Well, it's Friday evening & I'm back at my hotel in Lausanne after a very scenic & busy 2 days. Yesterday morning I took a train from Lausanne to Fribourg, Switzerland. It's the closest station to my friend Jane's chalet in Charmey. Jane & her friend Ella picked me up at the station and gave me a city tour of Fribourg. It's a very nice city with an old town & new, as you' d expect. The cathedral was especially beautiful. After touring the city & stopping by Ella's main home in Fribourg, they drove us into the "pre alps" ---which was still mountains to me! We went to Gruyere--- a place Roger & I visited before & loved for the cheese, cream, etc. The day was gorgeous and there were not many tourists there so it was a lovely walking tour of the town before a big lunch of fondue! 😀
The foudue here was special and certainly the best I've ever had except for in Switzerland before. Yummy!! The restaurant had an idyllic Swiss ambience.
Driving through the mountains I was overwhelmed with the beauty: GREEN like Californians haven't seen in a very long time; cows grazing, and, well, the alps!
We drove to their village of Charmey and stopped at the local cheese shop & ordered Gruyere and raclette for me to pick up the next day ( vacuum packed). Then we went to their co- owned chalet ( had for 30 years). The views from their windows and balconies were million dollar views! Next to their property the cows grazed & I got a video complete with bell sounds! I have lots of pix to share after I get home.
This morning we found a very cold car and I was told the temp last night was likely -2C. Brrrr! Glad I had sweater, coat, gloves which I did not need in the south of France where it was hot!
We picked up my cheese and started a beautiful drive through the countryside: via Gruyere, Chateau-d'Oex, Saanen and finally Gstaad-- now in the German part of Switzerland. Suddenly the signs were in German. ( crossed the River Sarine or Saane).
In Gstaad I got a quick sandwich and boarded the panoramic train to take me back to Lac Leman ( which some people call Lake Geneva but it's not its real name). The train walls were mostly glass & the panorama was spectacular: trees turning color, cows & their paths on the slopes, snow capped mountains, GREEN, tunnels.
I had to change trains in Montreux, which looks to be a popular, ritzy spot on the lake. Returned to Lausanne, dropped off bag at hotel & took the metro down to lakeside to enjoy the views. I would've loved to take the boat across the lake to Evian- les- Bains---- for old time's sake, but the day wasn't long enough.
Whew! A very fun detour to Switzerland. Tomorrow I'll train back to Paris where I'll stay till I come home Tuesday.
I have no more room in my suitcase and feel I should probably throw something out, in order to close it to go home! I'm not good at packing light 😉
I'll say night night now and may write one more time from Paris.
J
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