On Tuesday morning, we hopped on a train for Lausanne and Vevey on Lake Geneva. Fortunately, this took us through Fribourg, where we stopped for a tour. Omigod! What a gorgeous town! No wonder Terry hasn't stopped talking wistfully of the year he spent here when in college. The River Sarine winds sinuously through Fribourg, exposing picturesque high cliffs carved in the sandstone. Here is where the German and French cultures merge. On one side of the river, they speak German, while the other side is French. The town is dominated by the huge Gothic Cathedral filled with many works of art. Despite the Reformation, Fribourg remained one of the few Catholic towns in Switzerland, and a Catholic University was founded here in 1889, doubtless the one attended by Terry on his year abroad from Georgetown.
Terry, you may not want to read this part, but there is now a memorial where a famous linden tree was recently destroyed by a car. The tree marked the spot were a messenger dropped dead after bringing the news of the Swiss victory over Charles the Bold at the Battle of Murten. However, a new linden tree, taken from a sprig of the original, now grows nearby.
After visiting the Cathedral, we walked to the far side of the Sarine over the Pont de Zaehringen, and down to the picturesque wooden bridge, Pont de Berne. On our return to the train station, we used the funicular to speed our way up to the center of town. This unique funicular is powered by water from the town sewage system, a fact which is emphasized by the wafting odor as one approaches. See video. Since we were running late for the next train, we hoped that enough people had flushed to provide a speedy trip to the top (just kidding!). See Fribourg slide show.
Our next stop was Lausanne on Lake Geneva, where we changed trains for the short trip to Vevey. This is one of the premier wine-growing regions of Switzerland, and every square centimeter of land seemed to be planted with grape vines. In Vevey, we took another funicular (conventionally powered) up to Mont Pellerin, which provided breathtaking views of Lake Geneva with the French Alps as a backdrop. See video. Here we had lunch on the patio at the restaurant in the five-star Le Mirador Hotel overlooking the lake. We soaked in the incomparable panoramic views and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (until the bill came). See Vevey slide show. As we gazed down Lake Geneva past the town of Montreux, we realized that we were facing the chalet where we will be spending Christmas in Nendaz, less than 40 km away.
The trip back to Bern was uneventful, and we able to enjoy yet another relaxing evening on Brian and Pam's patio.
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