This place is absolutely amazing! Think endless green fields, epic mountains, and air so fresh it’s like hitting the reset button. But it’s not just about the jaw-dropping views—every spot is packed with culture and character. If you love the outdoors, you’re in for a treat with so many adventures waiting for you. 

Paragliders fill the sky at Interlaken

It was sort of sad leaving such a beautiful area of France and it should be on your bucket list of places to see and another day would have been just perefct (Travel Tips). We now have a three-hour drive ahead of us which seems long but the scenery along the way should be breathtaking as we continue to the border.

The road into Switzerland is so bloody winding, narrow, with motorbike riders, and those brainless cyclists you really have no room for error, and the size of this SUV doesn’t help either.

Winding up into the Alps with high rugged peaks and forests full of pine trees is a scenic delight and you can understand why there are so many people up here, even plenty of campervans that take up the width of one lane, hikers with their houses on their back gritting their teeth as they hike through what must be some of the best trails in this area.

We stopped off just before descending into Switzerland for a coffee but of course couldn’t resist a chocolate croissant to go with it. It’s a popular little spot for motorbike and bike riders and I think how wonderful it would be on a Triumph Tiger exploring the French and Italian Alps for weeks at a time.

Breakfast before crossing into Switzerland

We now needed to find a Swiss road pass called a vignette which allows you to use all freeways. It is mandatory to get one if you use any freeway in Switzerland, otherwise it’s a AU$400 fine and you still have to buy one after that. I think it’s a great idea and something Australia should have adopted for AU$70 you pay no tolls for 12 months and use all roads in the country.

As we passed the border checkpoint it was a ghost town, all border offices closed, deserted service station and shops. It seemed very apocalyptic and set back within a very thick pine tree forest, perfect backdrop for making a movie of kidnaped hikers. Even though Switzerland is not part of the EU, the borders were long closed when travel between countries opened.

After picking up a pass in a smaller town at the bottom of the pass and actually refueling with human interaction, we hit the freeway heading towards Vevey where we are going to call into their famous Saturday markets, where you purchase a printed wine glass and get free refills until 12:30pm and this happens every Saturday!

We are now off the mountains and into the Swiss countryside with sunflowers and corn fields each side of us which then turn into dairy-type fields, and the driving has become easier and I’ve stopped complaining.

Vevey Markets, well worth dropping in. Need to check the days

Vevey and Montreux

We arrived in Vevey and try and find a parking spot smack in the middle of Saturday traffic while there is a market on. I duck into a paid parking lot and see a park, a little green light from the roof indicating a park, but I realised I had taken the ramp for “Small Cars” not the one that said “XXL Vehicles”. Stress levels rose again when I swung into this spot with enough room for a Mazda 3 and I was in what felt like a Ford Ranger, but I was going to get in there. After letting Leanne out to guide me in with a lot of gear shifting between forward and reverse and swearing I managed to squeeze the bastard in, and no word of a lie, between the pillar and the door you could not get your little finger between the two. I said “That’s it the car stays and we catch a train to Montreux!”

We head down to the lake to have a wander along the foreshore, again people sunning themselves or just enjoying the weekend. We then head back up to the markets which are packed with people buying fresh produce, eating, drinking and dancing to the big brass band. Crowds of people singing and some sort of chant before they all break away and cheer each other. This just keeps going and I’m thinking this place is packed and everyone is smiling, cheering each other, friends gathering around a table eating and drinking free wine. I know when visiting the markets in Sydney and Melbourne you have glum-faced people shoving each other and walking around zombie-like without a smile or acknowledging each other. Buy food from one of them and you’re greeted with a grunt. 

Shores of Lake Geneva

Speaking of food we were hungry and I saw a small African stall take my fancy which had some indescribable deep fried balls of something. It looked inviting but before that we both ordered a pomegranate and orange juice from the vendor where the young girl cut everything up and was freshly squeezed in front of us. It took her at least five minutes but it was no bother. I ordered what was fish balls with a mix of some other vegetarian balls with a lime sauce. Both our drinks and my meal were delicious. Leanne opted for this huge peach, again the vendors smile and actually talk to you like you’re a human. 

Freddie Mercury                                                                                                                   Charlie Chaplin

We made our way back to get a train into Montreux but ended up standing in a bus line and walking straight onto a beautiful air-conditioned bus and taking a seat for a twenty-minute ride.

Montreux situated on the banks of Lake Geneva or as the locals call it Lac Léman, has a wide walking path along the banks of the lake with potted flowers, trees and other plants lining between the two. There are pop up bars playing music, a Saturday stall market, little eateries all dotted along the walkway with a lovely view of the lake. The lake also has a ship that chugs along between here and Geneva called “La Suisse” which was built the same time as the Titanic. 

Freddie Mercury spent a lot of time here writing songs along with Charlie Chaplin who lived in self-imposed exile here for 25 years. There is so much to see with museums dedicated to both but we have limited time and just enjoyed walking the foreshore.

Nymph and Seahorse                                                                                               Restaurants line the walking paths

Orbe

Back in the car and we head to “Orbe” a very local little village where we call home for the next two nights, where we messaged our host on arrival because I had no idea where I was supposed to go. Last year in Italy I always thought my worse fear would be driving down these small tiny roads with shops on each side only feet from the road. Well it happened, this was Orbe and this is the only way in and out of town. Leanne went for a wander and found them and parked the car in a small narrow road to unload.

Once unpacked and with the delightful hosts who thought we must have been staying for a month, described and went through every detail of the apartment they were so proud of. He even took me on a walking tour of the small town and told me virtually every detail of the shops, where to eat not to worry about. Mind you, this host has minimal English but spoke fluent French and German. When he pointed and spoke you just need to nod, smile and say “Oui”.

The only bar in town                                                                                                    So quiet for 5pm Saturday afternoon

We settled on a recommended restaurant right opposite our accommodation for dinner, where Google Translate again becomes your travel companion in French to English to read menus. Not overly hungry we both settled on a lovely chicken Caesar Salad each. The day had been hot and another belly full of food it was time to call it a day. I crashed about 8pm while the sun was still up, such a party boy.

Why did we pick Orbe? other places along the lake were nearly booked out, even 7 months in advance. So why not stay somewhere a little bit of the track. So glad we did, the streets are just about deserted at 5pm and locals very friendly. If you're looking for somewhere quiet, then this would be the place.

Day 7 - 17th August Gruyère and Lavaux area

Today we’re heading off to Gruyère (pronounced Gree-Yair), the famous hard cheese capital of Switzerland with an old 12th-century castle located within the old town centre. We’re taking back roads and we’ll check out some of the Swiss villages along the way.

The back country roads here are so smooth, winding yet narrow and barely made for two-way traffic in some areas, but hey it works. As we rounded a corner in this small village called “Jorah-Meziere” we both spotted a nice little tea room that seemed to be open called “Boulangerie Patisserie Ronny”. We couldn’t resist having another one of those chocolate croissants followed by a couple of coffees, and for a Sunday morning it was a popular place for the locals, with some families having breakfast in the lower tea room and others buying freshly baked breads and pastries to take home. This place in definitely worth the stop

Boulangerie Patisserie Ronny

We hit the road again after a magnificent breakfast  admiring the green undulating farm hills and the villages scattered throughout on our drive. A few things I’ve noticed along the way is that the paddocks/fields don’t have any fences, from one side of the road to the other and beyond there is nothing to keep the cows in. The grass in this area is always kept short like it’s been mowed and not devoured by a cow.

As we approached the town of Gruyères, I forgot to mention to Leanne that you can’t actually drive to the old town, you have to park and walk uphill. As we were ushered into a car space I made sure there was plenty of room on the right hand side so I could reverse out easily this time around.

Entrance to Gruyère                                                                                                                   The 12th Century village of Gruyère

The walk from the bottom car park to the old town takes about ten minutes up a small gravel path before you enter through what were once the old gates of the medieval castle fortress which was built around 1270. A medieval town it once was, standing there below the stone walls on the wall walk, you can imagine how it looked over 800 years ago, not much different to what it is now except for the updated shop fronts. We spent more time here than what we thought as we took a tour through the castle and its amazing flowered courtyard which was very impressive as well. 

Museum art work                                                                                                       Old canon

One thing I didn’t know until I used Google Translate on the French wording describing the armour, is that when the guards dressed in their armour for battles, the armour was not made to suit each guard as all armour chest and back plates were made in a few different sizes. The front and back armour plates were then joined together along with the leg and arm plates. It was a very impressive small medieval village and was certainly a good way to spend a few hours and worth the visit.

Views from the Gruyère castle

Lavaux

Next stop was the “Lavaux” (Pronounced La-voo) Vineyards which are terraced along lake Geneva. It was a sunny Sunday and somehow if you didn’t book a restaurant you wouldn’t have a chance in hell to get a seat anywhere with a view. We picked a winery for lunch and found a park in a parking station located on the fourth floor. Every corner I took I missed scraping the walls, but with enough swearing and stress levels on the rise I managed not to put any further marks on this car.

Off subject, but when we pick up the next hire car in Germany, if he gives me another large vehicle or an upgrade it will be a definite NO!

Back to “Lavaux”, we were correct in our assumption. We had arrived just after the morning session and the next wasn’t due until three-thirty, that was an hour and a half away, and there was still no way you were guaranteed a view while swilling wine. We walked back up the hill and ended up in this Italian cafe called “Cafe de la Place” which I believe had better views than what the winery could have offered. We found a table nestled under some plain trees for shade and a great view of Lake Geneva. I settled in with a glass of red and Leanne swilled on a white while enjoying a salmon, prawn and Italian cheese pizza and I had a delicious Spaghetti Carbonara with speck and a lovely creamy sauce.

Lavaux

Another perfect day for a Sunday drive through this lovely countryside with temperatures again in the low thirties. On the way back we also made some scenic detours through more little villages. There is so much to see when driving but not enough time in the day.

The only hiccup was on the way back and about 3 km from home. Google sent me up a one-way street that was only wide enough for one vehicle. After about 100 meters Leanne asked this guy who was walking along if it was two-way. Somehow I don’t think he understood what we said, but he did seem to think so, so I kept going. Only after another 100 meters we were told it was one-way…I had to reverse all the way back down, over the narrow  bridge made for horse and cart while I had a car coming down in front of me. Once at the bottom I could then let him pass. A few more choice words were said and we rolled home five minutes later.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to this lovely local hamlet "Orbe" and head to Lucerne via the lakes.