Switzerland. On the shores of Lake Geneva.
There was a special offer for flights to Geneva. We did not think long and decided what to take. We quickly compiled a program along the Geneva-Lausanne-Montreux route, booked hotels and off we went.
SWISS Airlines positions itself as a premium class airline. But we did not find much difference between it and partner airline Lufthansa, except that the seat-to-seat space was slightly increased. The plane landed on schedule at Geneva airport late in the evening. At the exit, they took free transport tickets from the machine, which were valid for 80 minutes. We went down to the platform, on which there was already a train to the central railway station "Geneva-Cornavin". Our hotel "Auteuil 4 *" was a five-minute walk from this station. Very solid, cozy and not a big Swiss hotel with friendly staff. The check in process didn't take long. Along with our room keys, we received coupons for a 50% discount for breakfast, a city map and free tickets for all types of public transport for the entire stay at the hotel. Leaving our things in the room, we went for a walk around Geneva at night. When night descends on the narrow streets and the view of the lake disappears, Geneva can be confused with any other European city. After wandering around the streets a little, we went to a Turkish eatery near the hotel, where we bought a Geneva shawarma for 10 Swiss francs (about 10 USD). I have never eaten such an expensive shawarma anywhere else.
In the morning we went down to the hotel's small restaurant, where the buffet had all sorts of sausages and ham, cheeses, red and white fish, bacon scrambled eggs, yogurts, pastries and freshly squeezed juices. The restaurant staff spoke French and were not in a hurry to switch to English in a conversation with us. As a result, at the exit, having explained the number of our room almost on the fingers, we went for a walk around the city. Saturday morning in Geneva, the streets were deserted, only occasionally in the old city, we sometimes ran into the same early tourists. We walked to the main building in the center of Geneva - St. Peter's Cathedral, the construction of which began in 1160 and lasted 150 years. We visited the Bourg de Four square, once the Roman market was located on it. In an English garden, they looked at a flower clock with the largest second hand in Europe, but since there were no flowers in winter, this clock did not make an impression. We walked along the New Square - the cultural center of the city. There is a statue of General Henri Dufour - co-founder of the Red Cross, the Grand Theater and the Conservatory of Music. The main, in my opinion, attraction of Geneva, like the Eiffel Tower for Paris, is a giant fountain. This is the highest fountain in Europe, which is located on Lake Geneva, near the source of the Rhone River. A huge column of water shoots up to a height of 140 meters at a speed of 200 km/h. An impressive sight. Since our free travel tickets were valid for all public transport in the city, we took the opportunity and made ourselves a sightseeing tour on trams and buses, as well as on boats plying the lake. In places where we liked something, we made stops. "Cheap and cheerful. " Prices in restaurants are high, but not much more than in Moscow; for a dinner with a bottle of wine in a modest restaurant, you will have to pay about 90-100 Swiss francs. Souvenirs in Geneva are mainly in the form of Swiss watches and knives, as well as postcards and chocolate. Fans of fridge magnets will have to work hard to find the right shop. We did not notice how the day flew by. In the morning after breakfast we checked out of the hotel and went to the railway station. Having bought tickets to Lausanne from the machine for 21 francs each, we ran to the platform to catch the next train, which was leaving in 2 minutes. Having jumped into the car, our train started moving. Magnificent mountain landscapes of the snow-capped Alps floated outside the window against the backdrop of Lake Geneva.
Forty minutes later we arrived in Lausanne. Lausanne is the fifth largest city in Switzerland and also the seat of the International Olympic Committee. The most famous monument of the city is the Cathedral, where the coronations of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire once took place. Majestic building. Despite the fact that it was January outside, there was a lot of greenery in Lausanne. Its Olympic Park, botanical garden and Ouchy embankment are world masterpieces of park art. After walking around the city, we went down to the embankment, where we got caught in a heavy downpour. Having bought tickets at the port ticket office for a ferry to Montreux, we ran to a restaurant on the lake to shelter from the rain. After lunch and a glass of red wine, we went to the pier. Our ferry arrived on schedule, this ship was a small old steamer with two paddle wheels on the sides, which was launched at the beginning of the last century. Having bought wine and cheese for the road, we settled down at a table and began to admire the Swiss villages passing by through the windows. The steamer sailed slowly, every 15 minutes making a stop in one of these villages, picking up or disembarking passengers. And about an hour later we arrived in Montreux. By train, the same distance could be covered in 15-20 minutes. But a short cruise on Lake Geneva was worth it.
Montreux is a lakeside town, one of the sunniest places in Switzerland, protected from cold winds by mountains. This is a real resort. Here hotels-palaces and elegant villas are buried in the greenery of laurels, magnolias, palm trees and cypresses. Stairs descend directly to the shore, along which runs a beautiful boulevard. A huge number of swans live on the lake. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Vladimir Nabokov, Charlie Chaplin lived in Montreux, Byron, Tchaikovsky, Hemingway visited.
Our hotel "Hotel Eden Palace Au Lac 4 *" is located on the shores of Lake Geneva, surrounded by a beautiful park. This hotel with over a century of history was built in the Victorian style. The elegant interiors of the halls and the restaurant of this palace struck us with their beauty. Our room was located on the last fifth floor, offering a magical view of the waters of Lake Geneva, which reflected the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The picture was just unrealistic. Cozy antique furniture complemented the atmosphere of a fairy tale. Leaving our things in the room, we went for a walk around the city.
Outside, a light rain continued to drizzle, which did not overshadow our walk much. We wandered along the streets, which gradually went up into the mountains. We did not notice how we ended up below the Montreux line. At the reception at the hotel, we were also given special cards that gave us a 50% discount on entrance to museums, and also gave us the opportunity to use public transport for free. Back to the hotel, we decided to return by trolleybus and approached the stop, but then we found a funicular station next to it. We climbed the funicular to the snow-covered mountain and before us opened a magnificent view of the whole of Montreux and the surrounding towns. At the top there was a small village, consisting of several streets, chalet houses, a small hotel and an alpine railway station, from which trains left on special gear rails. Not much of an eerie sight, when low clouds swept over a deserted village from time to time, enveloping everything around in thick fog. It was getting chilly and we decided to head back to the hotel on one of those high mountain trains. By the time we got back to the hotel it was already dark. In the morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, the interiors of the restaurant were exquisite, but the breakfast in it was not as good as in the Geneva hotel, and the bill was higher. You're probably overpaying for the ambience. After breakfast, we went for a walk along the boulevard along the lake, admiring the old buildings and the snow-capped Alps. At a distance of an hour's walk along the boulevard, we reached one of the most famous castles in Europe - Chillon Castle, which shocked Byron and sang by him in the poem "The Prisoner of Chillon Castle". This 13th century castle sits on a small rocky island. Dungeons and dungeons, the knight's hall and the hall of Justice and the wooden chapel still perfectly preserved the spirit of that era. The entrance ticket on our cards cost us 6 francs. Having wandered enough through all these eerie corridors and rooms, we decided to return back to the hotel. By trolley bus from the castle to the hotel we got in 10 minutes. Having packed our things and made a check-out at the hotel, we went to have lunch at a local restaurant, where we ordered one of the Swiss dishes - cheese fondue. On the table, on an open fire, special heat-resistant dishes are placed, in which melted cheese and wine boil, pieces of bread planted on special long forks are dipped into the resulting mass. For a pleasant conversation and a bottle of wine, it turned out quite tasty and satisfying. After lunch we went to the train station where we bought train tickets for 32 Swiss francs to Geneva airport. The train arrived on schedule.
See you soon Switzerland.
