The touring begins

This morning we packed up our suitcases and hit the road in our snazzy, rainbow clad Trafalgar touring coach. Our first stop was a few hours outside of Zurich in the capital city of Bern. As it was a Sunday (family day in Switzerland), all of the shops were closed and there was little auto traffic as we rolled through town. Bern, the historic part at least, left quite an impression as a lovely, quaint sort of place--it's a rather small city with only 130,000 residents and the ones we were there to visit just happened to be bears. Yes, real, live bears. Bern bears as it were. They have million franc riverside property just as you enter the city, thanks to a recent upgrade from the taxpayers. I wish we could have spent more time in Bern just wandering around and taking things in. The shopping arcade looked divine; I think Craig said there are 6 kilometers of continuous shopping plus loads of lovely fountains and buildings to admire. Perhaps next time when I visit, Bern will be at the top of my list. I can see why Astrid, my mosaic friend, enjoys it so much.





The Bern bears--they move a bit slowly, just like everything else in Bern:)


Overlooking the city of Bern


A bit gray this morning, but such a picturesque place


As the sun came out, Bern's rooftops sort of glow

About an hour and a half down the road we stopped for lunch in the city of Montreaux. It is home to a world famous jazz festival and the backdrop, lake Geneva, is just stunning. The sun decided to come out to play today, which made this little city an even nice place to wander around and enjoy a crepe. The waterfront was flanked with interesting art installations incorporating re-used household goods including old bicycles and even an old toilet was made into a flower planter. Our stop here was brief as we had afternoon plans to visit the Chateau Chillon which was just a few kilometers beyond Montreaux.


Just the start of mountain sightings in Switzerland.





Recycled household goods as art in Montreaux.


Lake Geneva


A statue representing Montreaux's famous jazz festival.


A perfect photo for today!

The Chateau sits in the lake on a sort of island and is quite well preserved despite its age (several hundred years I think). We spent over an hour wandering about starting with the prison and making our way through the bedrooms, public bath, latrines (thank The Lord for modern plumbing), dining hall, chapel, and numerous towers. You could get yourself lost in there if you weren't careful. In fact, two of our ladies walked a bit further in than they bargained for and didn't quite make it back to the bus on time! Oops!


Just two of the fortified towers of the Chateau Chillon





Don't be naughty or you'll get the noose! In the prison...


At least the prisoners get a nice view, right?


One of many grand fireplaces.





I love ceiling art--tiny flags painted as ceiling decor.


This is what I meant about my love for modern plumbing. Here's the loo...


More beautiful photos of Lake Geneva.


Switzerland so is lush and green!


A different perspective of the towers.


Going to the chapel...





Our final stop today, and where we are lodging tonight, is Evian-les-Baines. We actually crossed the border to France as we proceeded to drive around Lake Geneva. It's quite fun to hear folks speaking French, rather than German as they do in Zurich. I haven't wandered far in Evian, but I did visit the spot where the famous water company spring comes to the surface. In fact, I got myself a free bottle of Evian water straight from the source! The walk back to the hotel along the lake was simply lovely and I hope to go out for a few more minutes to wander before it gets dark.


This beautiful clock once belonged to the family who first bottled Evian water.


Getting my free sample of Evian, direct from the source!


Lake Geneva as viewed from France!

I am continuing to meet new people on my trip--today I met two other ladies traveling as singles who took a leap of faith and signed up for the single share. This means that until Saturday morning when the tour began they hadn't met one another! Such brave travelers! We've got just a week to cover so much ground in Switzerland and I'm really looking forward to getting into the mountains. I think we'll be heading there tomorrow!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bern, Montreaux, Chateau Chillon, and Evian-les-Baines