was the home of the House of Savoy until
the Bernese invasion. It was so cool exploring it and reflecting on the fact
that so much history took place in it. Chillon has a perfect location situated
on Lake Geneva, overlooking the Alps. It really was like a fairy tale. Some
lucky Counts lived there once upon a time!
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| Fiona and I. |
As soon as we left Chillon, a torrential downpour began.
Fiona and I huddled under her tiny umbrella because of course I neglected to
bring one. We made it back to Montreux without getting too drenched, and the
rain ceased, at least for a little bit. Montreux is well-known for drawing
musical artists, most prominently Freddie Mercury from Queen, and having a big
music fest each year. Queen recorded some of their music in Montreux, and Freddie
was a regular in the town, so Montreux has a large statue dedicated to him.
After seeing the statue, Fiona and I spent the day wandering around the
lakeside and cobbled streets. After drinking loads of wonderful espresso, we
headed back to Zurich. Being in such a diverse, yet small country had been a
blessing. Getting new perspectives is so easy here. I can be in extremely
different locations with different languages in two hours. Switzerland is a
wonderful, odd little country.
