Today's journey brought many new challenges. The next stop on our trip is Montreux, home of the Chateau du Chillon. In order to get from Interlaken to Montreux, we had to make several train connections. The first train ride was short... about 20 minutes from Interlaken to Spietz. From Spietz, we boarded a train to Zwimmersman where we made our final connection to Montreux on the scenic Golden Pass line (which we found out later was highly recommended by Rick Steves). The views from the rail were less than stellar because it was raining for most of the trip, but we did manage to get some footage.
When we arrived in Montreux, we were surprised to discover that there was no information booth... This meant no maps. We were able to find a large poster map of the city and located the general area where we believed our hostel was. We set off in that direction with high hopes. We navigated down along the railroad tracks with no sign of our hostel. At this point, we started to get a little worried, but we kept pushing forward. And it's a good thing we did because shortly later we found our hostel. There were a few zig-zags here and there (but no circles) before we made it to our hostel. I was surprised at how close to the water the hostel was... about 30 meters. And it's only about a 15 minute walk to the Chateau.
After we set down our bags we started walking along a lakeside path that leds to Chateau du Chillion. Soon, the Chateau was in sight and we were able to get some amazing pictures from across the water.
We continued our approach and before long we were at the gate. The Chateau looks small and compact, but you don't realize just how large it is until you go inside. Room after room was filled with interesting stories and facts. The Chateau has existed for a long, long time and has undergone a series of expansions and renevations to get it to its modern day state.
Prison
Lord Byron went here to do some research for his book "The Prisoner of Chillon." On the way out,, he did a little graffiti.
Dining Hall
We also found Charlie the Unicorn!
They even had toilets back then.
Fortifications
Armory
We set off an alarm trying to get this photo
The keep at the top of the central tower gave great views of the area
And what kind of castle would be complete without a secret passage way?
Afterwards, we continued walking to get some pictures of the other side of the castle.
