2018 Swiss Travel Notes Written in 2020 (2)

Along Lake Geneva, take a train from Geneva, first go northeast through Lausanne, and then turn southeast to reach Montreux, a small town with a somewhat Italian style in the French-speaking area.

The place we just got off the train is a luxurious and exquisite hotel. Through the hotel lobby, you can go to an open-air restaurant and bar, leaning against Lake Geneva, the scenery is very pleasant. Like me, many tourists will be unable to resist the temptation of this scenery. They will sit down and order a brightly colored cocktail to take a few sips. Then they will take a long breath and sigh, this is exactly what it feels like to be on vacation!

Montreux is such a place where there is a holiday atmosphere everywhere. When you arrive, you will consciously enter the holiday state with all your heart and soul, and you will not hold back any reservations. Don’t think about work, don’t think about life, or even think about nothing at all, just enjoy everything at hand, and you can’t be more comfortable.

You can go to the most famous Chillon Castle in the town by taking a boat at the pier not far from the back door of the hotel, or by taking a bus at the bus station not far from the front door. I chose to take a boat on the way out so that I could go to Lake Geneva and see the lake. It is really as vast as I imagined, and the lake is really calm without any waves. After a section of the waterway, I felt that it was less boring than the previous lake tours, and it didn't feel like I was on the sea, and I didn't feel confused. It was always happy and practical.

The earliest origin of Chillon Castle cannot be verified because it is too old. The first written record appeared in 1150. It flourished under the occupation of the Savoy family in Italy from the 13th to the 14th century. I really know very little about history, so the experience of visiting a castle like this is naturally not as rich as that of someone who can span the past and present and has an indomitable spirit of research. But walking around in each house and imagining how people lived before the Middle Ages is just so-so.

In our country, there is a saying that "water is the source of wealth", which is a superstition in Feng Shui, but it is not completely unreasonable. After all, places with water seem to have aura. According to this statement, this "integrated tower castle built on integrated rocks" in Hugo's words, surrounded by water, is likely to make a fortune every day.

In addition to Hugo, Chillon Castle has appeared in the works of Alexandre Dumas, Byron and others. There is also an authentic relic of Byron's legendary visit here on a certain stone slab in the dungeon. The authenticity cannot be verified.

Here can be placed two passages from Byron's "The Prisoner of Chillon":

“My Father Dear Died under the branding, Because he would not give up his creed; Also because For the same reason, We all The whole family is imprisoned. We, originally there were seven, now only one person, Six young and one old , My stance has always been consistent and I have never changed my mind. Facing the persecutor, he is arrogant . One was burned, two died on the execution ground , Seal'd the Creed with blood; For the sake of criminals, no faith is allowed of God, They are like their father. Sample die a martyr . The other three were thrown into the dungeon. , Only my remains remain. The Dungeon of Chillon Deep and deep antiquity, There are seven pillars inside, gray and high big , Standing firmly in the dim light of the prison. Sunlight in prison Will be lost Lost the way, Just showing through the cracks in the thick wall, In the blink of an eye Convenience disappear No Traces . It's on the damp floor Climb OK, Like will-o'-the-wisp flickering over the swamp . On each pillar hangs a Iron Ring , A chain was tied to the iron ring; That iron But It is a harmful creature. I have the marks of its bites on my limbs. Those marks will remain forever and will not disappear during my lifetime. "

"Lake Leman (Lake Geneva) is close to the wall of Chillon. In the abyss a hundred feet deep under the wall, the undercurrents of the lake water meet and run; from the white wall of Chillon, a sounding line stretches straight to the bottom of the lake. The huge waves surrounded the city wall, and the water and the wall formed a double line of defense, turning the dungeon into a living tomb. Our black hole is under the lake, and we can hear the waves lapping day and night; it roars above our heads. In winter, I once felt the spray of water hitting the iron fence, and the roaring wind rushing wildly in the happy sky; even the stone wall was shaking at that time. Although I was shocked, I was not panic because What do I have to worry about when I face death? Death will set me free."

The prisoner in the poem is a heroic priest in the 16th century who was imprisoned here for six years.

Why these two long paragraphs?

It probably fits my feelings about this castle. As soon as I walked into the dungeon, I felt extremely dark and cold, and after a short stay I really wanted to get out. Secondly, although the castle has many medieval and simple architectural decorations, because the furniture and ornaments inside are no longer there, it looks very lonely, making it difficult to imagine that the people who lived here at that time could be happy. In addition, many structures in the castle were built specifically for military purposes. Although it was once a fortress, it was too defensive.

Facing such a beautiful Lake Geneva, it can only be surrounded by high and thick walls, cut out a few small windows, and install iron fences. As a commoner in the future, I have to replace the nobles who lived here in the past. They were filled with regret and lamentation.

War is a crime, and plunder is even more so. I followed the instructions on the map in my hand and took a quick walk around. After getting a general idea, I stood in the corridor and felt the sunshine that was still lost a second ago.

Between Montreux and Lausanne, there is Switzerland's famous wine-producing region, where the Lavaux grape terraces are said to be a World Cultural Heritage. I got off the train in a small village on the mountain, and then walked around for a long time next to an internet celebrity restaurant, taking some detours, before I found where I could enter the vineyard.

That's really spectacular! Large tracts of vines with no visible boundaries, or rather yellow-green waves, roll up and down from the mountains one by one towards Lake Geneva where the water and sky are the same color.

I feel sincerely that human farming culture can actually create such a natural landscape!

Because it took some trouble to arrive, my excitement added a lot of firewood, so I ran down the road and kept shouting. It is strange to say that the vines look very dense from a distance, but when you get closer, you can see that there is still some distance between the rows, not so close, and it is completely possible for people to walk through them.

The small town of Rivaz at the foot of the mountain is famous for its wine production. When I ran over, it was almost dark, all the shops were closed, and the whole town was very quiet. There were almost no people in sight, so I had no way of knowing whether they would be in full swing while working.

However, given the Swiss character, it is probably unlikely.