We left Zermatt and drove west toward Lac Leman, the scenery changing from mountains and meadows to hills and vineyards. We stopped first at Chateau d’Aigle. The chateau was originally built in the 12th century and today houses a wine museum as well as producing wine. The drive up to the castle takes you through the vineyards which are separated from the road by walls on either side of the one lane road. Once inside we saw some old wine presses, wine barrels, rooms and galleries. The weather was sunny and warm with lovely views of the vineyards and mountains. You also get a free (small) glass of wine at the end of your visit.
Our next stop was Chateau de Menthon-Saint-Bernard near Annecy, France. Yes, I know, you’re thinking “another castle”? Yes, we love castles and incorporate some into our trips whenever possible. This chateau tour (self-guided with docents in some of the rooms) included many rooms all of which were well- furnished and contained interesting and beautiful antiques. There were beautifully carved doors, tapestries, even a piece of clothing that was a gift from Marie Antoinette to the lady of the castle. There are great fireplaces, one of which had an elaborately carved wooden covering. In the kitchen, there was a little train track with a pulley and cart that went through a long tunnel in the wall. It was used to get food from the kitchen to the dining room which was thirty feet away ensuring the guests received their food piping hot. Once outside we opted for an ice cream while listening to a chamber music ensemble in the garden. It was a nice way to enjoy the sunny and very warm afternoon.
We tried to stop in Annecy because I’ve seen photos of the beautiful old town and the lake but the place was absolute madness. It was the last warm, sunny day in the forecast for at least a week and it was a Saturday. So many people! People were swimming, boating, crowding the sidewalks. Parking was impossible so we decided to move on and perhaps leave Annecy for another visit. It was really unfortunate because we added about 3 hours to our day to visit that side of the lake but we still thought it was worth doing because we enjoyed the Chateau de Menthon on the way.
Our next stop was Montreux which is a city with a lovely promenade on the shore of Lac Leman. I had booked a hotel on the promenade with a view of the lake, but we soon realized that the type of crazy crowds we saw at Annecy were here as well. Saturday night was loud with a band playing just down the street and the restaurants were very busy too. The view from our room however was beautiful. Lac Leman is quite large and the largest lake in Switzerland, France and the Alps. The next day was a Sunday and it was cloudy so much quieter and parking was easier too.
I honestly think Montreux could have been a day trip to see the Chateau Chillon and the promenade and we could have done it easily from our stay in Brienz. The whole vibe of the town was just not our style. I also booked Montreux because of its proximity to Gruyeres where there is a castle, the famous Gruyeres cheese factory and the Cailler chocolate factory was also nearby. The tiny village of Gruyeres near the castle was charming and we had some nice rosti there but the castle was not really worth the trip. We did do the Cailler chocolate factory tour and it was actually quite interesting.
