Trip report part 1 – Swiss Riviera Montreux
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Hello,
This is the first part of a 16 day, solo whirlwind trip through Switzerland in the first 2 weeks of September 2017 having just returned last night. I had the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass (Youth) which was very worth it with my itinerary.
Day 1 – Sunday 3rd September
Woke up at 4.15 am to catch the 7.45 am flight from London Gatwick to Geneva. Proceeded straight on the train to Montreux (Territet) staying at the youth hostel for 2 nights. It was a sunny day and arrived just after noon. There was a Queen celebration in town over the weekend at the lake promenade at the Freddie Mercury statue (it was his birthday). There was a band playing so enjoyed a little by having lunch in the sunshine. Then took a lake cruise to Chillon Castle. Later on in the evening, I took the Territet – Glion funicular. It was a beautiful day.
Day 2
Had a local guide meet up through the “Be my guide” programme by Montreux Riveira tourism board. His name was Paul, who lives in Corseaux, with a beautiful small property looking over the vineyards. He is retired and spoke good English and runs a B&B which is part of his home. We met at the Vevey funicular station, and hopped into his car towards Plein Ciel – Mont Pelerin TV tower & lookout. It was a nice and quiet short walk through the woods towards the communications tower. I remember how fresh the air was. We were the only ones there at around 9.20 am. Paid the 5 CHF (in coins) entry fee per person and took the elevator up to the top. It was a great panoramic view. Paul was very knowledgeable about the area, where he showed me the pre-Alps and Jura Alps. We also saw two Swiss air force fighter jets fly past the tower, they were flying really low. I managed to take a picture of them. This is a topic I will come back to again later as throughout my 16 days in Switzerland, I heard them flying every day and saw them on 4 different days.
We then drove back to Corseaux and began a walk through the Lavaux region (St Saphorin – Rivaz – Dezaley – Cully). Paul had kindly prepared a picnic consisting of baguette, a bottle of local white wine, salami, cheese, apples and cuts of vegetables (carrot & celery). He brought along an old small sharp knife for cutting the bread and also sausage which had the handle made from animal horn. We had the picnic at a fantastic lookout point, which I can’t remember where it was but I remember Paul mentioned that it was the highest point of our hike through Lavaux. He also mentioned that that was the steepest part of the area where it is the best for growing the grapes.
Had a drink on the outdoor terrace of Au Major Davel Hotel while waiting for the boat cruise back to Vevey. It was already 4.30 pm when we arrived at Vevey and we parted ways. I explored a little of Vevey and met a young Canadian couple and chatted with them. They were on a world tour having quit their jobs and Switzerland was their 1st stop getting the most expensive place out of the way. Spent part of the evening on the lake promenade by the Alimentarium, saw the giant Fork in the lake and also the Charlie Chaplin statue. The sun was just about to start going down. I caught a train to Lausanne and headed to the port (Ouchy) just in time to catch the beautiful sunset.
Pictures would be attached soon once i get unpacked and sort things out. More to come.
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