Laura writes:
We stayed in Vevey / Montreux for only four to five days, so we didn't get to see too much, especially since we didn't get very nice weather while we were there. At least we did see the Castle of Chillon which is the most preserved castle in Switzerland and is therefore popular. It is located right on the Geneve lake in Montreux - very spectacular! We also drove up to the alpine region in Torgon, as well as visited a Tibetan buddhist temple within walking distance of the house.
Nigel, Mum and I took a walk to the temple on a very wet day. On the way there, we met a monk who took us to the temple for a personal tour. It was interesting talking to him, as he was very friendly and had a very sincere smile. He was also very serene which is no wonder, as this place had an amazingly peaceful vibe which I do not sense very often. After he left, we must of spent one hour meditating with the temple all to ourselves as there was not a soul in sight. It was a great feeling, and being a very conducive place to meditate, both Nigel and I experienced a deep sense of serenety and contentment.
In this Tibetan temple, they also had a yak which to us was a novelty, as we had not seen one of these animals before. We also got invited to have a hot drink in the dinning area which was also a good experience.
The apartment we stayed in had spectacular views of not only the Geneve lake which was absolutely huge and very picturesque (we could also see from the house, where the border between Switzerland and France was accross the lake), but also the snow capped mountains in the background which looked very impressive due to their size and therefore also gave the impression that they were very close by! We actually had a great surprise when we woke up the next morning after arriving in the apartment and finding this incredible view right in front of our eyes. It was amazing!
Nigel and I were also very impressed by the hospitality of both the upstairs and downstairs neighbours. They even had Mum and Dad to dinner twice to welcome them to the place before we arrived in Switzerland, and they even picked some flowers and left them outside our door the day after Nigel and I arrived. Very lovely people! Unfortunately, even though I picked up a few words here and there, communicating in French was not an easy task for Nigel and I and therefore we had to rely on Mum and Dad to translate for us whenever there was a conversation.
On the day we left Vevey, the neighbours took us in two cars to the train station, where we took the train to Zell Am See (Austria). It was kind of weird, but it felt like we had known them for a while, and for Mum and Dad who had spent a month in the apartment it was even more so. Mum even had tears in her eyes when she was saying goodbye. One of the ladies, also blew kisses at us as the train departed (very warm people!).
