Montreux, Oct. 2-3

I’ve technically been to Switzerland before, but that visit – two rainy hours in Basel early on a Sunday morning at the end of a Rhine river cruise – was, to be Franc, more of a Swiss miss.  So when Andy, Char, and I were planning this trip, we asked our wonderful travel agent, Lauren Clark, to put together a post-cruise trip through this Central European gem. 

For our first stop, Lauren arranged for a driver to bring us from Dijon to Montreux, a gorgeous city on the Swiss Riviera, sandwiched between the Alps and what locals call Lac Léman.  (Our guide on a walk along the lake this morning said “the only people who call it Lake Geneva are people from Geneva and the rest of the world.”)

From Dijon, we drove through flat farmland until reaching the Jura Mountains, where we snaked along slender roads through densely wooded slopes.  Abutting the road, lush meadows hosted herds of mottled cows.  After crossing the Swiss border, we descended toward Lake Geneva, dropping from 3200 feet to around 1250 feet.

After a three-hour ride from Dijon, we arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon on Thursday.  We’re at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, which is posh, refined, and altogether spectacular.  My room and bathroom are probably five times larger than their respective counterparts on the ship were. 

From my window and from the breakfast room, there are jaw-dropping views of the lake and mountains. 

Guests at the hotel get a Montreux Riviera card via email.  The card allows free access to local public transport and provides discounts on many local attractions.  I am sure other hotels offer this amenity as well – you should definitely ask!

For the next few hours, Andy, Char and I strolled along the Grand Rue (the main street of downtown Montreux) before heading down a block to the lakefront. 

The Grand Rue is lined with jewelry and clothing stores, enough barber shops to keep all of Switzerland well-coiffed, restaurants (everything from Lebanese to pizza to Swiss to Asian), hotels, and the famous Montreux Casino.

Whimsical sculptures line the lakefront. At sunset, they take on an almost animated existence. 

There’s also a statue of Freddy Mercury, about whom I’ll say more in a couple of paragraphs.

We ate last night at Molino, an Italian restaurant facing the lake, where we shared an excellent insalata caprese, perfectly cooked penne pesto, and a very good pizza.  We enjoyed a lighthearted chat with either the owner or the head waiter, who was the epitome of an Italian restaurateur, except that he turned out to be from Portugal. 

If you’re looking for a tasty, reasonably priced meal in Montreux, Molino (Pl. de Marché 6, tel. 021 965 13 34), should be on your list.  (It’s next to the old open-air public market, which is now used as a main stage during the Montreux Jazz Festival.)

On Friday morning, our travel agent had arranged a walking tour along the lake.  Our guide, Daniel, was interesting, engaging, and accommodating.  If you’re looking for a guide around Montreux, please contact him: danieleuenberger@gmail.com.

Daniel told us a bit of the history of Montreux, pointed out buildings with special significance, talked about the Swiss response to World War II, discussed the sculptures along the lake front – he said they’re changed periodically – and, given our interest in the subject, took us to the free Queen Studio Experience.

That attraction occupies the site of the former Mountain Studios (incongruously located in the Montreux Casino), where Queen recorded songs for seven albums between 1978 and 1995.  Queen bought Mountain after recording the album “Jazz” there, and rented it out to Led Zeppelin, Yes, and other bands.  The exhibition space was opened by Queen guitarist/astrophysicist Brian May in 2013.  Along with lots of memorabilia, it has a 24-track sound board on which you can remix some of Queen’s songs.  

That’s a lot about Queen, but in Freddy Mercury’s words, don’t stop me now!  (The best Queen song, in my opinion, and the first song that came to mind while putting together a “Feel Good Music” playlist when I was rather depressed after last year’s US presidential election.)

Freddy Mercury loved Montreux so much he purchased a penthouse apartment overlooking the lake. 

Our walk ended at Castle Chillon, a strategically located fortification dating to the 11^th century.  A 16th century monk from Geneva was imprisoned in the castle for several years because of his opposition to Savoy rule; Lord Byron memorialized the monk’s imprisonment, and made the castle famous, in his poem, “The Prisoner of Chillon.”

Showing that not much has changed in the intervening millennium, there’s a World War II-era underground fort/gun emplacement adjacent to the castle.  (Although Switzerland was neutral during the war, they were well-prepared to defend themselves if attacked.)

Daniel accompanied us on a local bus back toward our hotel.  We got off near the pier where CGN (the “Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur Le Lac Léman”) operates boats that connect Montreux to several towns around the lake, taking a bit less than two hours to complete the circuit.  The trip is pricey – 42 Swiss Francs (around $53 US) per person with a Montreux Riviera card, 53 Francs (around $66US) without – but worth it. 

The lake cruise is scenic and serene.  It succeeds in its aim of evoking the belle époque, when elegant paddle wheelers plied their way from shore to shore.  There’s both outdoor and indoor seating – though it gets windy outside when the boat is moving – and a restaurant offering good food, soft drinks, wine, and beer.  All in all, it’s a lovely and relaxing way to see the sights.

I’ll close this post with one more restaurant recommendation:   1820 Restaurant & Cocktails Bar, Grand Rue 58, tel. 021 963 27 10.  It has a varied menu, our food (salads, bruschetta, pizza, a burger for Andy and Char) was very good, and the cocktails (espresso martini for me, dark rum Old Fashioneds for Andy and Char) are excellent.  We had an entertaining conversation with one of the waiters, Paolo, who hails from Argentina but has lived and worked in Brazil, Spain, and for the past several years, Switzerland.  This was more than service with a smile; it was service with laughter, jokes, and philosophy, and it made the meal that much better.

Tomorrow afternoon we take a scenic train to Interlaken.  Auf Wiedersehen bis dahin.  (There are four distinct languages spoken in different parts of Switzerland: French, German, Italian, and Romansh.)