Daily Archives: July 1, 2018

After a leisurely morning of waking up late, a long walk along Lake Geneva and a lazy breakfast of croissant, cheese & fruit, we packed our bags and headed to the train station in Nyon for our journey to Lyon France.  The 20 minute train ride took us to the main train station in Geneva, Cornavin where we caught our TER train to Lyon.  I wish I could say the train ride was picturesque, but to tell the truth, I was tired and napped for most of the two hour ride.

After arriving in Lyon, we caught a taxi to our hotel and were happy to chill out for a little bit.  Once settled, we enjoyed a drink at the hotel bar before heading out for dinner at Cite 33.  My son ordered a salmon sushi platter while I opted for the Veau Milanese (Veal Milanese) with a glass of Sancerre, both very good.  I’m not sure if the service was more than the typically inattentive, French style or if we were just too tired to deal with it, but we were pretty annoyed with our wait staff after requesting the check a fourth time.  I generally enjoy the slow service in Europe, so I’m guessing I just wanted to get to bed.

After a very European breakfast of cheese, bread and fruit, we drove from Nyon around Lake Geneva via Lausanne to the mountain town of Gruyere, famous for its cheese and dairy farms.  If you’ve ever watched the movie Heidi, this area reminded me of that way of life.  There is an old Medieval castle which is now open to the public with a town square bustling with restaurants and tourists.  We stopped for a traditional Swiss lunch which started with Kir for an aperitif sitting at a table with a beautiful view of the countryside below.  I had a rosti with a fried egg and my son had a traditional quiche.  Our friend ordered a raclette which was a fun experience (video clip below). A glass of white wine accompanied our meal after which we walked around the little town.

From Gruyere we went to Moleson, which is a family ski area in the winter time but has a bob sled during the summers.  We watched the kids go up and down the bob sled while we rested and took in the beautiful mountain views before heading back on the two hour drive to Nyon stopping on the way to pick up fresh cherries, raspberries and apricots at the local farm stands; most of which were eaten on the short drive home.

Once back at our friends’ home, we sipped on Sauternes while preparing our dinner of salad, steak with onions and peppers, and rice.  A very nice red Burgundy accompanied the steak and was enjoyed the remainder of the evening until it was time to turn in.