Vevey et Lavaux, Switzerland

Vevey Is a picturesque arty little town, known for its chocolate, as it’s home to Nestle. It’s about 20 minutes from Lausanne, on lake Genève direction east. And definitely worth an afternoon visit. Due to a heat wave, I spent more time there than planned, along the lake shores, where hundreds of trees provide cool shade. But not before strolling through its quaint little artisan streets. Vevey is associated with Lavaux: kilometers of vineyards which cascade above and on both sides of Vevey towards lake Geneva. Lavaux is a UNESCO heritage site. More on that later below. 

 ….. Beautifully kept monumental buildings, narrow streets, and colorful decor. 

From the little pretty station, It is an easy walk around the artisan winding shopping streets and back along the lake. The monument below on the souvenirs is a huge empty cobblestone area, with all Swiss provincial flags which is much prettier in real life, plus charming as church bells ring on top. 

Along the beautiful artisan shoppping streets there was a  lovely little place exhibiting copies of Miniature, monumental buildings,  Little sailboats and old vintage cars. 

Charlie Chaplin fell in love with Vevey and there is a museum here which I didn’t visit, but there is also lovely mural artwork of him as you amble through the streets. He apparently spent the latter half of his life here.  

Lake Geneva is really beautiful everywhere, nicer than Lugano, And really I’ve never seen so many flowers in my life, not to mention different trees and huge massive old trees. It really is a sight to behold and, of course all very French.  I must say in all of French Switzerland, people were much Friendlier than in France. They are really good at filling in your missing French words, in French and helping you use the language. Really annoying that in France, I use Spanish words in between and in Spain, French! 

The French part of Switzerland has a lot to do with art, whether that be music, drawing painting or food. Vevey was no exception and along its Shores were these beautiful prints.  The big fork in the ocean in stainless steel is owed to a food festival a few years back. Also, all along the big rocky shoreline are lovely, white swivel chairs, all bolted to the rock and free for anyone to use. Heel apart!!

The art exhibition was about environmental awareness, and I think this one is sheets scattered over rocks

A famous author I know not, however Jaime beaucoup la plume! 

This hotel is on the corner and instead of having a pool they have an open deck next to the car park on a slated patio, where guests tan with their boats parked in front of them to use from the Quai. 

What a pretty train station and some marble columns for upmarket shopping area. It is Switzerland of course. Mid market doesn’t exist, which is why food is so expensive, a glass of wine, 10 Swiss francs (about 12 euro), etc, But a nice iced coffee to go and cola Is the same price. Plus the prices keep the riff raff out. 

From the UNESCO website. 

Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces

The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, stretching for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva from the Chateau de Chillon to the eastern outskirts of Lausanne in the Vaud region, cover the lower slopes of the mountainside between the villages and the lake. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the present vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. It is an outstanding example of a centuries-long interaction between people and their environment, developed to optimize local resources so as to produce a highly valued wine that has always been important to the economy.

My original plan, had it not been 34° was to travel to Rivaz, A little town on top of the mountains and walk down through the Vineyards where they meet the Genève shoreline which is about half an hour, arriving in Vevey on foot. However, due to the heat, I changed my mind and did it from the comfort of an airco train. You can also of course hire a car along the winding roads. 

Trains, just as the Netherlands are not cheap but the Swiss service is spectacular and views amazing! They are always long with many carriages so no overcrowding,  and one can usually board ten minutes before departing time.  European major cities have to reduce train prices for the environment because flying is cheaper and much faster! 

Lavaux! Spectacular! 

Happy travels peeps more later!