Switzerland

23rd December

On Wednesday Roland, Wayne and I headed for Switzerland.  We took the road along the Swiss side of Lake Léman where the countryside was again covered with vineyards.  Roland showed us the mechanism they use (which looked a bit like a mini rollercoaster track) to transport the grapes from the vineyards to the winery.  The workers who tend these fields must be part mountain goat because they are incredibly steep with very little room between rows of vines.

We stopped at a little winery for a “degustation.”  We enjoyed a couple of lovely wines and the lady hosting us was really not stingy at all with the portions.  Roland said it is almost impossible to buy Swiss wine in France and the lady at the winery explained to us that almost 100% of Swiss wine is consumed in Switzerland with almost zero exportation. Wayne and I really enjoyed the wines we tried, so bought a couple of bottles to enjoy later in our trip since we won’t be able to get it elsewhere.

We then went and had a quick snack in Laussane before heading for Geneva.  Geneva is a brand lover’s heaven:  Hermès, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Tag Heuer, Tiffany.  You name it, it’s all there if you’ve got the money to splash about.  What amused me was the McDonald’s nestled between all these designer brands.

In the evening, Wayne and I took Roland and Christine out to a restaurant in the old part of Annecy to try a raclette.  This is a dish which comprises cold meats, salad, boiled potatoes and a contraption which melts the special raclette cheese.  Once you have a good portion of melted cheese on the plate under the apparatus, you spread it over the top of your boiled potatoes.  Yummy.

Strolling around the town at night was magical with the Christmas lights twinkling.