Note: I still don´t have free internet access or any way to connect my own laptop, so I still cannot upload pictures.  We’re getting quite a backlog to upload… about 600 pictures so far.  As soon as I get access I’ll link to the best ones here, I promise.

Since we were too wiped out to visit Chateux de Chillon on our first day, we saved it and went Friday morning.  I have been before but Kevin has not, so it was a nice experience for him.  It was a sunny day outside, and I assume that many Europeans had taken off work on Friday after the May Day holiday because the castle was packed. 

We worked up an appetite walking all over the castle, including up to the top of the keep (pictures coming soon!), and walked accross the street to have lunch. It was surprisingly good for a place next to a tourist destination.  As has become standard, lunch took about two hours, no one ever seems in a hurry.  It was about 2:00 when we finally left Montreux.

Next, we hit the road to drive on Rt 11 through Switzerland to Lauterbrunnen. We passed through Chateau d’eax, Gstaad, Zweissman, Spiez, and Interlaken on our way.  Rt 11 is a spectacular, two-lane road with plenty of switchbacks and altitude changes.  We stopped a LOT to take pictures — there are lots of turnouts on the road, many close to the prime overlooks.

We got to Lauterbrunnen about 7:30p, just in time since the front desk at our hotel, Hotel Staubbach, closes at 8:00p.  It is a wonderful place. Only two stars, but definitely our kind of laid-back place.  Our room has french doors and a balcony overlooking the mountains, waterfalls, and valley. It is amazing,  we just love it here.  We walked down to Hotel Silberhorn for dinner, where I enjoyed the local classic dish of cheese fondue (heavy with wine), and Kevin had a pork steak with several sauces, fruit, and boiled potatoes.  I had a local red wine from Aigle and it was very good. 

Tomorrow we are hiking, so we’re going to bed early.

We arrived in Geneva at 8:11am, just a tad bit later than expected because of delays departing the Newark airport.  No big deal, just extra time spent on the plane.  The flight was good, and again, first class rulz. 

We did have a problem picking up our rental car, supposed to be a Peugot 307cc convertible — they did not have it. “It’s too early,” the agent at Hertz told us, meaning the cars are brand new and not even availble in the fleet yet for rentals.  Mind you, I paid extra to rent this specific car and had a confirmed reservation.  Anyway, we ended up getting a Mercedes 170 automatic for the same price, and the agent tried hard to make us believe we were getting a good deal. 

From the airport, we took a short trip into Geneva. As it is May Day, an official holiday, many people were out and about.  Add to it the beautiful sunny weather, the first sun seen here in days, and the lakeside promenades were busy.  We visited some historic gardens and strolled the promenade along with the locals walking their dogs.  Can’t believe how many dogs we’ve seen.

We were starving, so we headed out of Geneva to Lausanne, where I had planned lunch at a local hotspot.  After much ado finding it downtown, it was closed.  Bummer.  We ended up having a good lunch near Vevey.

Getting to Montreux was easy, but again because of the holiday traffic was horrible, at a total stop. Police had blocked off streets for a holiday festival. We were further troubled because I missed the hotel and we had to sit thru traffic again going the opposite direction to get back to it.  But it was worth it, Montreux is stunningly beautiful.  The snow-capped mountains ring the blue lake, and the old-money hotels and buildings add a boat load of charm.  I kind of expect Bellagio, on Lake Como in Italy, will be similar later in our trip.

I am using the hotel computer to write this, as it is the only way to get free internet access.  The Royal Plaza hotel charges an exhorbitant amount to supply internet service to my own computer.  Therefore, I do not have pictures available yet.  I’ll upload them when I get a chance…