Gruyéres - the misty mountains of Switzerland

When wonder | wander | women touched down in Switzerland for the very first time, it was the wettest, gloomiest day of the summer. Sometimes even storybook wishes can be granted in mysterious ways.

Riding the train from Basel to Bern we crossed scenery that made me wonder if Switzerland was actually some giant AI. Even in the grey weather everything was crayon-box-coloured: the cows were chocolate brown or Holbein black and white; the grass was a perfect "grass" green, and the water in the rivers was a crystalline blue.

We had been invited by a very dear friend to come visit them, and we had no idea what to expect. When she and her husband told me we'd be visiting Gruyéres I honestly thought we would be eating at a nice fondue restaurant. It turned out we visited the town itself, the home and origin of the legendary Gruyére cheese.

The Rue du Château in Gruyéres, with Mt. Moléson in the background

Gruyéres is nestled in the foothills of Mount Moléson, a towering peak that forms part of the Swiss mountain range between Lake Geneva and the Sarine valley. It's a medieval market town that draws crowds of visitors every year, not just for the famous cheese, but for the views of this beautiful village.

That day there were no crowds. It was five in the afternoon and pouring rain. The famous mountains were hidden behind curtains of thick, drifting clouds. Luckily we were prepared for the weather and wearing good shoes so we didn't slip on the ancient cobblestones.

We were also with friends who were even more knowledgeable than local guides. Uncle Walter, a retired educator and historian, took us around the town, explaining curious monuments and devices like this grain measure.

The mensa ponderaria has been in use since ancient Greece. This measuring table for dry goods was meant to hold specific amounts of market items like grain, potatoes, livestock feed and other wares, to ensure that every sale was measured fairly and no one could cheat.

There were also a number of fountains and drinking troughs for horses and livestock, although the only travellers on the cobbled streets were some equally wet tourists and, surprisingly, the occasional SUV. Like Germany, Switzerland has a lot of small tourist towns strung together by highways, so the Swiss spend a lot of their time driving.

South view of the castle

There was no driving past the centre of town though - the streets, in the way of medieval villages, became steep and narrow as we walked up toward Gruyéres Castle. The medieval castle was originally built in the 13th century and passed through various hands before becoming a museum in 1938.

Castle gateway

Gruyéres Castle, as large as it was, wasn't the only one we saw in this tiny town. The Rue du Château was well named - there were three historic buildings along this long street, all transformed to a new purpose that their builders might never have imagined.

Front court of the Tibet Museum

The former Parish Church of St. Joseph was restored and renovated by the Alain Bordier Foundation, and is now the Tibet Museum of Buddhist Art. The former chapel displays stained glass windows of St. Joseph, St. Pancras, and St. Francis of Assisi, along with scrolls and sculptures of the Buddha, Milarepa, and other sages of the faith as well as artifacts collected over the years.

Buddhist stupa in the museum courtyard

Our biggest and most amazing surprise came just before we discovered the Tibet Museum. The Château Saint-Germain is a former fortress also built in the 13th century alongside Château Gruyéres, and used to be attached to the chapel of St. Joseph. Today it's also a museum, but of a very different kind...as we were delighted to discover. (Stay tuned for a future post.)

Of course we did end up having fondue after all. Our friends are fond of aged Gruyére and insisted decent fondue could only be made with cheese that was at least 12 years old. That night we feasted with cheese that was a twenty-two year vintage, with delicious bread, fresh steamed vegetables and floral tea - a perfect way to finish off the weather, the walk, and the delightful trip through worlds and time.