The last leg of our journey began this morning. We're making our way back to the Geneva (Geneve is what it's called here) and the flight home on Thursday. After stopping for gas (and a coffee and Nutella croissant for Dave), we were on our way. By the way, Nutella is to Europe as peanut butter is to Canada/U.S. It's everywhere and a staple. Today, we saw a container of it with a pump on it.
It was going to take us about 2.5 hours to get to Geneve. (After two weeks we're almost locals). It was a pretty drive. Lots of farmland, greenery, hills - all the things we saw when we first landed. It felt familiar and comfortable. The weather was a mix again - drizzle to rain to full cloud cover to peaks of sun and, as a bonus today, wind. With one day left to go, we've only had two days were we'd say it rained for the better part of the day. There have been a few days with sun, not as many as we'd like, but overall it's been just fine. We prefer this weather to summer weather with the crowds of tourists it brings. For the most part, the driving was clear sailing today - unlike the chaos (Dave's word) of Basel. If he thought it was chaos, you know how crazy it really was.
The night before we left for our trip, we watched "25 must-sees in Switzerland." We didn't have any plans for our trip - which is generally how we travel - but over the course of the trip, we've seen seven of the 25. As we approached Bern, Dave remembered that Montreux had an amazing castle. It was still morning so we decided to go there - which in the end only added about an hour to our total driving time. And it was SO worth it!
Lunch was fresh bread and jam in the car at a rest stop area. I'm really going to miss the incredible bread here! (The language has switched back to French at this point.)
We got to Montreux about 1:30 where is was lightly raining and cold. The thermometer said it was about 57 but it sure didn't feel like that. The dampness and wind combined to make it feel much colder. However, that didn't hinder us exploring the best persevered medieval castle (Chateau de Chillon - pronounced "she on"), and most visited historical site, in Switzerland. It's kind of like Alcatraz in that it's built on an large rock with water (Lake Geneve) all around it. It was delightful. We got the audio headsets and spent over three hours exploring and learning. I got some really great pictures. (The first part of the castle was build in the 1000's with additions put on in the 1200 and 1400's.)
Back in the car and on our way to Geneve. We hit a bit of rush hour traffic, and our first traffic jam since we arrived, but still made good time. We arrived in Ferney Voltaire, France at about 6:30.
It was time for supper and some meat. We've had so very little of it on this trip. Right by the hotel, which is just across the Swiss border in France, we came upon a steak like place that was doing it's best to "be American." Country music played and the menu was much like what you'd find at Logan's. Dave had a variety plate that included buffalo (tasted like beef) and I had ribs. Interestingly, the sauce comes on the side. We popped into the grocery store next door and bought, you guessed it, a loaf of fresh bread for our breakfast. France uses euros - which I didn't have - but they accepted Swiss francs. Thankfully.
We arrived at the hotel about 8ish. At check-in, we didn't get the guy's full attention as he was talking to his friend (?) on the phone the whole time. We opened our room door and voila, there was our teeny, tiny room. We briefly talked about going somewhere else but decided to stay. It's an experience. It's something new, I kept saying.
One thing I learned today: So very many things at the castle. Here's one about food. People in the medieval times ate fewer than 10 vegys. Potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and peppers all came from the Americas in the 1500's - which is after the Middle Ages. They used to eat lilies, roses, gladiolas, and catnip.
One new thing I experienced today: The smallest hotel room ever! Our hotel for the last two nights is seven minutes from the airport and was only $50 (US) per night. We booked it before we left. What do you get for $50? A very clean but super tiny room that doesn't even provide one towel. (We're using a t-shirt.) We had to get creative with our suitcases. They were in the shower, and lying on the floor in front of the door to the hall.
Most powerful moment of the day: Let's go with painful this time. The castle was built many years ago when people where much shorter than they are today. I'd be a giant to them. The doorways in the castle are all very low and most are made of stone. I was doing really well until I didn't. I walked right into a "door frame". Rock meets head. Not good. No blood. No concussion. But I did wonder if it had some impact as I laid in bed later - not feeling well at all. More on that tomorrow.
One pleasurable experience: We made a pit stop in our travels this morning atone of those pull of the highway type of stops. It was delightful. After finally finding a one franc coin out of my stash of change so I could use the bathroom, I went to two of the shops. I was able to get the last things I was looking for to take home. That may not sound like a big deal but it was. There's a certain level of stress that goes along with making those purchases. I always want everything to go well, and bringing home "good gifts" is included.
Such a different trip I look forward to the pics.
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