Erlach

From first light this morning you could feel that it was going to be a hot day - an early morning walk just confirmed this observation. Carried out our normal domestic chores before packing up the van and heading off to Erlach, a village - oops, city - on the shore of  Bielersee (Lake Biel). And, now in the German speaking part of Switzerland.  

It was only a short drive to Erlach and the home of Sigi and Bettina. A lovely welcome was waiting for us in the form of a special sign in a reserve parking area near their home.

Bettina and Sigi made us most welcome, spending the morning, and much of the afternoon, catching up with all the happenings in our lives over the past few years. Later in the afternoon- the temperature had risen to well over 30 degrees - we took a walk along the shores of Bielersee where many Swiss families we also trying to get some relief from the heat. We found ours at the lakeside bar where we enjoyed a few drinks while watching the knockout game between France and Argentina. 

The Swiss inspired pulley system to transfer all the barbecue items down to the ground level. 

Bettina and Helene. 

Later we returned to Bettina  and Sigi’s for a barbecue dinner including pork steaks, chicken and delicious German potato salad, etc. A lovely evening, great companions and much to discuss well into the late hours.  

Photo Free Day!

Yes, a photo free day, so you can all have a rest!

But, just in case you can’t go cold turkey, I’ll share some snaps that missed the cut (and for good reasons!) on previous postings!  

Here the beautiful cows of Gruyères are assemding to heaven. 

I thought outback Oz was the place for flies! Switzerland has their own swarms. 

Language can sometimes get you into trouble! This cheese shredder has an unfortunate title. 

Beautiful tiling patterns on many old rooves. 


Some beautiful deep purple lavender. 


... and a succulent frog!

Bulle to Échallens

Very beautiful beside the lake this morning. So quiet, and the wind had dropped, making the walk along the lake so peaceful.  

After breakfast we had a short drive into Bulle, where they were getting ready for a theee day festival of Scottish bands - a local Scottish Tattoo. Bagpipes, kilts and Switzerland, I hadn’t connected before!

When we arrived in Bulle we were very surprised to see the remains of a massive timber outlet after a devastating fire over night. We were only commenting yesterday how big the timber plant was and how important it is to the community. Now, all gone! With the wind that was blowing last evening we could see how the heat damaged the high rise units opposite. When we arrived the snorkel elevator was removing cladding from the apartment complex. 

We took some time to look around Bulle; explored the market that was taking place today, tasted some of the local cheeses (very expensive, about $40/kilo), and explored the castle and its donjon. 

The castle and donjon (the tower). 

Views from the top of the donjon. 

Around midday, we drove further south towards Lausanne, calling in to Châtel-St-Denis for a short time. After this we continuled down to Boug-en-Lavaux, overlooking Lake Geneva and Lausanne, where we stopped, admired the view and had lunch. 

The 4km decent down to Lake Geneva. 

Vineyards in the northern slopes of Lake Geneva. 

Later in the afternoon we drove on to Echallens for the rest of the afternoon and the evening. 

Fribourg to Gruyères

... starting with last night’s excursion around Fribourg; the city that appears to have been built across the gorge of the Sarine River. In fact, Fribourg was settled on the river bend which made construction of several bridges essential especially after the extension of the town to the right side of the river. In the Middle Ages this was an unusual achievement, bridges were technically difficult, costly and thus few. Today the bridges are an essential characteristic of the town.  

For the leg weary travellers, to traverse the various layers of the city meant we needed to revert back to our mountain goat ancestry (not sure if that’s possible!), but some how were found the reserves to tackle the steps and the hills. An interesting old city, but seemed a little tired, but busy,  compared to many other Swiss cities. After a couple of hours of sightseeing we returned to the riverside where the van had settled for the night. 

The Funicular Cable Car - 1899 - connects the lower part of the city to the upper part - and, running on waste water!

TODAY:

Away relatively early this morning, with a few unnecessary detours because of road closures and GPS fun-and-games! We eventually found our way out of Fribourg and heading in the right direction towards Bulle. A few supplies purchased at Bulle before heading to Gruyères, a hilltop town surrounded by alpine foothills. Fantastic scenery wherever you looked. 

The town is dominated by the 12th century castle, but the most interesting feature was the working Gutenberg Printing press. The original was developed during the 15th century which has gone done in history as one of the worlds great inventions - the first printing press. The Gutenberg Bibles are rare and famous items - only  about 49 still in existence. 

Many of the visitors we milling around the HR Giger Museum. The Swiss-born graphic artist H. R. Giger won an Oscar for the special effects he created for the film Alien. He brought his obsessions of sexualized surrealist visions to the quaint town of Gruyères, where he opened this museum. Many of his key works are on display here, including grotesque paintings and sculpture, bizarre furniture, and film designs, many from the early 1960s. 

The scenery from the village is quite stunning. 

Later in the day we drove down to Lac de la Gruyères where we spent the rest of the day and the evening. A very popular lake with kitesurfers and windsurfers. 

Murten

The view across the Murtensee to the alps greeted us this morning. Such a lovely morning with a little  easterly breeze keeping things on the cooler side. An early morning walk through the vineyard area of Mt Vully was quite a treat - the cooler climate grapes were of the varieties we have in Tassie - Pinot Grig, Pinot Noir, Cabinets and some other German grapes. 

We drove down of the mountain to the village of Murten, at the crossroads of the cultural and linguistic nature of Switzerland. The farmers in the hill are French speaking,  just across the water in Murten 83 percent are German speaking. 

Murten is a medieval town in the heart of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Murtensee. The surrounding district is the largest vegetable growing district in Switzerland. 

On our arrival today it was explained to us that the flowers and flags around the town were left over from the celebrations last Friday commemorating the Battle of Murton - 1476. The battle saw the second defeat of the Burgundian Duke, Charles the Bold, in a matter of months. The locals dressed up and held a big parade through the town. 

Like many of these medieval towns a devastating fire has been part of  its history. Murten is no exception, being rebuilt in stone over the following centuries. Murten has a complete town wall/fortifications surround it today. The views from this, over the village and beyond, is quite spectacular. 

The main street, Hauptgasse, gives you a great view of the baroque style of the town. The 18th century arcades have become an icon, and there are very strict rules around the advertising that is and isn’t allowed - no neon signs to be seen! 

Later in the afternoon we drove on to Fribourg, we were quite surprised just how big it is - and parking was very difficult to find for a change. We settled on an area on the banks of the Sarine River near the covered Pont de Berne, one of the most ancient bridges of Switzerland. 

This evening we took a walk around the hilly Fribourg- but that story can wait for now. 

Grandson & Avenches

On the move again today. We started with views across Lake Neuchâtel and ended the day over looking another beautiful lake, Murtensee. In between we have visited two interesting villages, Grandson and Avenches - as well as doing some shopping!

Our first visit this morning was to Grandson, a village south of Neuchâtel and over looking the Lake Neuchâtel. The dominant feature of the town is the 11th century castle which over saw the famous battle of Grandson which ultimately led to the demise of the Burgundian power in Europe. We took a walk about the town before heading off to do our Monday shopping.  

Grandson Castle 

Views around Grandson. 

Our drive to Avenches took us north on the right side of Lake Neuchâtel through the area referred to as the Swiss Plateau. This plateau grows an incredible variety of crops and vegetables. 

Avenches is a town with two important aspects; the medieval and the Roman. Two thousand years ago this was Aventicun, the Roman capital for this Helvetii territory. In Roman times the city had about 20,000 people, an important crossroads on this Swiss plateau. The site today is one of the most important Roman sites in Switzerland. The Romans found Aventicum in around 15 BC, but there is little visible remains today. 

The 16,000 seat amphitheater, the remains of the temple and the Roman Theatre. 

The Roman museum houses many of the major archeological finds from the excavations. Top, 30AD statue of Salenus; the very important gold bust of the Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, was found in 1939 in a sewer; bronze  foot from a bronze statue of a horseman and small figures of gladiators who would have fought in the amphitheater. 

Other statues, the goddess Minerva and A Portrait of a Princess, and mosaics of two fighting gladiators - all from the museum. 

The other part of Avenches is its medieval story. Avenches has well preserved buldings from the medieval times. It was interesting to see that some of the 13th century castle was being used as the local school. 

It was getting late in the day so we drove on a few kilometres to Vully-les-Lacs for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. And what a very pleasant place to spend the rest of the day, with great views across Murtensee and with alps in the background.