On April 14, we had our second to last program-sponsored excursion. The Places: Montreux and Chateau de Chillon. The time: now, because this trip was postponed in February due to extreme cold. Too bad it was still kind of rainy anyway.
We got to Montreux earlier with time to spare. That basically means time enough to eat and roam around the gardens until it was trekking time to Chillon. Lunch consisted of a delectable panini with dried beef, raclette cheese and potato. Yum. Seriously delicious. After lunch, we found this silly little garden filled with flowers and these weird depictions of a much beloved European children's television show characters. The one of the leopard inside the octopus legs was probably my favorite.
Anyway, before I start rambling about the weird characters, it was time to walk to Chillon, where the chateau is located. On the way there, we managed to find a bunch more of these funny things, as well as massive assortments of almost every flower imaginable. Seriously, if I were to have taken a picture of every flower, my camera would have exploded. But it made the walk to Chillon that much more enjoyable.
After the walk, we finally made our way to the chateau. I know what you must be thinking: "Katie, you saw eight castles in two days during your spring break. Seeing another castle can't be that exciting to you, can it?" To that I say: "There are not enough castles in the universe to make be get over the awesomeness that are castles."
This chateau is probably the most well known in all of Switzerland. I mean, it is the one featured on my copy of Rick Steves' Guide to Switzerland. And for good reason. Different parts of this castle made me feel as if I were a character in Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings simultaneously. Which is coincidentally what I imagine to be every nerd's fantasy (I am including myself in that category).
While at the chateau, our tour guide brought us to the prisons, the kitchens, the dining halls, the bed chambers, and the keep, as well as random rooms in between. Fun fact: did you know that the owner of the chateau had people perform for him while he was on the toilet? And that he would have people watch him bathe (sometimes serving them food and drinks) so that he can show off his wealth? Well now you do. And don't you feel better to be living in the modern times where you don't have to be forced to watch these things.
This trip was all it was cracked up to be. Castles, flowers, nerd happiness, and weird plant depictions of children's characters. What more can you ask for?
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