We started at the Chateau de Chillon, a 12th-century castle with archaeological finds dated back to the Bronze Age. Situated on Lake Geneva, next door to the beautiful city of Montreux, this castle is listed as Switzerland's most visited historical site.
The architecture of these underground rooms was very reminiscent of the Gothic cathedrals we've seen. This underground part of the castle certainly stimulates the imagination and numerous legends that have arisen from this place. The most well-known is that of the imprisonment of Bonivard, made famous by Lord Byron, who made him the hero of his poem The Prisoner of Chillon.
The crypt was especially creepy, being below the surface of the lake outside. Double imprisonment - walls and water!
It took us 2 hours to walk the entirety of this chateau and there was plenty of interesting architecture and furniture along the way. The little girls enjoyed playing hide 'n' seek as we toured.
From Chillon, we drove about 20 miles north to the village of Gruyere, famous for its - you guessed it - cheese!
We toured the factory and saw the process of how Gruyere (one variety of Swiss cheese) is produced.
The unique flavor of these cheeses is due to the unique flowers and grasses that the cows ingest up in the Alps. Part of the tour involved smelling all the different flowers that these cows are permitted to graze on. Then we visited the vault where the cheese wheels are aged for 3 months before they are moved to a cave to age another 6 to 18 months. The longer they age, the more 'mature' the taste is. Or as the little girls put it, "it gets stinkier."
It just so happened that we were in Gruyere at lunch time and there was a "House of Gruyere" Restaurant on site. We enjoyed a traditional fondue as well as a tasty dish (can't remember the name) of cheesy hashbrowns with pears. I never would have thought to combine potatoes and fruit together in the same dish, but it was absolutely delicious! I guess the cheese is the key to this fabulous combination.
From Gruyere, it was a 10 minute drive to Broc, home of the Cailler Chocolate Factory. This is Switzerland's oldest chocolate company.
The tour included some very hands-on exploration of ingredients followed by a viewing of an actual chocolate production line.
These little yummies were great but the best part was at the end of the tour when we entered the Tasting Room. Here, all the Cailler chocolates were set out for tasting. As much Swiss chocolate as you can eat. At no extra cost. Everything from their basic milk chocolate to the fancy pralines and truffles they box in their Ambassador Series.
Admission to the chocolate factory was 20 CHF (equivalent to about $22 US dollars) for the 4 of us, and we're highly confident that we ate our money's worth.
No comments:
Post a Comment