Colin Churcher 2020

Aigle is a small town on the main railway line along the Rhone valley a little way east of Montreux. The area is heavily into wine production and is dominated by the chateau and surrounded by mountains From the chateau we can admire a stone lizard set out on a hillside Three narrow gauge railways have a terminus in Aigle, in the station forecourt.  The trains run through the streets  which can be interesting.  The trains run here in both directions although this is a one way street. Climbing the hillside out of Aigle the trains use a rack system The hills provide good views of the chateau Many of the trains have cartoon painted on the sides Coming back into town we admire a green wall on the side of an apartment building A couple of heritage railway cars are kept under the road bridge.  With recent changed in voltage and rack systems it is not clear where the can now be used. On the way back we sit on the south side of the train to g

If everything had gone according to plan Mary and I would have been returning to Ottawa today but we have decided to keep our room at Neuchatel and do some more sight seeing with our two cousins. Today we take the train to Fribourg and explore the old part of town. The modern city has grown around the railway station but the more interesting historic part is set in the river valley some way below. It is a long walk down to the river but we can take the funicular down - luckily it is working today The weight of the downward car pulls up the lighter upward car.  The funnel which connects to the water pipe at the top can be clearly seen This funicular is a historic monument in itself.  It is the only one left now which uses waste water to create the weight to take the car down and raise the other car.  The water enters a tank through the cylinder which you can see at the right hand side. The wall decorations are exquisite Plenty of good places to have a meal.

Today is a relaxing trip across Lake Neuchatel, through the canal to Lake Murten and a walk around the historic town. We will return the same way back to Neuchatel. We embark at Neuchatel The journey across Lake Neuchatel provides views of the French Alps from the calm waters. We then enter a canal which takes us into the smaller Lake Murten.  There are lots of water birds to watch as we glide through the fields.  Murten is in a German speaking Canton but the French name is Morat. Lake Murten Murten The first order of business is lunch and we were lucky enough to find Chevaline.  It was very good. Murten There is plenty to see in this town well restored town, including the town walls, but there are a lot of tourists and we are happy to take the boat to return to Neuchatel.

Today we visited the vineyards above Lake Leman near Vevey.  The best place to start is the small village of Chexbres which has a good restaurant and being situated at the top of the hillside the walking is all downhill.  So we take the train to Chexbres. Chexbres station is very attractive being surrounded with flowers The Lion D'Or is well signed in the center of the village There is a large selection of wines available and we specify a good red from the village The meal was excellent as was the wine. This is the time of the vendange  (don't forget this is a virtual tour so we are now in September) and there are several tables of vineyard workers taking a well earned lunch.  The owner approached us and asked us how we liked the wine.  We said it was excellent.  He replied, in French, "That's good because the owner of the vineyard is sitting at the next table." The owner of the vineyard was sitting with his crew. He was very proud of his wine

There are several ways of getting to Montreux but one of the nicest is to take the paddle steamer from Lausanne There are good views of the mountains on the other side of the lake Montreux contains a great deal of interest, not the least of which is the long broad walk by the lake but there are some interesting sights away from the tourist area. Montreux is built on the side of a hill Chateau de Chatelard with its vineyard The Chateau de Chillon is worth a visit, again the best way to get there is by boat The Chateau de Chillon seen from the top of the funicular at Glion   We can continue our trip on Lac Leman by returning to Lausanne via Le Bouveret. On our way we pass this curious small island completely overgrown The last boat of the day makes a magnificent sight as it heads for Lausanne