Just as you would imagine Switzerland to be...

Cold rain slapped on the windows. Heavy eyes shutter all around me. The quiet morning train indicated a great weekend....leaving everyone around me ill rested. Last night my body thought it would transition back to North America, but today was all cheese and chocolate. I wasn't about to let my lack of sleep stand in my way.

All aboard the "Chocolate Train".

The scenery changed as did the weather.

Thankfully, the train went back down and out of the snow.

Maison du Gruyere is a working dairy.
This well informed tour was fascinating....and a bit smelly.
As they say, the smellier the cheese the better it tastes.

Gruyere Cheese
330 million kg of milk are processed into 27,500 ton of Gruyere cheese
in approximately 200 cheese dairies.
400 tons of Gruyere d'aplage is produced in 56 dairies situated
in the high mountain pastures.

Area of production: The cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchatel,

Jura and some communes in the canton of Berne.
2/3 of the production is consumed in Switzerland with the
remaining 1/3 exported to the European Union and North America.

Chateau de GruyeresResting within the hills in this picturesque medieval town
is this historical castle.

Elegant~Aristocratic~Voyage

Constructed in the 13th century and home to a
succession of Gruyeres Counts.
Then bought by the Bovy and Balland Families.

Artists such as Corot and Menn found inspiration in the
surrounding natural beauty. With two left thumbs I even
considered taking up painting here...

In 1938 the Canton of Fribourg purchased the castle and
founded the present museum.

Lunch.... fresh bread, Gruyeres cheese and Swiss wine.

Chocolate will have to wait until the next post....
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed Gruyeres, Switzerland.