Montreux, Switzerland January 23-27, 2011

Pat's bi-monthly Coty meetings were held at the very posh Le Fairmont Montreux Palace Hotel overlooking the beautiful Lac Leman from Monday to Wednesday. I enjoyed my days (mostly solo) exploring Montreux, revisiting the famous Chateau Chillon, heading to Morges to spend a day with Cathy and her walking friends, and spending my last day in my favourite haunt, Lausanne, where I visited the Olympic Museum for the first time.

Below are the views from our hotel room with the Vaudois Alps off to the left and those of the Haute Savoie in France straight ahead (when you can see them...)






























The front facade of the old hotel with some interesting Canadian "moose" on the front lawn!














A lovely 40 minute walk along the lakefront took me past pretty homes and gardens to Chateau Chillon, of Lord Byron fame ("The Prisoner of Chillon").














If you peer VERY closely, you will see the French Alps of the Haute Savoie! Not actually seeing them clearly is a good thing for the Swiss, because that generally means good weather. When they are so clear that you can practically reach out to touch them, then watch out, rain is coming!
When we lived in Préverenges in 1968-69 (further to the west on the lake), my mother would lament the bad weather coming announcing, "The mountains are out"!"














The Chateau Chillon looms in the distance, the Vaudois Alps and Leysin behind














They make their own wine...not as good as other Swiss white wines, we discovered!



















The front entrance of the castle

































Views of the vineyards above Morges, west of Lausanne, where I spent the day with my "old" friend Cathy. We spent the afternoon walking with two other friends in the foothills of the Jura Mountains through open vineyards and small villages.














Cathy, Kathie and Line, the artist in front of a local community centre














My final day was spent in Lausanne at the Olympic Museum in Ouchy, by the Lake





























A section of Barcelona sidewalk from the 1992 Games...I walk on such a pattern all the time in the city!



















Now "the mountains are (sort of) out"! We are looking at France, near Evian and Thonon-les-Bains.















Et c'est tout! Another lovely but short visit to La Belle Suisse! Hasta luego...