After the conference, I spent two sunny days (1st and 2nd June) touring Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and the surrounding mountains.
會議開完後，在陽光充沛的兩天中（6月1日至2日）蹓躂日內瓦湖和附近的高山。
I stayed at a bed & breakfast in Montreux for those two days. The road to the house was not the most easy one especially when dragging luggage, as it took me about 10 minutes to walk halfway uphill to the entrance of the residence then climb a rather steep path through the garden before reaching the house. But all the hardship was forgotten when I turned around and saw the view of the colourful garden, tranquil waters of Lake Geneva and the French Alps across the lake. I even asked the host if there was wi-fi available so that I could upload a photo of the view for my friends!
那兩天我住在蒙特勒（Montreux）的一家民宅，在火車站下車後走了十來分鐘上半山，到了民宅的入口，再翻過其斜斜的花園，才到達房子，但當我回頭望到花園的景緻、恬靜的日內瓦湖和對岸法國的山脈時，剛才一切的辛苦就忘記得一乾二淨，我還問房東有沒有無線上網，好讓我馬上把眼前美景載上網跟大家分享呢！
I was anxious to start my visits as soon as I have put my luggage away. My first stop was Château de Chillon (Chillon Castle) which has been standing by the lake for almost 900 years. The castle used to an important fortress for the different ruling dynasties of the time. Apart from the majesty, one could also feel the tranquillity of the lake especially in the cellar. The sound of water gently hitting the wall and the sight of calm waters outside the windows were very relaxing and therapeutic; after all a main purpose of holiday is to take a respite from the daily grind and a slower pace from the normal daily life. The castle was generally quite well restored and had kept quite a collection of furniture and murals from the past (up to 800 years old!) which gave a glimpse into the history and prevailing artistic style during the Savoy era (12th centuty to 1536).
安頓好後便急不及待開展行程，先到臨湖而建的石庸城堡（Château de Chillon）參觀。城堡已建成差不多900年，在歷史上不同時期都是當時執政皇朝的重要據點，現在留給後人的，仍有當年的氣派和湖畔的靜謐，尤其是走到寂靜無人的地窖時，靜聽湖水輕輕拍打外牆，透過窗戶眺望波平如鏡的湖，但覺與世無爭，心靈受到洗滌；放假的目的，不外是想鬆弛身心，放慢腳步吧。城堡其他部份修復得不錯，保留了不少當時的家具（有的差不多有800年歷史！）和壁畫，展示城堡第一代主人薩瓦家族（The House of Savoy，12世紀至1536年）的歷史和當時的藝術。
Château de Chillon 石庸城堡
Camera Nova
It’s actually not too difficult to spend a whole day in the castle to explore and experience every bit of it, but I was in a hurry to catch the ferry back to Montreux and had to rush through the last bits of the visit. As I looked back to Chillon from the ferry, the castle merged perfectly with the mountains behind it and formed an integral part of the picturesque scenery there. The short ferry trip kept me very busy as I switched between taking many panorama shots and just sitting back and taking it all in!
其實如果要細意發掘和感受城堡的每個角落的話，要花上一整天也不足為奇，不過我趕搭船回蒙特勒，所以參觀到尾聲時有點倉促。上到船，但見石庸城堡已與背後的高山融為一體，構成一幅迷人景緻。短短船程，沿湖的景色令我應接不暇，既要顧著拍合成照留念，又不想錯過欣賞風景的時刻，可有點忙呢！
After disembarking I took it easy along the lakefront of Montreux, grabbed a quick meal, bought a few things and stored them back in the B&B before heading out again. Meandering through the many little streets up the hill and the small Old Town, I ended up in the adjacent district called Territet. There I took a funicular uphill after hearing about it from the ferry staff when I saw a building like a castle somewhere high up in the mountains and asked the staff how it could be reached. In just 5 minutes the funicular whisked me up from Territet to Glion, where I changed for a train to Caux. The ‘castle’ was in full sight from the station at Caux, and I finally realised that it was the Swiss Hotel Management School! The mountain views surrounding Caux were rather beautiful and I spent a leisurely hour sauntering in the town.
上岸後，在蒙特勒市湖濱閒逛一會，隨便吃點東西，買點糧水，走回民宿卸貨後，便再度出發，沿著山上的內街穿過小小的舊城區，不經不覺來到與蒙特勒相連的Territet區。坐船時我問船員山上一家像城堡的建築是啥，他們便告訴我可以從Territet坐登山電車上山，我於是言聽計從了。登山電車祇消五分鐘便把我從山腳的Territet帶到Glion，然後在那裡轉乘火車到Caux，一下車便看到那座「城堡」，走過門口，才知道那是瑞士酒店管理學院（Swiss Hotel Management School）！Caux這個小鎮四周山色不錯，在那裡閒逛一小時挺舒服。
Montreux and Lake Geneva between the mountains
Natural beauty by the lake
Typical buildings along Avenue des Alpes 沿著Avenue des Alpes的古典建築
The view from Glion station
From Caux I took the train straight to Montreux, and since there was still light I went for a quick visit to the nearby city of Vevey. I was totally captivated when the view of the old town opened up to the lake and mountains, which was continually changing as I strolled along the promenade by the lake. The lakefront clearly belonged to people enjoying the best of an early summer sunset in all possible ways, from barbecues to ball games. The art work installed along the lakefront was also a joy to appreciate and I could only marvel at how well it blended with the surroundings.
從Caux坐火車，直達蒙特勒車站，趁天色仍亮，便趕快坐車到鄰近的城市沃韋（Vevey），穿過舊城區，來到湖畔，便給湖光山色迷住了！舉目環顧，四周盡是日內瓦湖對岸連綿的高山，湖畔生氣盅然，到處都聚集了燒烤的或玩樂的居民，各適其適地享受黃昏美好一刻，岸邊好些地方還安裝了些藝術擺設，帶著悠閑的心情邊漫步邊欣賞，我不由得讚嘆設計者的心思和藝術品跟四周環境的融合。
The old town of Vevey
Take your favourite seat
The next morning I took the GoldenPass train from Montreux station. It didn’t take long before the train left Lake Geneva behind and out of sight. As the train gradually meandered its way up the Alps, the scenery kept changing with endless permutations of mountains, meadows, farmhouses and small towns. Perhaps I should let the photos do the talking and show you the archetypical Switzerland!
第二天早上我從蒙特勒車站乘坐GoldenPass列車上山，不消一會列車便把日內瓦湖拋到背後，在環抱的群山中盤桓而上，沿途風光美不勝收，高山、草原、農家和市鎮不停交錯，交織出一幅幅風景畫，我不必多加描述了，大家就透過這些相片，感受一下典然的瑞士山色吧！
I took the train all the way to the terminus Zweisimmen and went for a short walk in the nearby mountains. On the way back I alighted at Château d’Oex, which caught my eye en route to Zweisimmen with its chapel on a small hill. I thought that it would be a scenic vantage point, and I was indeed impressed!
我坐車至終點站Zweisimmen，閒逛一會欣賞山色後折返至Château-d’Oex停下來看看，在上山途中看到該處有座小山上建了家小教堂，想必是登高望遠的上佳地點，果然沒錯！
Zweisimmen
The town centre of Château-d'Oex
The pocket GoldenPass train timetable listed the timings for services to Gruyères, a town famous for its cheese. I went on a side trip there but didn’t end up seeing anything related to cheese (even though there was a cheese factory right next to the station at Gruyères). Instead I was more interested in the mediaeval town which was built on a hill and fortified by a wall encircling the whole town. Many of the buildings in the town were several hundred years old, including the castle.
火車 時間表列了轉車往格呂耶爾（Gruyères）的班次，那裡以乾奶酪（芝士）聞名，所以便慕名前往。我最後甚麼跟奶酪有關的東西也沒有看（其實 Gruyères車站旁有家讓遊客參觀的奶酪工場），倒是對格呂耶爾古城更有興趣。古城築在山丘上，四周為城牆包圍，城內的建築例如城堡，不少都有幾百年歷史。
It was quite a rushed trip to visit so many places within 2 days, but thankfully the sunny days, long daytime and my travel pass gave me the full flexibility to travel wherever and whenever I wanted. And since leaving via Geneva on 3rd June the weather hasn’t been behaving in Munich and London, so I was especially glad that I have chosen the two best days to visit such a picturesque place!
短短兩天跑了這麼多地方，確實有點緊湊，可幸天公造美，日照時間長，再加上買了交通證，所以可以隨心所欲，上山下水，挑自己喜歡的地方遊覽，而自6月3日從日內瓦離開後，在慕尼黑和倫敦的天氣一直都怪不好，真慶幸天氣最好的兩天能夠飽覽這個風光如畫的國度！
會議開完後，在陽光充沛的兩天中（6月1日至2日）蹓躂日內瓦湖和附近的高山。
I stayed at a bed & breakfast in Montreux for those two days. The road to the house was not the most easy one especially when dragging luggage, as it took me about 10 minutes to walk halfway uphill to the entrance of the residence then climb a rather steep path through the garden before reaching the house. But all the hardship was forgotten when I turned around and saw the view of the colourful garden, tranquil waters of Lake Geneva and the French Alps across the lake. I even asked the host if there was wi-fi available so that I could upload a photo of the view for my friends!
那兩天我住在蒙特勒（Montreux）的一家民宅，在火車站下車後走了十來分鐘上半山，到了民宅的入口，再翻過其斜斜的花園，才到達房子，但當我回頭望到花園的景緻、恬靜的日內瓦湖和對岸法國的山脈時，剛才一切的辛苦就忘記得一乾二淨，我還問房東有沒有無線上網，好讓我馬上把眼前美景載上網跟大家分享呢！
Views from the garden of the B&B 民宅花園的景色
I was anxious to start my visits as soon as I have put my luggage away. My first stop was Château de Chillon (Chillon Castle) which has been standing by the lake for almost 900 years. The castle used to an important fortress for the different ruling dynasties of the time. Apart from the majesty, one could also feel the tranquillity of the lake especially in the cellar. The sound of water gently hitting the wall and the sight of calm waters outside the windows were very relaxing and therapeutic; after all a main purpose of holiday is to take a respite from the daily grind and a slower pace from the normal daily life. The castle was generally quite well restored and had kept quite a collection of furniture and murals from the past (up to 800 years old!) which gave a glimpse into the history and prevailing artistic style during the Savoy era (12th centuty to 1536).
安頓好後便急不及待開展行程，先到臨湖而建的石庸城堡（Château de Chillon）參觀。城堡已建成差不多900年，在歷史上不同時期都是當時執政皇朝的重要據點，現在留給後人的，仍有當年的氣派和湖畔的靜謐，尤其是走到寂靜無人的地窖時，靜聽湖水輕輕拍打外牆，透過窗戶眺望波平如鏡的湖，但覺與世無爭，心靈受到洗滌；放假的目的，不外是想鬆弛身心，放慢腳步吧。城堡其他部份修復得不錯，保留了不少當時的家具（有的差不多有800年歷史！）和壁畫，展示城堡第一代主人薩瓦家族（The House of Savoy，12世紀至1536年）的歷史和當時的藝術。
Château de Chillon 石庸城堡
The cellar, also a storage space for wine barrels
地窖，同時是酒窖
Furniture and paintings from some 800 years ago
從800多生前遺留下來的家具和壁畫
Camera Nova
The passageways inside the castle
城堡內的通道
The view from the top of the castle
城堡最高處的景色
It’s actually not too difficult to spend a whole day in the castle to explore and experience every bit of it, but I was in a hurry to catch the ferry back to Montreux and had to rush through the last bits of the visit. As I looked back to Chillon from the ferry, the castle merged perfectly with the mountains behind it and formed an integral part of the picturesque scenery there. The short ferry trip kept me very busy as I switched between taking many panorama shots and just sitting back and taking it all in!
其實如果要細意發掘和感受城堡的每個角落的話，要花上一整天也不足為奇，不過我趕搭船回蒙特勒，所以參觀到尾聲時有點倉促。上到船，但見石庸城堡已與背後的高山融為一體，構成一幅迷人景緻。短短船程，沿湖的景色令我應接不暇，既要顧著拍合成照留念，又不想錯過欣賞風景的時刻，可有點忙呢！
The steam engines of the ferry
渡輪的蒸氣發動機
The view of Château Chillon and the surrounding mountains
石庸城堡和附近的高山
Territet (above) and Montreux (below) Territet（上圖）及蒙特勒（下圖）
After disembarking I took it easy along the lakefront of Montreux, grabbed a quick meal, bought a few things and stored them back in the B&B before heading out again. Meandering through the many little streets up the hill and the small Old Town, I ended up in the adjacent district called Territet. There I took a funicular uphill after hearing about it from the ferry staff when I saw a building like a castle somewhere high up in the mountains and asked the staff how it could be reached. In just 5 minutes the funicular whisked me up from Territet to Glion, where I changed for a train to Caux. The ‘castle’ was in full sight from the station at Caux, and I finally realised that it was the Swiss Hotel Management School! The mountain views surrounding Caux were rather beautiful and I spent a leisurely hour sauntering in the town.
上岸後，在蒙特勒市湖濱閒逛一會，隨便吃點東西，買點糧水，走回民宿卸貨後，便再度出發，沿著山上的內街穿過小小的舊城區，不經不覺來到與蒙特勒相連的Territet區。坐船時我問船員山上一家像城堡的建築是啥，他們便告訴我可以從Territet坐登山電車上山，我於是言聽計從了。登山電車祇消五分鐘便把我從山腳的Territet帶到Glion，然後在那裡轉乘火車到Caux，一下車便看到那座「城堡」，走過門口，才知道那是瑞士酒店管理學院（Swiss Hotel Management School）！Caux這個小鎮四周山色不錯，在那裡閒逛一小時挺舒服。
Montreux and Lake Geneva between the mountains
前後都是山的蒙特勒
Hotel Fairmount Le Montreux Palace and the interesting art installations nearby
Fairmount Le Montreux Palace酒店及附近的藝術佈置
Market Hall
市場
Natural beauty by the lake
湖畔的自然美
Typical buildings along Avenue des Alpes 沿著Avenue des Alpes的古典建築
The Old Town of Montreux 蒙特勒舊城區
A hotel by the lake at Territet
Territet湖畔的酒店
The view from Glion station
Glion火車站的景色
Swiss Hotel Management School at Caux
Caux的瑞士酒店管理學院
The town of Caux and the surrounding mountains
Caux中心和附近的山色
From Caux I took the train straight to Montreux, and since there was still light I went for a quick visit to the nearby city of Vevey. I was totally captivated when the view of the old town opened up to the lake and mountains, which was continually changing as I strolled along the promenade by the lake. The lakefront clearly belonged to people enjoying the best of an early summer sunset in all possible ways, from barbecues to ball games. The art work installed along the lakefront was also a joy to appreciate and I could only marvel at how well it blended with the surroundings.
從Caux坐火車，直達蒙特勒車站，趁天色仍亮，便趕快坐車到鄰近的城市沃韋（Vevey），穿過舊城區，來到湖畔，便給湖光山色迷住了！舉目環顧，四周盡是日內瓦湖對岸連綿的高山，湖畔生氣盅然，到處都聚集了燒烤的或玩樂的居民，各適其適地享受黃昏美好一刻，岸邊好些地方還安裝了些藝術擺設，帶著悠閑的心情邊漫步邊欣賞，我不由得讚嘆設計者的心思和藝術品跟四周環境的融合。
The old town of Vevey
沃韋的舊城區
Pretty drinking fountains 精緻的飲水塔
The scenic backdrop at Vevey 沃韋的湖光山色
Possibly one of the most scenic playgrounds in the world
可能是世上風景最好的遊樂地方
Take your favourite seat
湖畔雅座，任君選擇
An artistic lakefront
充滿藝術色彩的湖畔
The Alimentarium (food museum) and statue of Charles Chaplin in front
食物博物館和前面的差利卓別靈人像
The next morning I took the GoldenPass train from Montreux station. It didn’t take long before the train left Lake Geneva behind and out of sight. As the train gradually meandered its way up the Alps, the scenery kept changing with endless permutations of mountains, meadows, farmhouses and small towns. Perhaps I should let the photos do the talking and show you the archetypical Switzerland!
第二天早上我從蒙特勒車站乘坐GoldenPass列車上山，不消一會列車便把日內瓦湖拋到背後，在環抱的群山中盤桓而上，沿途風光美不勝收，高山、草原、農家和市鎮不停交錯，交織出一幅幅風景畫，我不必多加描述了，大家就透過這些相片，感受一下典然的瑞士山色吧！
(You can see more photos at my Flickr site. 更多相片可在本人的Flickr網頁看到。)
I took the train all the way to the terminus Zweisimmen and went for a short walk in the nearby mountains. On the way back I alighted at Château d’Oex, which caught my eye en route to Zweisimmen with its chapel on a small hill. I thought that it would be a scenic vantage point, and I was indeed impressed!
我坐車至終點站Zweisimmen，閒逛一會欣賞山色後折返至Château-d’Oex停下來看看，在上山途中看到該處有座小山上建了家小教堂，想必是登高望遠的上佳地點，果然沒錯！
Zweisimmen
The town centre of Château-d'Oex
Château-d'Oex市中心
St. Donat Church at Château-d'Oex
Château-d'Oex的St. Donat教堂 
Château-d'Oex from the vantage point of the church
從教堂環顧 Château-d'Oex
The pocket GoldenPass train timetable listed the timings for services to Gruyères, a town famous for its cheese. I went on a side trip there but didn’t end up seeing anything related to cheese (even though there was a cheese factory right next to the station at Gruyères). Instead I was more interested in the mediaeval town which was built on a hill and fortified by a wall encircling the whole town. Many of the buildings in the town were several hundred years old, including the castle.
火車 時間表列了轉車往格呂耶爾（Gruyères）的班次，那裡以乾奶酪（芝士）聞名，所以便慕名前往。我最後甚麼跟奶酪有關的東西也沒有看（其實 Gruyères車站旁有家讓遊客參觀的奶酪工場），倒是對格呂耶爾古城更有興趣。古城築在山丘上，四周為城牆包圍，城內的建築例如城堡，不少都有幾百年歷史。
Gruyères from afar (above) and at the foot of the hill (right)
從老遠（上）和山腳（右）看格呂耶爾
The ramparts and village below the Old Town
城牆和舊城山腳下的鄉村
A town that probably hasn't changed its face for hundreds of years
幾百年面貌不變的舊城區
The castle at Gruyères and some of its rooms
格呂耶爾城堡及其房間
The garden of the castle
城堡花園
The St. Théodule Church near the castle
城堡附近的St. Théodule教堂
The countryside at the foot of the other side of the Old Town
舊城區山腳另一邊的鄉郊It was quite a rushed trip to visit so many places within 2 days, but thankfully the sunny days, long daytime and my travel pass gave me the full flexibility to travel wherever and whenever I wanted. And since leaving via Geneva on 3rd June the weather hasn’t been behaving in Munich and London, so I was especially glad that I have chosen the two best days to visit such a picturesque place!
短短兩天跑了這麼多地方，確實有點緊湊，可幸天公造美，日照時間長，再加上買了交通證，所以可以隨心所欲，上山下水，挑自己喜歡的地方遊覽，而自6月3日從日內瓦離開後，在慕尼黑和倫敦的天氣一直都怪不好，真慶幸天氣最好的兩天能夠飽覽這個風光如畫的國度！
Comments