A ride around the lake...

I took the train this morning to Montreux, a small town on the opposite side of Lac Lehman. In a little over an hour, I found myself gazing at a stunning view of the mountains rising out of the lake. The clouds were starting to break as I took a walk along the lakeside promenade. The carefully maintained landscape of the promenade (including the sculptures set out for the annual jazz festival) takes you to the castle on the lake.

Chateau de Chillon was a castle built in the early 13th c. and rebuilt in the 16th c. Most of the present-day castle is how it was 500 years ago. I caught up with a group on a guided tour (in English) and listened to the walls of the castle come to life. I come to find out later that it was some random group on a bus tour through Switzerland and I had come at just the right time. After exploring the castle and the old town of Montreux, I took the train back to Geneva.

I stopped in Lausanne along the way back to Geneva. Lausanne is a comparable city to Geneva in size and number of stores that sell Rolex watches and mink fur coats. I have to say that Lausanne may have the edge on Geneva in terms of architecture and places to go out. But I had to get back to Geneva to get some sleep before I go skiing tomorrow.