Château de Chillon and Montreux

Last Wednesday we had no classes in the afternoon for some reason related to the TM / MA, the big project that all non-exchange-student third-years have to do. Being an exchange student, I have always been able to enjoy the time that everyone else spent working on this project in the form of free time. So this Wednesday afternoon I met Katie at Montreux and we headed over to the Château de Chillon. I'll spare you the suspense and show you the photo. It was pretty cool because I remembered that this was one of the sites on the list of world sites from my 9th-grade geography class. And here I am, just a few hours away on the train. We decided not to go inside because it cost money. Also the weather was cooperating for the first time in a couple of weeks and had decided not to rain, so we had to enjoy the sun while it lasted.

See those two ducks in the water to the right of the castle? They decided to come join us on the beach (from which the photo was taken). Also, there was a little boy that came with his mother and his beach toys to play there too. Granted, it was a very small beach with very little sand and very many little rocks that were painful to walk on with bare feet, but imagine living near this castle as a kid and then just coming to play with your bucket and shovel next to this view!

The ducks. I was surprised that they came so close but Katie pointed out that people probably fed them, which is probably true because this is a tourist site. I'd like to take this opportunity to discourage you readers from ever feeding wildlife wherever you go, whether it's a tourist site or in the woods or wherever you might encounter them. It's a terrible idea, and far from being good for the animals, it builds up their dependence on humans and can be very unhealthy for them.

So we spent a couple of hours on this little beach enjoying the lovely weather and then Katie had to leave because she needed to get back in time to take the last bus home at 7-something. I, however, still had a couple of hours before I needed to leave, so I went back to Montreux and walked around there for a while. It's a beautiful city. I got the impression that it was very aesthetically conscious. There are flowers everywhere, and I ran into all kinds of aesthetically pleasing objects, some of which I photographed. I have developed an appreciation for murals / graffiti this year. There have been some really cool ones I've run into in different cities. Here's one that appears to bill Montreux as more than just a Swiss city: "Montreux, Europe." At least that's my interpretation. And Montreux totally deserves this distinction, as far as I'm concerned. Not that I have seen any non-Swiss European cities, except for the ones in Liechtenstein, which weren't terribly interesting and not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as Montreux.

A couple of green things I found while walking around : a beautiful garden and a surprise waterfall! There's a sidewalk that goes just over this waterfall, so I heard running water and then all of a sudden, this was underneath where I was standing. Pretty cool. 

Des choux: I wonder if they can fly? With a special shout-out to Xuan.

And the waterfall. Too bad I don't have one of those fancy cameras where you can lengthen the exposure to give the water that effect.

Things like this are why I have the city-exploring philosophy that I have come up with this year:

1. Wait for awesome weather.

2. Using your general subscription train ticket paid for by Rotary, hop on a train to go to a city you've never been to before.

3. Upon arrival, look for the sign in the train stations that points you toward the "city."

4. Take a totally random walking path, directed towards whatever catches your attention.

5. If you feel like you're getting into a boring residential area, turn around, or...

6. If you are tired, find a bus / tram stop and get on the next bus / tram. Get off if you feel yourself getting more lost or if you see something cool out of the window that you want to go check out.

7. If you can't find anything interesting, make it a point to find the city's H&M and go try on clothes until you have to catch the train back. Note: This also works if the weather turns nasty. Another great alternative to H&M is a bookstore like Payot or Stauffacher.

7. Always, always, always, remember how to find your way back to the train station.

8. Don't forget your camera.

9. This can also be fun with a friend or two. Or you can go ahead and bring all the Rotary exchange students along. Also a valid way to spend time alone.

Now you guys can see what I'm going to miss when I have to come home at the end of the year. Not to mention all of these awesome Swiss people I've met...

And as a parting image, this is why I love Montreux in the spring: