Traditional Swiss Alphorn music.
Gruyère, a medieval town famous for its cheese production.
After a long day of hiking, we went back to the Airbnb. While my husband was cooking dinner, I was scrolling on social media. Thanks to geofencing and the algorithms, I always find the best local content when I am in the country. I was on Instagram and saw an ad pop up for the Annual Cheese Festival in Gruyères, Switzerland. Naturally, I thought there was no way this was real, close to us or this weekend. Boy, was I wrong— it turns out it was the following day and only a 90-minute drive. event was all we could have hoped for and more. We felt lucky to be able to be in the right place at the right time and get a taste of Gruyère and so much more.
We were six nights into our trip when we set off for our last Airbnb in Cully, Switzerland. Our knees were weary, and it was raining hard, so this is where our concept of what we call French Switzerland was born. We were staying in an apartment that was surrounded by vineyards and a lake, and the host was gracious enough to include several bottles of his wine for purchase in the house.
We were trying to plan out how we were going to spend our last two days in Switzerland when we finally
“ Switzerland is beyond picturesque, and there is so much to do and see. I highly recommend to anyone who can take a trip there to take in the natural beauty and wonders.”
We woke up early the next morning to make sure we arrived right when the festival started. We parked in the parking lot and hiked our way up to this fully enclosed, preserved medieval town in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This yearly festival celebrates the famous cheese, Gruyère, and is a daylong festival filled with cheese, vendors and traditional performances.
The first booth we stopped at gave us an individually wrapped piece of Gruyère, and we were off. Walking through the cobblestone streets, this is what exploring means to us: having open minds and the spirit to wander into the unknown and see what happens. We were able to explore the small town, learning more about the 13th century castle and even spending some time in the H. R. Giger Museum, one of the designers of the film“ Alien.”
After visiting the many cheese and local craft vendors, we decided to take a seat with a view and enjoy some local wine. Much to our surprise, that is when the traditional music started below us. If you have any image in your mind of what Switzerland is like, I hope it is this one; traditional garb and the long alpine horns. This musical
admitted to ourselves that we were tired and allowed ourselves to actually rest on vacation. We spent two glorious days in our bed that also served as a couch, watching Netflix movies, drinking copious amounts of espresso and wine and paying entirely too many Swiss francs for delivery Thai food. We only ventured out to go to the grocery store to grab some baguettes, cheese and pre-made meals, and we soaked it up.
With no guilt and no pressure, the concept of French Switzerland was born. To this day, when we are in need of rest, we deploy this concept. No pressure to adventure, cook or create; we just relax, watch movies and enjoy a slow weekend resting and recharging.
Switzerland is beyond picturesque, and there is so much to do and see. I highly recommend to anyone who can take a trip there to take in the natural beauty and wonders. Traveling, to me, is about the lessons and memories that carry on with me for a lifetime. Switzerland will always remind me there is so much beauty and fun in the journey and the unplanned and that rest can be a vacation as well. •
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