Interlaken to Montreux

Interlaken to Montreux

On board at Interlaken Ord

Another beautiful day finds us on the golden Pass Panoramic Train from Interlaken to Montreux.  

Views from the train on the journey

The train has huge windows dramatizes the view and intense colours of the lakes and mountains; the lakes are that opaque aqua blue of freshly melted snow, and the ice white peaks stand out against the clear blue sky, while in between the valleys are bright ,bright green.  From 567m the rail line rises to 1,274 m at Saanmoser then gently descends and rises to 1112m before a zigzag descent to Montreux. 

Our hotel

Freddie and Elizabeth

At Montreux, we walked straight off the train and across the street to our Hotel.  We have been given a brilliant room with a balcony, and we look across the street to the waterfront of Lake Geneva.  Our visit here coincides with the internationally famous Montreux Jazz Festival. We have always been intrigued by this festival so the opportunity to visit it was welcome.  The Festival runs from 5^th to the 21st^h July, and it extends along the waterfront, with market stalls and food stalls selling all sorts of ethnic foods.  We ate some Swiss fare for lunch, Doug managed another pork sausage, and we went back for a lovely helping of paella for dinner.

Paella stall

There are several spaces for free music events and several major paid events.  Green Day was headlining tonight, and Randy Crawford is on the next.  If you have a spare CHF395, you could get tickets to Prince for the 13^th, 14^th & 15^th.  I imagine the tickets sold quickly for these events.  In the Park, where there was free music, we heard from ‘Jazz Juvenocracy’, a young US big band, and ‘Alice’ a Swiss Quartet which was very impressive and lovely to listen to. 

A taste of Montreux (the Swiss Riviera)

For dog etiquette 

We can now say we have been to the Montreux jazz Festival.  Been there – bought the t-shirt.