Gruyeres

I will try and refrain from focusing every entry about our trip on the food but let me be clear this will be difficult since I love cheese and chocolate and Switzerland has no shortage of those thing.  On Sunday we slept in a bit and then decided to take the train to charming city on a hill called Gruyeres.  In the previous entry I discussed the beginning of our love for Gruyere cheese; our visit to this city cemented that love for us.  The cheese is named after the city so we got the chance to see cheese wheels aging in the cheese caves which were more massive than I had imagined.  After we got off the train we began the ascent up the hill to the city.  You may be sensing a trend that Switzerland has a lot of hills.  The town has a city wall surrounding part of the outside of the town so we had to stop for a photo opp.  Once we arrived we began our first order of business which was cheese fondue.  Leading up to this trip I had dreamt about cheese fondue, I realize this may not be normal behavior.  We found a charming little restaurant that was part of a hotel and were seated.  They only spoke French so we left the ordering to Kim.  My French from high school helped me read signs and understand some spoken words but left me hanging when it came to producing speech in French myself. 

The fondue arrived and was served with bread, fingerling potatoes, and pearl onions.  My description cannot do this fondue justice.  It was amazing; I will remember this meal for years to come.  I have plans to try making a version of it at home but I recognize that the Swiss will always do it best.  After gorging on fondue we began exploring the town.  We visited the H.R. Giger museum which was not quite what I expected but still an enjoyable experience.  The way he used human and skeletal elements to create dark and alien images was fascinating.  His style was very distinct and several themes carried throughout the various works of art within the museum. 

Next we explored the Chateau Gruyeres, a renovated castle at the top of the hill.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon and we admired the renovation work which was very well done and meticulously maintained.  We also found a poster of Zermatt and the Matterhorn in the chateau gift shop which we purchased and recently framed for our house.  This further increased our excitement about our upcoming day trip to Zermatt.  We finished the day with coffee from the H.R. Giger café which had incredibly intricate ceilings and chairs all based off his artwork.

Kyle’s Update:
Saw the HR Giger museum today in Gruyeres, which is the last place on the planet you'd imagine for it to be, but it was surreal experience. Seeing the design work for the Alien movies and his various sculptures was intense. Dale , Kim and I also enjoyed some amazing fondue; the likes of which most of the world hasn't seen (or tasted). Good day!