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Lottie Does Europe: Chateau de Chillon

Real quick one tonight guys and gals as today has mainly be spent driving!

Another up and go kind of morning, back into Switzerland to drive to the main reason I wanted to visit Switzerland: Le Chateau de Chillon.

Look familiar? Well that would be because its been re-created in Disney animation magic, as it was the inspiration for Prince Eric’s castle in The Little Mermaid!

The castle itself was built on rocks just off the shore of the lake, a natural stronghold with stunning surroundings, and I spent a good few hours exploring every nook and cranny! Despite looking surprisingly small from the outside, every room/courtyard/tower is packed with history, as well as information about it. You can pay a little extra for an audioguide, but the paper guide they gave me was great; it showed routes for you to take through all the areas, as well as information corresponding with each room.

It was truly stunning from every angle, and the perfect weather only added to the beauty!

And with that I was back on the road for the long drive to Zurich for the night! Because I’m skipping all toll roads, it was just over 5 hours, and I arrived starving hungry, so after finding my hotel, first on the agenda was finding a supermarket to buy some dinner, so I got a little wander of the city in too. Tomorrow I’ll be leaving Switzerland for Germany, and another castle! Good night!

October 9, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: A Beautiful Day

Good evening all, have we all had a lovely day? I know I have!

It started with an early morning, following the longest, loudest night ever as I swear the hotel room next to me had transformed into a nightclub/building site, but whatever, and then a 5 hour drive out of France and into Switzerland! I was a little daunted by the length at first, but it was by far the prettiest drive of my trip so far; sweet little towns, winding mountain roads, stunning scenery, well worth it!

And as for Geneva, what can I say.. I fell in love! I was blown away from the minute I caught a glimpse of the lake, and the city was beyond beautiful too. By the time I’d found a carpark and got my bearings a bit, it was about 1pm, so I grabbed lunch from a cafe with seating in one of the many little squares that are scattered around, and just watched the world go by for a little while after I finished eating. I knew this was going to be a place I could explore, and explore I did!

For the first time on this trip, I was in a proper city; one I could aimlessly walk forever, and that had me set for the rest of the day, just wandering around, popping into shops, exploring side streets and meandering around the lake. Mid-afternoon I stopped for an ice-cream and a drink from another little lakeside cafe, and spent some time relaxing and writing, before continuing on my explorations, and that was basically my day – not much else to say I’m afraid! Sure, Geneva has cultural things like museums and boat trips, but I was content in my own adventure.

As for tonight, I’m actually back in France, but only just; I’m in a cheapy little hotel that sits pretty much bang on the border – Geneva is such a beautiful city, its packed with fancy, expensive hotels that my budget can’t afford!

I can’t believe its been a week already; I feel like I’ve been out here for no time at all, and at the same time, forever! From here on out I’m basically on my way home, even though it’ll take me another week! I’m back into Switzerland tomorrow, then up through Germany, into Belgium and finishing in Amsterdam, and this time in one week I’ll be midway home on a ferry. For tonight though, I’m pretty content where I am!