French Fairy Tales

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.

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.

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!

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.