DAY 6 (20th September 2022)
Montreux via Zweisimmen
It was time to pack up again, and we left our AirBnb place at Interlaken with sweet memories – our host had helped us a lot during our stay. We were headed to Montreux, a small town of 26,000 people located along Lake Geneva, via Spiez and Zweisimmen. Our stop at Spiez was brief, but we had a longer layover at Zweisimmen.
One of the famous trainlines in Switzerland is the Scenic Train which starts at Lucerne and ends at Montreux, with stops at several bigger towns. The whole journey would have taken more than six hours from start to finish, something that we didn’t want to do, even though the panoramic windows of the train would have afforded us a grand view of the Swiss countryside and the Alps. We decided to catch up with the train from Zweisimmen, one of the stops along the Scenic Train route, with a travel time of approximately 2 hours only to Montreux. Doable for all of us.
Zweisimmen
The train route from Interlaken to Spiez hugs the southwestern coast of Lake Thun, a journey of less than half an hour. We found our train bound for Zweisimmen not long after, for the almost one-hour ride. We got there with plenty of time to spare before the Scenic Train was set to depart. So, we took the opportunity to explore the village of less than 3000 people. In the Middle Ages, Zweisimmen was an important trade centre for cattle and cheese from Germany and Italy.
Famous for skiing in winter and lovely walking trails in summer, Zweisimmen is known as the gateway to the Gstaad Region. One such ski resort is the Rinderberg Alpine Lodge, with the dedicated cable car station located right in the middle of the village. The Evangelisch Reformiste Kirche is not too far away. The beautiful houses that dot the landscape are beautifully decorated with potted plants and flowers, giving the area a very homely and welcoming feel.
Before we boarded the Scenic Train, we stopped by at a local restaurant for some food – and we chose the restaurant which had the most local residents patronizing – Brasserie zur Simme. As the weather was just lovely at that time, we chose to sit outside to enjoy the view, even as we were enjoying the delicious food!
We made sure to be back at the train station with time to spare, collected our luggage from the luggage storage and stood there at the platform, ready for our Scenic Train ride. Information from the Internet was to sit on the right side of the train for the better view. Well, Switzerland is so naturally beautiful almost everywhere we went, I thought it hardly made a difference. By this time also, we had seen and captured so many enduring images and photos, that we had run out of superlatives to describe the beauty of the Swiss countryside! Here are just some more photos to prove the point!
Montreux
If you can imagine a sad pair of lips, with the sides drooping downwards, that’s what Lake Geneva looks like. The “lower lip” is on the French side, while the “upper lip” is Swiss – Montreux is located on the east side of the upper lip, while Geneva is on the shores at the other end (Bro Ray: Ok, maybe it is better if you just look at the map yourself!). The town itself is sandwiched between the lake on one side and a steep hill on the other.
Downtown Montreux is literally split into two levels, the lower level is the Lake Geneva level, while the train station was built on the upper level. And in between this, the architects thought it a good idea to construct buildings and shoplots along the split line of the upper and lower levels, meaning that you could enter the upper level of these buildings on the side facing the hills, take an elevator down a few levels, and exit at the lower side facing lake. Effectively the buildings had two opposing facades.
Our rented apartments were at the top floor of an old three-storey building located along the lakeside (there was a medical clinic located on the second floor – haha!). We had a little trouble finding the place, but all well and good, and then we headed out immediately to the Chateau de Chillon, by bus.
Chateau de Chillon
Almost 300,000 people visit Chateau de Chillon every year and has been dubbed as “Switzerland’s most visited historic monument”. The castle basically sits on every square inch of a limestone rock island located just a stone’s throw away from the shore. Built in the 11th century, the castle has been used for various purposes throughout history, including as a prison.
Geographically located along an important trade route to Italy, Germany and France, the castle also has a broad view of Lake Geneva, meaning that it is well-positioned to control the valley roads and the water passages. This also meant that it could collect toll on the traders passing through. So important was this castle that the castle had seen many wars and battles in its day. Therefore, since the late 1800s restoration works was carried out gradually, evidenced by the castle being in almost tiptop condition today to receive the flood of tourists.
We went into the castle to view the exhibits in the museum and also to walk around – it was one labyrinth after another, connecting walkways and different looking buildings for different purposes throughout the castle. You could see why it can be easily defended as there are many towers which could view the roads along the hillside and also overlooking the lakeside.
The castle also looks very imposing on the outside. The thick castle walls and tall exterior structures project an image of strength and invincibility. Over time, a small jetty protruding into the lake was built beside the castle; could hardly see any real use for it, except maybe to allow for tourists to snap photos of the castle from the lakeside.
Lakeside Walk
The weather was very pleasant, and the recommendation from the web was to take a slow walk on the well-designed wide pathways built along the shores of Lake Geneva. So, we did. There were people fishing, swimming, cycling and also people like us who were just taking a stroll. There were many park benches along the way, too.
Ok, so we didn’t walk all the way back to Montreux…. We took the train from Territet Station instead, which was just along the way. Montreux Station was just one stop away. The tiredness had caught up with us, I guess.
Freddie Mercury’s Statue
Freddie Mercury, the iconic lead singer of the famous rock band Queen, once said, “If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux.” He lived in the town and recorded six albums with his band here. Is it any wonder then, that the town elders decided to build a 3m-tall bronze statue in 1996 to honour him? Many of his fans still lay flowers at the statue every day (he died in 1991), and the Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day is held every September for that purpose.
The statue was sculpted by Czech sculptress Irena Sedlecka and unveiled in Montreux on 25th November 1996, attended by both of Freddie’s parents, his sister, and several band members. Even though England wanted to “borrow” the statue, the public outcry was enough to stop the ill-fated idea! So, it remains in Montreux, and visitors can enjoy the well-sculpted statue.
Summary Day 6
Whenever I go out on my adventure travels, I always love to take short excursions to smaller, not-so-famous places (the places which are seldom noted on most tourist maps). Or I try to make the most of the time during transits. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but really, the journey is part of the adventure, and in these mini-adventures, we have the potential to discover a lot.
Zweisimmen and Montreux are some of the examples of such places – not the usual touristy destinations, which is a real shame. We didn’t get too much time in the Montreux region and the surrounding hills, though. We missed out on places like Vevey and Velleneuve, which is in the vicinity, where some of the best wine-growing areas in Switzerland are located – maybe next time.
