Ringing in the New Year - Swiss Style.

On our last day of official vacation, we decided to repeat a few of our favourite things: the toboggan park, ice skating, Movenpick ice cream... and if the chocolate factory wasn't 1.5 hrs. away, we would have done that again too!

Since it was New Year's Eve, we were sure to get to the little Co-Op store early in the day (before it closed) to pick up a few goodies as part of our annual 'choose-whatever-you-want' tradition for our evening family gathering.  Together, we finished a 500-piece puzzle, played some games, and watched a movie before the fireworks began.  Because our apartment had such a fabulous view, we got to watch right from our cozy beds!

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

We drove nearly 2 hours to get to a small village in the Alps called Tasch.  From there, it was a 5 km train ride into Zermatt, the nearest bit of civilization to the famous Matterhorn mountain.  The only way in (or out) of Zermatt is by rail as the roads are too primitive for car travel, especially during the winter months.

Of course, Switzerland is renowned for its trains and we really enjoyed that children under age 9 ride free (they are also free on cable cars!)

Zermatt  is the picture-perfect stereotype of everything Swiss.  No cars. Just sleighs, skis and toboggans.  Beautiful wood chalets, bustling shops full of chocolate, watches and Swiss army knives.  Snow-capped evergreens that look more like illustrations out of a Christmas picture book than something real... all around us.  It was magical.

We hiked through town about a mile before we emerged from the rows of chalets and shops to see...

the Matterhorn.

From here, we enjoyed some more majestic views of of the scenery from the comforts of a lovely cable car.

The ride was so smooth and quiet and watching the skiiers glide back and forth below us was very calming and peaceful.

At the top, we got out and walked around a bit before heading back into Zermatt for one last photo:

One last glance:

...And an apple strudel.

Toboggan Park

It was Emily's birthday so she got to choose the day's activities.  We started at the Toboggan Park - conveniently located in our 'home' village of Leysin. 

After a few hours on the toboggan slopes, we went next door to the Sports Centre and did some ice skating.

The little girls have never tried ice skating before so the nifty red PVC-pipe apparatus came in handy as they got used to it.

After skating, we played at the indoor pool for a while, then went to dinner at a Creperie.

Back to the apartment that evening for more puzzles and games, then birthday cake (pannetone) and Movenpick ice cream ($10/litre!!!!!)

During dessert Emily pointed out that she has had her last several birthdays in fairly exotic locations.  Age 2 = Montana; Age 3 = Scotland; Age 4 = San Francisco; Age 5 = Switzerland.  She asked "Where will I be for my birthday next year?" 

????

Hopefully somewhere with cheaper ice cream!

Castle, Cheese and Chocolate

Day 3 and we weren't holding back now.  Time to get a real flavour for Switzerland.

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.

 But this was not the culinary highlight of our day...



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.

Bern

On our first full day in Switzerland we set out for the capital and its renowned Christmas market.  It was COLD.  So cold, in fact, that our children stopped complaining after a while and just stood there.  Frozen. (They thawed out on the car ride home to Leysin). 

Along with the Christmas market, we stopped to watch some Swiss chocolate making in action.  Made-to-order pans of chocolate with your choice of mix-in.  It was like Cold Stone, except with chocolate.  Really good chocolate.

.I wanted to buy the 4.5 kg Toblerone for my brother, Dallin.  But it cost $130 and would have cost me another $100 in excess baggage fees for the flight home... Sorry Bro, maybe next time

A few purchases later, we were on our way back to Leysin. 

Leysin: Our Home in Switzerland

We spent a week in Switzerland, with 'home' being a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Leysin - a cozy resort village located in the Chablais region - about 2 hours northeast of Geneva. 

We were fortunate enough to arrive soon after the big snowstorms hit Europe so our flights and travel all went smoothly, and we could enjoy the gorgeous wintery landscape in the Alps.

During the week we toured the western region of the country, played locally, and spent our evenings together doing puzzles, playing games and watching movies on TV in German and French.  It's amazing how captivating a familiar movie can be when it's dubbed over in a foreign language.