Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Bittersweet Boudry!

I have to admit that I have bitter sweet feelings about my last trip. It's great that I've gotten to see so much these past few weeks but it's sad that I'll be leaving it all soon! I took the Route de Colombier and followed it through until it turned into the Route du Vignoble. I then followed it to the left as it turned into Route Cantonale, made a right on Route de Grandson and I was in Boudry! My first stop was at the Restaurant Hotel de Ville to drop all of my stuff off and then off I went! I also decided that since it was my last trip that I was going to eat anything and everything that I craved. Best day ever.

First I craved a big breakfast so I stopped at a cafe and grabbed a cafe au lait with some delicious Burli bread and some scrambled eggs. Burli bread is a sourdough small bread that is usually served at breakfast or BBQ's and I ate about three of them. Don't judge, I do not care today. It was so worth it and probably the two pounds I gained just at breakfast. I wonder how much I'll weigh at the end of the day? And how could you not want to eat this?

After stuffing myself I quickly set out on my journey. Boudry is known for it's prehistoric villages so I thought I'd start there. The first thing I saw were a lot of neolithic stilt houses that were built all around Lake Neuchatel. They were primarily used to prevent against flooding but also it helped to keep little animals from getting in as well. As I was walking around, some lady came up to me and asked me if I was a tourist (come on! I was only taking a few pictures!) and asked if I had been to the Gorges de l'Areuse (Areuse Gorge) yet. I told her I had not so she kindly gave me a few directions and off I went!

It was also one of the most stunning hikes I have ever been on. It's technically a three hour hike but I didn't want to hike all the way to the next town like some of the hikers so I just climbed to the highest point of the gorge called the Champ du Moulin. The path leading up to it is narrow but once you get there it's extremely gorgeous! There are high cliffs on either side of you as you make your way down the path. Look at this view! And with the fall foliage it makes it even more spectacular!

At the end of my hike, I decided to go to the nearby Boudry castle. This and the hike have definitely been one of my favorite parts of the trip. The castle has been converted into a wine museum! I think I'll just live here. It's completely dedicated to Neuchatel wines and is surrounded by vineyards. They had wine tasting in the cellar as well so I got to sample quite a bit (and get a little giggly in the process)

All of this traveling today made me extremely hungry and unfortunately for me I forgot to pack any snacks! Good thing I hiked so much today I probably burned off a gazillion calories so I can pretty much eat what I want the rest of the day. On my way to find a nice restaurant, I stopped at a cute patisserie and ordered a raspberry filled shortbread cookie. With my sugar high rising with every step I took, I finally found a nice restaurant to celebrate the end of my travels. I found Maison du Pervou to be extremely charming and I ordered a dish called Teigwaren, which is a vegetarian pasta dish and a large glass of Cabernet Wine. For dessert I ordered a generous slice of chocolate cake garnished with milano cookies. Heaven! What a perfect way to end the night and my amazing journey. It couldn't have been any sweeter. Thank you all for sticking with me! I hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did!

http://www.isyours.com/e/photo-gallery/swiss-castles/boudry-castle-vineyards.html
http://www.about.ch/culture/food/index.html#CH_Pasta



Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Colombier!

As sad as it was to leave La Chaux de Fonds this morning, I didn't have to travel very far to get to my next destination. Colombier is in the canton of Neuchatel . I found my hotel pretty quickly, and while it certainly wasn't what I was used to in terms of elegance, it's was cute in it's own way. I stayed at Le hotel de la Couronne which is on Rue de Vieux-Moulin. It reminded me of a cottage. What do you think?

Once I was all settled in I set out to go and and explore Colombier! Of course I had to make my daily round of coffee and pastries, so I found a cute little cafe and got my cappuccino and beignets. It makes me feel better to have beignets because they're lighter than traditional donuts so I don't feel as bad when I eat them. I just keep telling myself that. Anyway, my first stop of the day was Colombier Castle. It was so beautiful! It's definitely a little bit more medieval than some of the other castles I've visited. Apparently, one of the largest Roman era villas was excavated in 1840 from underneath the castle which I thought was kind of weird. No wonder it's so dang big! It had to hide a lot of people. It was also built into a peristyle design which means there is a huge garden smack dab in the middle of the castle with water fountains and all sorts of pretty shrubs. It's looked the same way since the sixteenth century! Since 2004 it has been used as an infantry training center

I decided just to grab a nice salad for lunch and take it to the shores of  Baie d'Auvenernier and have a day of fun in the sun. So I lathered on the sunscreen, slipped into my bikini (I told myself it still fit the same since I had last worn it) and bombed into the lake. It's on Switzerlands Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites along with the rest of the town of Colombier. It felt so relaxing  to not have to constantly be on the go, so I just floated and let the sun warm my body. I got cold after awhile, so I headed back to the beach and slathered on some more sunscreen before getting my tan on. I unfortunately fell asleep and woke up around five o'clock with a painful sunburn on my back. So I dragged myself up and threw back on my clothes and caught a taxi back to my hotel to get ready for dinner. I got a good picture though before I fell asleep! Isn't it beautiful?

I then went to dinner at Restaurant l'Aparte which is on the road à Robinson and I ordered a glass of cabernet, fondue au fromage (my favorite) and Rosti Vegetarian, which is basically vegetarian hash browns. Weird, I know! But it was so delicious. I then wandered around the block for a little bit to find some chocolate (I know, but I couldn't help it!) and I found a cute little cafe that sold chocolate and I was in heaven. I bought a Toblerone truffle tarte to take back to my room. I have no regrets.Would you after this picture?

So my day was pretty much awesome. I can't wait to see what my next adventure brings!

 http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/small/58128120.jpg
Colombier in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
http://www.laparte.ch/index.php
http://uploads.notempire.com/images/uploads/Choc_truffle_tart_FG.jpg

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I am so fond of La Chaux-de-Fonds!

I didn't have to go far from Neuchatel to get to my next city-La Chaux-de-Fonds. I just took the road Rue de l'Ecluse/ Route 10. When I arrived, the city was bustling! It's the third largest city after Geneva and Laussane. Both of which I've been to! I had to remember to stop by my hotel, the Grand Hotel Les Endroits because I was just raring to get going! And I hadn't even had my coffee yet! I had to stop and admire how beautiful and green everything looked outside my hotel. I was definitely in mountain territory! I learned that it's Switzerland's highest lying city. No wonder it was hard to catch my breath as I was carrying my luggage in (actually I just had the bell boy do that). I'm staking half the blame on the pastries I've been eating. And then I grabbed a chocolate au pain from inside the cafe in the hotel along with my latte and had no more thoughts about my horrible diet for the rest of the day.

My first stop of the day was at the famous Musee International d'Horlogerie which translates to The International Museum of Watchmaking. La Chaux de Fonds was actually the watch making capital of the world for over one hundred years! And I'll tell you what, I had never seen so many watches in my life! It has over 4500 exhibits with 2700 watches and 700 wall clocks! I ended up taking a gazillion pictures and got a nice one of me next to a nice looking watch to send to my boyfriend. He loves watches and collects them, so I can't wait to tell him where I was! Here is a picture of my favorite one of the bunch. The pendulum!

My next stop was a huge tourist trap, but I didn't care! For one, it had a cafe on top which just fueled my addiction even more, and second it had an amazing view of the city. I'm talking about the Espacite Tower! It's 174ft high, and you can either take the elevator up, or walk up the glass staircase! So I definitely took the staircase and pressed my face up against the windows all the way up just staring at the city. I left my mark. When I got up to the top floor, I had another latte but this time I enjoyed a nice salad for lunch because I was feeling healthy for walking up the stairs and then admired the view from the fourteenth floor. Here is the view!

My last stop of the day was the Bois du Petit-Chateau which was possibly the prettiest park I've ever been to! It is home to over 600 animals! There's also a 30,000 sq meter wooded area, and a vivarium for other species as well. And it was free! What more could I have asked for? Here's a lovely picture! Can you tell I've been picture happy today?

I was so beat when I got back to my hotel! I had room service deliver me a glass of wine and the I went and drew myself a nice bubble bath. This is the life.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Beautiful Neuchâtel


I took the A5 down from Lausanne to Neuchatel around 10:00am this morning for forty five minutes. The scenery was stunning! Of course I couldn't get enough of Lake Neuchatel once I saw it and I was ecstatic to see that my hotel was right on the river too. I'm staying at the gorgeous Hotel Palafitte where I have a room right on the river! This is the view from the road. I just about died!

I quickly threw my bags in my room and off I went! I wanted to try and walk off some of the donuts I have been eating on this trip, so I made my way over to Old Town to see some of the old architecture. It was like I had been transported back in time! I stumbled upon Place des Halles which is a cafe filled district. It was right around this time where my coffee addicted self went searching for a latte. And of course I had to have something to go along with my latte so I splurged on a yummy pumpkin scone. And of course just gained back all of those calories I burned by walking here. So off I went happily munching on my scone and sipping on my latte. Not too long into my walk did I begin to notice that I kept passing fountains. There was one on almost every street corner! I found out later that some were even from the sixteenth century! So did I stop and take touristy pictures? You bet I did! And I regret nothing. My favorite fountain is above. It reminded me of Harry Potter since there's a Griffin at the top. I know-I'm such a nerd.

After, my body didn't like me climbing up the very steep and windy Rue du Chateau to go and see the Collegiale Church. I need to lay off those pastries. But it was definitely worth the bodily pain I went through to get there! This church is beyond gorgeous. It was consecrated in 1276 and is a Gothic style church. There is a rose glass stained window in the entrance and fifteen life size pictures of noble men and ladies throughout the castle.

I definitely wanted lunch after that torturous walk, so I grabbed a quick sandwich au fromage from a cute looking restaurant and then headed to my next adventure-The Garden of Scents! What's so unique about this place is that there are over 2000 aromatic plants ranging from Thyme to Salvia. My nose was working on overtime! My favorite sections were devoted to sweet smelling flowers. There were over 100 different kinds of Geraniums! I was definitely in heaven. Some are available to buy but with my awful green thumb I would likely kill the plant within a few days.

I definitely walked around that garden for more than a few hours and I was definitely ready to relax and have a nice dinner. I was in the mood for Thai, and I heard from a local that on Route de la Gare 36 there was a restaurant called L'auberge du Siam. I ordered a water and the most delicious panang curry in the whole wide world! Who knew you could get amazing Thai food in Neuchatel?

When I got back to my hotel, I ordered a glass of wine from the restaurant and sat on my balcony and just sat and looked at Lake Neuchatel with Les Alps providing a backdrop for it. It was the most peaceful way to end my day.

http://www.aubergedusiam.ch/
http://www.aswitzerlandattraction.com/switzerland-attractions-ip/garden-of-scents.htm
http://www.magicswitzerland.com/neuchatel.htm

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Onto Lausanne! Le 28 Septembre.

I am so excited to head to Lausanne! I traveled along Lake Geneva on Route de Lac which is a more scenic route than the highway. It's on the southern end of the Swiss Alps and has the most amazing view in the world! I am staying at the Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace and this was my view as I had breakfast on the patio. C'est magnifique!

My first stop is the Lausanne Cathedral. It dates back to 1275 and was never fully completed. It's named after the Golden Virgin which is a beautiful statue of Mary the virgin mother. Lausanne is the only city in Europe that continues the tradition of daily night watching to make sure the cathedral doesn't catch on fire. I thought that was a great tradition to still uphold. Here's a gorgeous picture of the inside! I loved how the organ was in the center!

I was feeling a little tired so I stopped at a local bakery in town (I know, I have a sweet tooth but this is vacation!) to see what Lausanne had to offer. I traveled up Rue Central which is a major street in the city and stumbled upon Marie's Chocolaterie and Confiserie. I wanted everything in that bakery. I ended up ordering a small bag of beignets which are powdered sugar fluffy french donuts and a cappuccino. After I trekked a few blocks to find a bench by the Flon river which is the river that runs through the city near Rue Central to relax and enjoy my donuts and coffee.

I had to make sure to wipe off the powdered ring around my mouth and dust some sugar off my fingers before I started for my next destination-Collection de l'Art Brut. This is definitely not a normal art museum. The art displayed here is what the locals refer to as "outsider" art because it's not made by well known artists. Some of the works are by people who live in psychiatric hospitals, assisted living, and some are by children as well. I found some hauntingly beautiful and others were quite abstract but I'm glad I made myself walk in with an open mind.

My last stop for the day was more just for fun. I wanted to do some shopping! So I headed over to Galeries Saint-Francois. It's in between Rue de Bourg and Rue Benjamin Constant so it wasn't too hard to find. There were so many shops! I didn't even visit them all. I purchased a navy and white striped dress, some brown ankle boots and a white beret to complete my look. I must say that I hardly looked like a tourist anymore!

After I was done shopping, I was starving! So I made a beeline for my hotel to freshen up a little bit (And I even put on some red lipstick-(tres chic!) and then I made my way to their restaurant. It was simply beautiful. I even had a tour of their wine cellar! I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. They then led me to my table where I my dinner consisted of sampling wine and cheese. My favorite combination was the Cabernet Franc with Brie cheese. Simply to die for! And for dessert I had coffee with coffee and candied figs .C'est delicieux!

Lake Geneva looks so stunning at night. I left my windows open to feel the breeze carried from the water. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Citations:
http://www.pic-beaurivagepalace.ch/uk/index.php#carte-du-restaurant-et-evenements.php
http://www.lausanne.ch/view.asp?DocId=29565
http://www.roughguides.com/travel/europe/switzerland/lausanne-and-lake-geneva/lausanne/collection-de-lart-brut.aspx
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/switzerland/lausanne-cathedral

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Day One, Geneva Switzerland

Today I begin my journey in the beautiful town of Geneva, Switzerland. I am surrounded by Les Alps and it's hard not to just stop and stare all day long looking at them. But then I wouldn't get anything done now would I? My hotel is right in the center of town and it's called Hotel D'Angleterre on la rue 17 Quai du Montt. Blanc. It's so beautiful! I plan on making my first stop at Jet d'eau, which is a huge spout that releases water up to 450ft in the air! Here's a picture of it! Doesn't that sky look beautiful too by the way? I can't get enough of this scenery.

I then decided to stop for some breakfast at a local bakery called Paganel Geneve, I couldn't stop staring at all of the beautiful pastries in the window so I simply had to go in. I ended up purchasing a cafe au lait and a pain au chocolat. It's a little bit of heaven!

I definitely had a bit of a sugar rush as I headed onto my next stop. I love gardens, so it seemed only natural that I had to stop at Les Conservatoire et le jardin botanique de la Ville de Geneve. It was so gorgeous! It turns out that it has over twelve thousand species of plants spanning across five continents! There are also five hundred species of medicinal plants as well. And of course the arboretum was gorgeous as well and housed over three hundred year old plant species! 
http://www.ville-geneve.ch/plan-ville/parcs-jardins-plages-bains-publics/jardin-botanique/

After, I grabbed a really quick le sandwich au fromage and was off to my next destination-Cathedral Saint Pierre. I definitely got to work off my a pain au chocolat to climb all the way up one hundred and fifty seven steps to reach to the top, but it was so worth it! It was the most breath taking view of Lake Geneva and Les Alps that I had come across yet! It dates back to 1660!  Back when the Reformation came about, all of the interiors were taken out and all of the artwork on the walls were painted over. It is still beautiful to me though. I got a picture!

http://www.geneva-tourism.ch/?rubrique=0000000144


It'd been a long day, so all I wanted to do was have dinner and a glass of wine to celebrate the day!And since Geneva is the culinary capital of Switzerland, I was doubtful I'd be disappointed! I stumbled upon La Broche, which was a beautiful restaurant located on 36 rue du Strand which is located in the L'Arquebuse. The warm goat cheese salad caught my eye which was brick dough stuffed with goat cheese, tomato and basil, olive tapenade, seasonal greens and parmigiana vinaigrette. It was to die for! I also ordered a glass of red wine with it as well named Geneve which I saw fitting. It balanced out the tang of the goat cheese really nicely! For dessert, I ordered a nice blackberry sorbet and it was bliss. After a long day, my hotel was a welcome sight and all I could think about was sleeping. I'm sure I'll be dreaming all about today!
http://www.restaurantlabroche.ch/-set-menus-.html

Today was amazing! I can't wait to see what this next week brings! Au revoir for now!

Meghan

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Hello everyone!

This is my first blog entry in my whole entire life, so let's see if this works! This is where I'll be posting my french webquests for the remainder of the semester, so I hope everyone has access to it and I hope I do it right!

Bon Voyage!