Gruyeres

Sundays in Switzerland are always a little boring. Everything is closed, even the grocery stores. The movies are open, but I've seen all the English language films currently showing. Mom and I decided to drive to Gruyeres today. We went to the factory where they make Gruyere cheese. There is a tour of the factory and you can watch them making cheese. Of course, today is Sunday, so it was all empty except one cheese maker working on one big vat. At least we saw a little bit of the process, and we saw the aging room where they store and age the cheese. Our entry also came with free cheese samples so you can compare Gruyeres that have been aged different lengths of time. Like I need to taste more Gruyere. (Although it really is the best Swiss cheese in my opinion). We had fondue for lunch of course.

After the cheese factory we walked up the hill into the actual town of Gruyeres. Cars cannot drive in the city itself, so you park at the bottom and walk up a hill. Basically the entire town is within the walls. There is one main road, with a few hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and the Chateau de Gruyeres. (And of course, a big clock. If every self-respecting Irish town has a castle, every self-respecting Swiss town has a big clock. More than a few have castles too, though). They speak French but the town has more of a German feel to it. There was still some snow on the ground but it was sunny and clear today and not too cold at all. We then toured the castle, or Chateau as they are referred to here. The Swiss preserve their castles better than the Irish, most of which are little more than ruins. I suppose they are a bit older in Ireland though. We had a nice tour and many of the rooms are furnished, unlike the Chateau de Chillon in Montreaux. I have added a link for Gruyeres photos on the right. Some time in the next week we want to go to Bern, which is supposed to be a really cool city. Probably next weekend, but we'll see.