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Swiss Miss:
Lake Geneva is actually named Lac Léman (from the pre-Celtic word “lem” meaning large water). We flew to Geneva on Swiss International Airlines and were treated to an onboard “Taste of Switzerland,” a program of special menus created by guest chefs from various regions. Beef tenderloin, veal sausage, rösti potatoes, and pumpkin gnocchi in Roquefort sauce were just some of the dinner offerings on our flight, followed, naturally, with a selection of Swiss cheeses, Toblerone mousse, and Lindt chocolates. What a way to start! The city of Geneva, the country’s most cosmopolitan city, is a delightful combination of French savoir faire and Swiss efficiency. While the city wasn’t the main focus of our visit, we did appreciate a half-day tour, which included a stroll around the Vielle Ville (Old Town) with its narrow cobbled streets, historic homes, some of which date from the sixteenth century, and great view of Jet d‘Eau, Europe’s tallest fountain; a tour of picturesque Carouge, home to a thriving community or artists and artisans; and a few hours of [window] shopping along some of the city’s fashionable avenues. As the capital of international diplomacy (it’s the European headquarters for the United Nations and International Red Cross) and home to thousands of transplanted foreigners who work in multinational businesses here, Geneva’s smart shops cater to an elite clientele. Stores selling designer clothing, opulent jewelry, and precision timepieces dot the city center. They offer little in the way of a bargain, so shop for handmade chocolate if you’re on a budget. In delightful contract to suave Geneva, St-Cergue is about an hour northwest and is reached via the bright red mountain railway Nyon-St-Serge-LaCure. A village that flourishes in summer and winter, it’s also where one of Switzerland’s most colorful traditional events takes place each fall. Since we were more interested in folk than fashion, we were delighted with the chance to witness La Désalpe de la Côte, the annual ritual that brings the cows down from their summer grazing in high Alpine meadows to their valley pastures for winter. This colorful carnival-like event is part-pageant, part-parade and takes place from early morning, when the first herd from the commune of St-Cergue arrives and makes its ceremonial parade around Place Sy-Vieuxville, to just after noon, when the last of the numbered herds is down and villagers and visitors alike head to food stands selling sausages and traditional vegetable soup, or to restaurants like La Poste, where we indulged in a lunch of fondue and salad. The local white wine, made just for the occasion of Désalpe, is the drink of choice. According to traditional agricultural practice, herds of cows from communities around St-Cergue like L’Archette, La Givrine, and Combe Grasse are taken up to mountainside meadows to graze for the summer. Herdsmen, often accompanied by their Bouviers Bernois (Bernese mountain dogs), live in huts near their cows, and when not tending the livestock, they carve wood or gather wild flowers for drying. Many of these crafts are sold during Désalpe. On the last Saturday in September or the first in October, the herdsmen decide which of three or more cows—usually the best looking ones—will be decorated with floral headdresses to lead the herds back to lower valleys. This ritual, which has been part of Swiss culture for years, is just one of several fairs and festivals that celebrate harvest traditions honoring crops ranging from chestnuts to grapes. Heading down from the mountains and back to the lake, we traveled the next day to the medieval city of Lausanne—the Olympic Capital, center of learning, and gateway to the Swiss Rivera towns of Vevey and Montreux. We settled in Ouchy for the night, a one-time fishing village less than a mile from the center of Lausanne. Now a popular lakeside resort and residential area, Ouchy has a genteel hotel-lined promenade, including the Neo-Gothic Château d’Ouchy, which dates from the late 19 th-century, and the Angleterre and Residence, where we stayed, the house where Lord Byron wrote his poem “The Prisoner of Chillon.” You can catch a lake cruise from Ouchy, an interesting way to “commute” to the suburban villages of Lutry or Cully, or stay put and take in some of the lovely attractions of Lausanne, like the Olympic Museum, the city’s main attraction; the Foundation de l’Hermitage, a lovely villa museum with a permanent collection of French paintings (the work of impressionist Gustave Caillebotte was featured when we visited); or stroll through the Old Town and visit Place de la Palud, the market square. We did all three, and even climbed the Escaliers du Marché, the covered wooden stairs that lead to Rue Viret and on to the 13 th- century Cathedral of Notre Dame. We really enjoyed the stylish, contemporary Olympic Museum, though, with its trendy, bistro-style restaurant, treasures from ancient and modern games (items range from an Etruscan torch to Carl Lewis’s golden shoe), exhibitions from summer and winter games, and previews of the next cities to host the Olympics—Turin in 2006 and Beijing in 2008. Our next two days were devoted to what some call “the vineyard trail,” an enchanting area that invites exploration of the terraced vineyards along the hillsides of Lavaux. From Ouchy to Montreux, there are various paths overlooking the lake that take you along hiking trails and walking routes through vineyards and preserved villages. Here you can stop for tastings of the celebrated Chasselas (the specialty of the Vaud region) at traditional wine caves (cellars), lunch at hillside cafés, or simply enjoy the scenery halfway between earth and sky. You can also catch the magnificent panorama of the lake from the wine train that runs through the vineyards from Vevey to the picturesque villages of Puidoux-Chexbres. We did not intentionally save the best for last, but once you visit the soigné holiday resorts of Vevey and Montreux, you quickly realize why they are collectively known as “the Swiss Riviera.” With an agreeable year-round climate, the former was made famous by people like food giant Henri Nestlé, Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway, and Shania Twain, who came for its sophisticated ambiance and low-key live style. Vevey’s old town is full of narrow alleys and quaint shops, and its lakeside Place du Marché is the venue for events ranging from wine fairs to Christmas markets and summer concerts. The biggest of all summer concerts, however, is the annual Montreux Jazz Festival (the 40 th will take place June 30-July 15, 2006), a citywide jazz, pop, R&B, blues gig that draws 225,000 music lovers from around the world. For the rest of the year, visitors are content with a stay at any of the charming Belle Époque hotels (try Golf-Hotel René Capt) that dot the palm-lined, rose-covered lakeside; a night at the Casino of Montreux; or tours of villas once occupied by artists, writers, and musicians who called this area home. Undoubtedly, the most spectacular of all places on Lake Geneva—architecturally and historically— is the Château of Chillon, the 12 th-century castle built on Roman foundations by Duke Peter of Savoy. But it wasn’t the Duke or the Bernese, who later captured it, which make the castle such an attraction. It’s Bonnivard’s prison, a vaulted underground chamber where François de Bonnivard was imprisoned for political incitement and immortalized in Lord Byron’s poem “The Prisoner of Chillon” (1816). Located at the most eastern end of the lake, Chillon is exceptional because of its dual façade—a mountain-facing fortress and lake-facing princely residence. Besides the prison, the castle has a splendidly restored grand ducal hall; a chapel filled with murals dating from the Middle Ages; banqueting halls and bedrooms with marvelous collections of furniture, pewter ware, and antique weaponry; and three semicircular turrets. Tourism officials like to boast that the Lake Geneva region comprises four delightfully distinctive worlds in one—lakeside town and cities, the Alps and Jura Mountains for year-round holidays, and the countryside filled with rural charm. They don’t mention the chocolate, cheese, croissants, and wine but, believe me, you can’t miss them. Swiss Cuisine du Terroir Landlocked Switzerland, with its 23 cantons (states) and four different languages, doesn’t really have a particular cuisine; rather, it offers the culinary characteristics of three distinctive ones—the Atlantic-French, the Mediterranean-Italian, and the Continental German. Swiss men and women swear by having their roots in their region and encourage differences and demarcations with pleasure. Depending on where you visit, you’re likely to find the cuisine to be influenced by one of the country’s neighbors—Germany to the north, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, Italy to the south, and France to the west. But wherever you visit, you’ll be delighted with traditional local dishes called “cuisine du terroir” (food of the land), such as these specialties from the Lake Geneva region. Fondue, a universal favorite, is made with half Etivaz (or Emmental) and half Gruyère cheese and a local wine like Viognier. As a drinking companion, chose a fruity white like Johannisberg du Valais, Chasselas, or Reisling. Raclette, another dish made with cheese, often Gruyère, is made with a hunk of cheese that’s scraped, then melted and served over boiled potatoes, onions, dark bread, and pickles. Papet Vaudois is a smoked sausage, leek, and potato casserole served in a creamy sauce. It’s typically served with a local Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, or Pinot Noir. Longeole is an unsmoked sausage flavored with cumin or fennel seeds and served with potatoes au gratin, cabbage, and leeks. Filets de Perche is made with perch, freshly caught in Lake Geneva, and sautéed in butter and wine. Good wine choices for this are Viognier, Chasselas, or Pinot Gris. Filet d’omble Chevalier is a fish dish made with arctic char, usually sautéed in a white wine sauce and served with boiled potatoes. Try this with Viognier, Chasselas, or Pinot Gris. Rösti, which resembles a giant pancake, is made with grated potatoes and served as a side dish. Try this with Gamay, or a similar fruity red wine. Tarte au Vin is a delicious wine cake that goes well with steamy espresso. You’ll find chocolate mousse, müesli, pastries, and—you guessed it—buttery croissants everywhere! |
I knew my waistline was headed for trouble when shortly before I visited Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region I read that the lake, the largest one in Western Europe, “lies like a giant croissant between the Savoy and the canton of Vaud.” Not shaped like a crescent, a sickle, or a half moon, mind you, but a rich, flaky, calorie-laden pastry that’s often filled with chocolate or laced with butter and jam. I quickly realized that as much as Switzerland is defined by yodelers, Heidi, gingerbread chalets, Alpine meadows, and banking, it’s also the land of chocolate, cheese, wine—and, yes, croissants.
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