Pesach, Gruyere, Lake Geneva and Mountains

We had the most wonderful time with Adam, his girlfriend Dana, and Daniel. They all came to Zurich for Pesach, each staying only 4 days. It was a short and very sweet visit. Adam and Dana stayed till the day after Pesach and then went on to Italy for 4 days. Daniel left 2 days after Pesach and is now in Germany traveling with 2 Haifa friends. He'll return to Zurich sometime in April-May.

Here's some of the things we did before Daniel arrived:

Adam and Dana reflected in the window of the shop that sells chocolate bark--so good!

Grossmunster Church

Adam gazing at the view from the church tower

Adam and Miles along the Limat River

Daniel's here!

We had a thought-provoking and fun seder with Adam's old Tel Aviv housemate Berni (now living in Lucerne) and his girlfriend Vanessa, Koni (who we saw in Davos) and Judith (who came late and missed the picture!)

Dana, Adam, Koni, Daniel, Miles, me, Vanessa and Berni (you are there in spirit, Judith!)

Now we're on our own again and having more Swiss adventures.

On April 5, we had the most terrific day, courtesy of Marcel, a Swiss friend I met in New Zealand. (He was there taking an English course and was looking for an English teacher. And I was looking for students who wanted to practice their English. A perfect fit!)

Marcel, our driver and guide, drove us to the French part of Switzerland. Our first stop was in Avenches where we saw a Roman amphitheater and medieval tower.

Me and Marcel in the Roman amphitheater of Avenches

Medieval tower

Our next stop was in the village of Gruyeres where they make the famous cheese. Talk about a picture-perfect setting!

Gruyeres

We had to visit the cheese factory, of course:

Cheesemakers at work

Aging cheese

We then walked through the Old Town toward the Chateau de Gruyeres:

Chateau de Gruyeres

Chateau dining room with murals depicting Swiss history

View from the chateau ramparts

We then drove along Lake Geneva through the picturesque town of Montreux, home of the summer jazz festival.

View of Montreux with Chateau de Chillon in the foreground

Marcel and Miles eating Gruyere cheese at Lake Geneva

We also stopped at the salt mines of Bex and took the underground tour of the labyrinth. This amazing mine has been in operation since the 16oo's. Unfortunately, none of our pictures came out.

Back above ground, we drove along the most spectacular views of the mountains of western Switzerland. As you probably can tell, we love mountains!

View from our rest stop on the way home

Thanks, Marcel! We couldn't have had such an amazing day without you.