Gruyeres

We took a trip to Gruyers Castle in the pre-alpine, Fribourg foothills.  The castle (altitude: 830 meters) is one of the most prestigious in Switzerland and towers majestically above its medieval town.  As always, it was a beautiful day!

  

Gruyeres (yes, famous for the cheese of the same name) is a fortified town and it is a steep hike up to the gates but once you enter, there is a perfectly quaint little town inside.  Here is a photo of Maisie and Michael inside the gates hiking toward the castle (barely seen on the left beyond the chapel in the foreground) and a photo of a house on the main square with some beautiful autumn-red ivy.

      

Here is a photo of the castle gardens and one of Maisie on the rickety courtyard cat walk. Sorry, I didn't take any photos of the interior or a good shot of the exterior but you get the idea.  If you want a better look, come visit!

No trip to a castle is complete without a stop at the gift shop.  Here we bought post cards that are still sitting on the desk and then stopped to pose with a local.  As you can see we're wearing our coats but I think it was an irregularly cold weekend.  It has since warmed up.  Maisie and I went hiking today in t-shirts (and pants).

 

One last shot before we end this post:  Lac Leman at night.  Enjoy!