Gruyères

The little town of Gruyères is more like a small Disney theme park than an actual town. Sitting atop of a small hill with its quaint houses lined up on either side of a large cobbled market place which in turn leads up to the medieval castle, you could easily expect a horse pulled royal carriage to come trundling out of the gate, or a mob of angry villagers storming the castle to finally do away with the evil Doctor and his grotesque monster. However, since neither of these incidents happen, it is a lovely little place to visit, even on a cold midwinter day.


Actually, it was better in winter as the last time I had visited, it was mid summer and the entire courtyard was full of tourists (of which, of course, I wasn't one) which made it feel all the more like Disneyland. This time, it was quiet and relaxing and we had a pleasant stroll around the castle before sipping a cup of coffee in one of the outside cafes.


That was until the busloads of American students suddenly descended and we found ourselves in the midst of a Hannah Montana movie set.


We left.