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The Chateau

Lausanne, Switzerland, is situated on Lake Geneva looking across to the French Alps. The large lake is a deep blue, and the Alps are snow capped–a majestic sight! The villages that stretch out along the lake around Lausanne are French in character, as this is the French speaking area of Switzerland. The majority language in Switzerland is German with Italian predominating along the Italian borderlands.

Interestingly, palm trees and other such types of vegetation grow in certain parts of this area. Because of the geography, a microclimate allows for tropical vegetation in an area that is surrounded by snow.

Our short day trip took us to Montreux. Along the way, vineyards rose up on terraced hills. The rock-walled terraces had man-made water channels that allowed rain and snow melt to course through them. Today, waterfalls flowed through the terraces as the water rushed to the lake. The grape vine leaves are now gold and red. We passed the vineyards that make Chardonnay. Such a fantastic sight.

Our destination was the Chateau de Chillon. It is one of the most photographed castles in the world. As home base to the powerful House of Savoy, it occupied a prominent place in the history in the Middle Ages. We enjoyed discovering its ramparts and rock foundations, its paint decorated walls and ceilings and its towers and terraces. It is beautiful to behold; yet, powerful. It was home and fortress, and it has withstood the test of time. WEG