Photo: between heaven and hell....

Marina at Bassett

I went to walk off dinner on Wednesday and took a few quick pics, this was the nicest.

A walk from Vevey to Montreux

What with moving into our (temporary) apartment and starting work this week I still haven't done much exploring that's worth relating here but I do at least have some photographs from our walk from Vevey (where I work) to Territet, where we hope to live "permanently" from October.

Sunflowers in Vevey

The walk is about 8km starting from the Market Square in Vevey and is lined with flowers, art, etc. On Sunday there are market traders selling various fresh fruit, vegetables and spices on the edge of the lake and people fishing over the wall for perch.

Tourist Boat

As you'd expect there are plenty of boats on Lake Geneva. Some of them, like the one below, are for tourists but there are also 'Public' boats used by commuters to move between Geneva and Lausanne and then further around to Vevey, Montreux, Territet, etc. People also commute from the French side of the lake - Evian is more or less opposite Lausanne.

What the Fork? Swiss fishermen have some interesting techniques.

There's a lot of art as you walk around the lake as well, some pieces more official than others. I'm not sure which category this falls into.

We found the shop of an artist who creates 'Sculptures Cinetiques' from various household items, toys, etc. Outside the shop is a button that you can press as you walk past that sets the beautiful demented clockwork in motion. The picture doesn't really do it justice so I will get some video next time I walk past.

Sculpture Cinetique

One thing I didn't expect to see in Switzerland was a lizard. Alright its tiny and my South African wife finds it hilarious that I'm excited by it but what the hell.

Not an Ibex

The Montreux Riviera has a unique microclimate that feels more Mediterranean than Swiss and allows palm and banana trees to grow by the shores of the lake where they would not survive just a few miles further along the shore.

Traditional Swiss Home

Walnuts, fruit trees and grape vines grow even at altitudes of a few thousand feet and I'm unlikely to be digging my car out of the snow this winter... not least because its still in the UK.

So, that's all for now. Thanks for reading... hopefully I'll be out exploring some more this weekend.

Lake Geneva and the Alps from Montreux

Je suis en la Suisse!

We finally arrived in Switzerland yesterday after what seems like months but was actually just 4 weeks of preparation.

The last few days in the UK were hectic and we managed to get to bed 3hrs before we needed to leave for Heathrow on Saturday, so carrying my whole life through two airports and two train journeys was a bit of a schlep to say the least. Of course the trains were on time as promised and the journey around the edge of Lake Geneva was stunning, particularly the vineyards in Lavaux.

We arrived at the hotel in time to shower and change before going to Montreux to meet an agent for a viewing on an apartment that we're hoping to move into in October. The place was even better than it looked in the advert and I'm still struggling to understand that I will live in such a beautiful place with a view of those dramatic mountains across the lake and Château de Chillon on the shore nearby.

After the viewing we decided we'd have a couple of beers and then a well deserved nap, but a couple of beers turned into a few and a few into a lot when we met our first Swiss friend. He didn't speak (much) English so my French was tested for the first time and it went surprisingly well. Speaking French obviously gets easier with alcohol so I'll probably have four or five beers each morning before I leave the house, just in case. We all left together to get food and Candy ran ahead with our new friend's dog, Tango, which led to a hilarious "Hey that's my dog!" "No it isn't!" "No it really is!" moment when she ran into the wife of the owner and her friend. So three became five and we all ate together.

Today we walked along the shore from Vevey to Montreux, gasping every few minutes as we looked at the scenery or the prices on restaurant menus. I think I will become a much better cook in Switzerland! It was good to see a few people having BBQs and camping next to the lake. I've already found Mrs Balls chutney so we just need to track down some boerewors and we can braai on the balcony.

I took a few nice photographs today but unfortunately I forgot to bring a card reader or USB cable so It can't post them yet. Tomorrow is going to be our last 'holiday' day before we have to start doing some of the boring grown up stuff like speaking to the Inland Revenue so I'll try and make sure we do something interesting!