Thursday, July 2
On Thursday, we had reservations on the Goldenpass Belle Epoque train. I had originally booked the Chocolate Train tour, which takes you on this train to Montbovon, then you get on a bus to Gruyères, where you first visit a cheese factory and then get a couple hours of free time in the village before heading to a chocolate factory and then back to Montreux. But reviews of the factory tours were mixed, and I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough time in Gruyères to both explore the castle and eat fondue, so a few days before we were set to leave, I had canceled the tour and rebooked only the train reservations.
We grabbed a quick pastry breakfast at the bakery across from the train station, then boarded. The train was due to leave at 9:40 am and as the clock ticked from 9:39 to the next minute, I watched from the window as a woman ran up to our train car and attempted to press the button to open the door. But Swiss trains are nothing if not prompt and, instead of letting her on, pulled away from the station. A man sitting behind us jumped up, and the woman outside the train threw her hands up in surrender, as the man watched the train leave her behind. She waved and the man slowly returned to his seat.
The train journey was pleasant with views of Lake Geneva below as we traveled up the mountain. We exited at the Montbovon station, and, instead of getting on a bus with the Chocolate Train folks, we hopped directly across the track to another train headed to Gruyères. I did, however, see the bus pass us on our way there.
Once we arrived in Gruyères, there was an uphill walk into the village itself. The weather wasn’t too hot, so it wasn’t too bad, and when we arrived, there were not very many people there. We explored around the old city walls, then made our way toward the Chateau de Gruyères.
Our Swiss Travel Pass got us free entry here as well. We stored our backpack and headed in. The castle was fun to explore, with lots of rooms and giant fireplaces and inexplicably, giant blocks that looked like they were from Minecraft to LS’s delight. Hanging plates were decorated with eyeballs including inside a cute anthromorphic-looking clock, which sat in one room, watching us.
It took us about an hour to fully explore the castle and then we were off to find lunch. I had noted to eat fondue at Le Chalet de Gruyères, so that is what we did, the first fondue of the trip!
By the time we were done eating and went back out into the village, there were many, many more people than when we had arrived, including those from the Chocolate Train tour. We contemplated visiting the HR Giger museum, but it was noted that some things may be inappropriate for children, so we opted not to, and instead decided to head back to Montreux.
When we arrived back at the hotel, a box was awaiting us on a table in the room. I opened and found a pair of designer sunglasses. There was no note. Confused, I put them back in the box and left them alone, thinking maybe they had been placed there by mistake.
Mr. Strange had some regrets about some records he had not bought in Lausanne the day before, so he headed back there, while LS and I went to check out the pool. We had just missed the family hours for the indoor pool, so we headed to the outdoor pool. Unfortunately, it was about a 4 foot depth and over LS’s head. She’s not a strong swimmer, so I had to help her along, which frustrated her when she saw kids younger than her being able to swim with no problem. She was too nervous to try to swim on her own though, so after a time, we headed back up to the room. Mr. Strange returned shortly after, and LS asked if we could have McDonald’s for dinner because she had seen a commercial for Squishmallow toys in the happy meals. Mr. Strange agreed, so we headed back down to the lake front for the most expensive McDonald’s meal we’ve ever had.