These past two days have been full of activity in Montpellier. After all, what fun would it be to watch an extreme sports festival and not try out any of the sports on our own? Yesterday, we took a wakeboarding lesson and rode a foot bike. 
The last few times I had been water skiing, I never quite made it up long enough to ride the waves, so I didn’t know what the outcome of this would be, but to my surprise and thrill, I made it up after falling two times and stayed up on the board for the length of the pool. Yes, we did it in the pool rather than the ocean, which was probably good since we were all first timers. It was such a freeing and exhilarating feeling when grabbing the chord and standing up on the board. The two time kite boarding world champion, Sebastian Garat was in attendance and he put on a great demonstration for us. 
We also had the opportunity to ride a foot bike, which was a lot of fun. The next day we took a trip to Herault, about a half an hour outside of Montpellier where we had the option to scale some mountains, also known as ferretta with the Aupalya Cevennes Agency in Saint Bauzille de Putois. After a hike up with our harnesses and helmets, we were shown how to walk along a thin wooden piece while clipping our harnesses on and off the string above. I usually am a pretty adventurous person, but all of a sudden I found myself overcome with fear to the point of tears. I’m not quite sure why I was so scared, as I’ve rock climbed and repelled before. 
Maybe it was the fact of walking along the side of the mountain rather than up and down. However, the rest of the group loved their experience which included a few zip lines and cave exploration. After a delicious lunch, we went canoeing through some fierce rapids, which was a ton of fun, except for the time that the canoe hit a rock that we couldn’t move and I went flying out and hit my foot against the rock and then preceded to get dragged down, hitting rock after rock before getting back on the boat. That’s when I realized why they tell you to wear sneakers! All in all, it was a great day and a lot of fun!
Archives for May 2009
My Own Montpellier Adventure
Magnifique Montpellier
In the center of town in the tourism office where you can find all the information you need about Montpellier and you can rent bikes for free through their network of free public bikes called velomagg. Today we took a wonderful ride through the city and onto bike paths which led us to the beautiful Chateau de Flaguergues, an 18th century castle and wine-making facility, where we had a picnic lunch from the fruit, bread and cheese we picked out earlier at the local Halles Laissac market. 
After lunch, we took a tour of the castle where Count and Countess Colbert, the owners of the vineyard, live and strolled through the beautiful French, English and Iranian gardens surrounding the property.
After biking back into town, we strolled through the market and then went to watch the FISE extreme sports festival, the largest European free-style sport competition, which is back for its 13th edition with BMX racing, skateboarding, slope-style mountain biking and wakeboarding. In the streets of Montpellier, even those not competing are extreme sports athletes this weekend. People are jumping their skateboards and popping 
wheelies on their bikes, and everyone else, drinking beer and lining the banks of the Lez, hooting and hollering for their favorite competitor.
Dinner was at a beautifully quaint restaurant called L’ Artichaut in the historic section of the city. On a block off of the main center of town, it offers a quiet and relaxing setting for either indoor or outdoor seating. And yes, the artichokes in the lamb dish are delicious. After a delicious dessert of chocolate and a mango smoothie and raspberry crumble, I was stuffed to the brim and ready for bed. The walk back to the hotel was beautiful as the historic city was lit up and the streets were bustling with people enjoying crepes and gelato.
We Made it to Montpellier!
I love traveling, but absolutely despise the traffic you may get caught in on your way to the airport. I was so afraid we were going to miss the flight as the gate closed at 6 and we were still sitting on the Van Wyck in route to JFK Airport at 5:55. I was freaking out, to say the least. However, I called the gate and they were so nice to hold it open until 6:05 and at 6:04, I ran to the ticket counter…we made it! And not only did we make it, but we had the opportunity to upgrade to business class because of our type of ticket. I went from being completely frazzled to utterly relaxed and comfortable on my Air France flight to Paris, which would then connect to Montpellier.
I was so excited to find out that my seat reclined into a bed with a push of a button. Since France is ahead by six hours, when we arrived, it was going to be time to start the day, so sleep was very important and I was so happy this time I wouldn’t have to struggle with the perfect position so that my neck wouldn’t end up in my lap. All the flight attendants on the Air France flight were so friendly and the food was delicious! We had an appetizer of foie gras with chutney and an assortment of breads and cheeses. The main course was snapper with greens and potatoes, and for dessert, a peach tart.
After arriving in Montpellier, we dropped our luggage and made a quick run to lunch in the middle of town. This weekend in Montpellier there is the international extreme sports festival, so the entire city is packed with locals and international tourists, mostly college students and younger. The city itself has a fairly young demographic all year around and has a constant buzz. 
It’s a creative city with beautiful architecture in the historic center. Comedie Square is in the center of it all with the beautiful opera house as the backdrop and this weekend, there is a book market as well as a craft fair with artisans selling everything including hats, earrings, shoes, bags, and plenty of bread and cheese. We took a tour of the Fabre Museum, which is the premiere art museum of Montpellier and features works from some of the most famous artists in the world. It takes you from the Renaissance Era through Romanticism, Impressionism right up into today’s contemporary art and into present. 
For dinner, we took the tram to the Odysseum, which is the newer section of Montpellier. In the Odysseum, there is an aquarium, ice skating ring, planetarium, go-carting, bowling, a rock climbing facility and several restaurants including Les 3 Brasseuer, a brewery of local French beer. It was a long, but great day and I’m looking forward to going to the market tomorrow and seeing a bit of the countryside.
Magnificent Mt. Pilatus
For anyone planning a trip to Lucerne, you must take a trip to Mt. Pilatus. While you can get there by train if you’re on a tight schedule, I’d recommend taking the catamaran across Lake Lucerne, which is a beautiful ride as the mountains surround you. The boat drops you off right where the railroad ride up the mountain begins. And what a ride it was! It is the steepest cog railroad in the world and takes you right along the snow that’s still on the mountains. After you step off the cog railway, you can hike up the stairs of the mountain for about ten minutes and arrive at the top of Mt. Pilatus which offers spectacular scenic views and great photo opportunities. 
When you’ve spent enough time to enjoy this all, you can stop for a great cheese fondue lunch at one of the few restaurants on the mountain before taking a cable car back down. You have the option of stopping halfway down to go tobogganing, tree walking, or 
ziplining in very well set up activity area on the mountain, perfect for even the younger hikers. Then at your leisure, step into an individual cable car for your smooth ride down the rest of the mountain, allowing for full 360 degree views all the way to the bottom.
After you exit, you can take a quick bus ride back to Lucerne. We chose to take the bus to Lucerne and then hop on a train to Zurich. That’s the beauty of the Swiss Pass, which you must get if you are planning a trip to Switzerland. For one price, you can ride all of the trains, buses, boats, get a fifty percent discount off most of the mountain-top cable cars and trams, and access to over 400 museums. We didn’t have much time left in the day, but I wanted to see Zurich, so with the trains arriving every half an hour, it was really easy to hop on, spend a few hours checking out Zurich’s city 
center, and be back in enough time for dinner in Lucerne. Our farewell dinner was held at the restaurant at the beautiful Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann, where we stayed for our time in Lucerne. The hotel extends along seven buildings in the historic Old City of Lucerne. Each of the fifty hotel rooms has it’s own unique character. The hotel was first mentioned in Old Lucerne in 1517, and then again in 1529 as a pub without a license to operate as a tavern. The main building was originally a washhouse and the stables were removed from the ground floor when the Wilden Mann was listed as a hotel in 1860. To top it off, it’s right near one of many of Lucerne’s cathedrals, so with your window open, you can enjoy a cool breeze as you listen to the beautiful church bells ring throughout the city.
Beautiful Biosphere in Entlebuch
Based on what I’ve experienced these past few days, there’s no question Switzerland is beautiful. However, today we got to experience a gorgeous and peaceful piece of paradise – The UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch. 
They were awarded this status by the UN in 2001. The region contains the largest and most diverse moor landscapes in Switzerland and is home to a significant variety of flora and fauna. About 17,000 people live in the eight municipalities that make up the Biosphere. A walk through the biosphere allows visitors to get a first hand natural look at a large scale effort of sustainability. It won the 2008 “To Do!” Award for socially responsible tourism as the model region for sustainable living and working. 
Along the peaceful hike, we had the opportunity to walk in some moor, a cool mud which made our feet feel wonderful afterwards. In the Biosphere, there marked hiking trails to get you even closer to nature.
We also spent time with some adorable cows. They came right up to us and as we started walking away, they followed right behind with their cowbells clanking away. It was really sweet. The cows weren’t the only friendly ones. In the sheep farm, the sheep were very anxious to come say hi and slober all over your hand if you let it. The happiness and comfort of the animals in Switzerland is something paramount, and local residents claim they can firmly tell the difference between eating all natural, free-ranging grass fed animals of their home country than when it is imported from elsewhere…. Speaking of food, lunch was at a fabulous restaurant in town, Restaurant Bahnhofli, which was a suprising treat just adjacent to the Entlebuch train station.
After the biosphere, we headed out to Beckenried by train and bus and returned by boat to see a typical Swiss wrestling match, or “Schwingen,” the Swiss National sport. 
There’s nothing better than watching sweaty guys tackle each other in saw dust. The crowd was a show in itself consisting of everyone from young kids enjoying ice cream to elders in their wheelchairs. There were yodelers, drunk guys screaming sounds I’ve never heard at any game in the states, and food vendors of all kinds selling all kinds of sausage and Bratkase, a piece of toast smothered with inches of roclette cheese. Of course we had to try one of these and it was phenomenal!
Dinner was at Hotel des Balances, and the atmosphere was classy with a gorgeous setting overlooking the water. You can opt for indoor or outdoor seating. The food was great and the chocolate cake with sparklers they surprised me with for my birthday was perfectly delicious!
After dinner, we walked around Lucerne to find a cool bar. Some of the people in the group had ducked into a bar next to our hotel and suggested I go in and check it out. I did and made a comment that all these guys and even a woman were giving me the once over. They all laughed because I didn’t realize it was bar for guys looking for a little action in the brothel behind it. I later found out prostitution is legal in Switzerland. Of course once I found that out, I had to go back in for another look! Details will be discussed on “After Hours!”
Loving Lucerne
What a great few days it’s been. I will catch up on yesterday’s events, which consisted of touring the beautiful city of Murten and hiking through the wine path of one of Switzerland’s smallest vineyards, “Mount Vully” and tasting some of the local wines, but I was too tired and recovering from my chocolate and cheese binge the day before to write anything last night. Today we took a one and a half hour train ride from Fribourg to Lucerne and arrived around 9:30 when the fruit and vegetable and flea markets were in full swing. I love markets, and even though Lucerne is known as the number one tourist destination in Switzerland, and the market was busy, it did not take away from the beauty of the city. 
I loved the fact that there were so many people from all around the world in one place. The markets took place on each side of the Reusse River and there were locals selling breads, fresh organic fruit, cheeses, meats, a variety of antiques and anything else they may have pulled out of their attic today! The chapel bridge is a true landmark in the city and has original paintings from centuries ago hanging throughout. Unfortunately, there used to be close to 150 of them detailing the history of Lucerne, but a fire in the early 1990s took out a good majority of them. However, there are still about a third of the original artworks remaining, which are quite unique and striking to find gracing a bridge.
After buying some strawberries, kiwis, and local bread, we headed to the transportation museum. This is a must see for anyone coming to Lucern, especially if you have children. You’ll learn the history and see actual trains and planes from back in the day. They have the first train ever built in Switzerland on display from 1847. A new section of the museum is opening in June, dedicated to automobiles of the past, present and future. A journey through this very well designed museum forces its visitors to recognize how the country of Switzerland has so masterfully focused on the importance of sustainability for more than a century in nearly every facet of life. A close examination every day activities demonstrates how dedication and effort in caring for their own “green” contributions has truly goes a long way.
Last night while dining at the most exquisite restaurant on the water, Relais-Chateau Le Vieux-Manoir, I felt a sore throat coming on and I hate getting sick while traveling, but it tends to happen sometimes from the combination of flying and not sleeping much. The food was much too delicious to let it get to me, but today as expected, I woke up with a cold and headache, so our fearless leader recommended some Kirsch. She said it is used in Switzerland to kill germs, so of course I took her advice, and tonight with dinner, I had this clear, colorless cherry flavored fruit brandy made from double distillation of morellos, a dark-colored cultivar of sour cherry….
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That’s my way of telling you that I am headed to bed for now and I promise more stories and great pictures over the next few days! Gute Nacht!
Cheese, Chocolate, and more Chocolate
I would say the theme of today was food. Dairy to be exact. And for someone who is lactose intollerant, I was a bit scared. But I came prepared with a box of lactaid and was ready to go! There was no way I was coming to Switzerland and not trying the cheese and chocolate! After a delicious breakfast of lox, fruit and Swiss cereal and breads at the hotel, we took about a forty minute ride from Fribourg to Gruyere and went to visit La Maison du Gruyeres, where the authentic Gruyere cheese is made and aged. Did you know that it takes 121 pounds of milk to make 1kg of Gruyere cheese? Depending on the season, between 4,000 and 7,000 rounds mature in the cellers at a temperature of 18 degrees celcius at 92% humidity. If you buy Gruyere cheese in the states, you’ll know its authentic if it has an AOC on the label. You can be guaranteed that is an all natural product and the quality of milk is the highest.
After the cheese tour, we took a short ride up to the Gruyere Castle, which was situated in the beautifully quaint 
village of Gruyere which only has around 100 inhabitants and consists of one beautifully lined street with two museums, the HR Griger and the Tibet, the restaurant where we ate for lunch, and souvenir type shops. Lunch was at the well-known Restaurant Le Chalet and I know why it is so well known…its cheese fondue is to die for! 
The smell was kind of funky as I was warned, but it was so delicious! They make their fondue from a mixture of gruyere and raclett and serve it with potatos and bread for dipping. If you’d like to try making this on your own, here are the ingredients for the authentic recipe for Friboug which serves four people: 400 grams Gruyere cheese, 400 grams Fribourg Vacherin cheese, 1 clove or garlic, 3 decilitres white wine, 15 grams of potato starch and Kirsch and pepper. Drop me a comment if you’d like the instructions! For dessert, we had rasberries in double cream, all made locally.
Following our cheesefest, we took a short drive to Broc and to the Cailler-Nestle Chocolate Factory. You know what they say, no matter how full you are, there is always room for chocolate…or maybe that’s just what I say. Not only was admission free, but after a brief tour that included tasting the cocoa beans that are used for the chocolate and watching how it is made, there was a long counter full of samples. 
There was a huge variety of plain milk and dark chocolate, chocolate with hazlenuts, almonds, crushed cocoa beans, truffles, etc. Of course I had to try almost one of everything, but I did it as though I was at a wine tasting. Just one bite of each! Well, two of some of them…ok I finished a few. After the tour, we went into the store which had a huge variety and of course I stood for a half an hour trying to decide what to bring home.
Comotose from all of the food, I slept on the 40 minute ride back to Fribourg and got my second wind just in time to catch some of the shops which stay open late. We toured the beautiful medieval city for a few hours before it was time for dinner. I was sure I could not eat again so soon, but somehow I made it happen. Dinner was at the Restaurant Hotel de Ville which served a phenomenal four course meal with ingredients that tasted so fresh. 
I opted out of the merenge with ice cream and double cream. I had to stop somewhere!
It’s off to bed for five hours before waking up to hike up to the cathedral which is supposed to have the best view of the whole city of Fribourg. Then it’s on to Murten and to one of Switzerland’s vineyards, Mount Vully…and I’m sure more chocolate!
Bonjour! Guten Tag! … From Switzerland!
Depending on where you are in Switzerland, you’ll hear one of the two phrases, and of course it means, Hello from Switzerland! After a smooth eight hour flight on Swiss Air, we descended on the beautiful greenery, farmland, and mountains of Switzerland, and landed at Zurich Airport. We hopped on Rail Europe which has a stop on the lower level of the airport, and took it to Fribourg, where we caught a quick bus to Romantik Hotel Au Savage.
Instead of rushing right out of the airport like I usually do, I stayed for about an hour and strolled around what is the second largest mall in Switzerland. They have an assortment of stores such as Migros, Switzerland’s well known superstore chain, clothing and shoe shops, banks, bakeries, and even dry cleaning.
We hopped on the 9:13am train to Fribourg and the hour and a half ride was relaxing with beautiful Swiss scenery. The final leg of our trip was a five minute bus ride to Romantik Hotel Au Savage. The hotel is part of the Typically Swiss Hotels, where you get that extra touch of personalized service. With only a few rooms on each floor, this hotel is quaint while the rooms are spacious and comfortable. We had a four course dinner at their Restaurant du Sauvage, which was both delicious and creative.
During the afternoon, we took a city tour of Fribourg. 
The city surrounds itself with beautiful medieval architecture, fountains, churches, museums and gorgeous landscaping. You can walk through the cobblestone streets into various boutiques or explore its historical side. Fribourgh has a bridge over the River Sarine that links the French-Speaking and German-speaking part of Switzerland. While there, we went into a museum dedicated to the works of James Tinguely, who along with his wife Niki de St Phalle made a distinguishing mark on Fribourgh’s cultural and artistic life. 
Jean Tinguely was a master of moving art. His sculptures appeal to several senses at the same time: sight, hearing, touch and sometimes even smell.
I was then introduced to something truly incredible… The Fribourg Funicular! 
It is the only means of transport in all of Europe that operates entirely off of its own city’s waste water. Built in 1899, it a fitting literal link between the modern city center and the historic old town. Before each individual journey on the funicular, 3,000 liters of the town’s waste water are pumped into the system. Even in the 19th century, the Swiss were thinking Green! The ride, complete with cranking and creaking, is a must see for any visitor to the city.
I look forward to checking out some of the boutiques, and the vegetable and flower market on Saturday morning. This market has been there for quite a few centuries and is held regularly every Wednesday and Saturday. For now, I’m off to bed, as we only slept one hour last night on the plane and I’ve already walked into a glass door…no joke. When I don’t sleep, and am fighting jet lag, I’m dangerous! Tomorrow we’re spending some time at a chocolate factory, so I’m sure everything will be just fine!
