From Burgundy Vineyards to the Largest Swiss Lake

To Lake Geneva, Switzerland via Burgundy

 Heading toward the Alps and Switzerland, we drove clear across central France's rolling plains and white grazing cows under the big sky to arrive at the little town Julienas in the Burgundy wine country, known for Beaujolais wine.

 

 Crossing into Switzerland we came to cosmopolitan Geneva, where the vibe is quite different from France. We spotted a more diverse population along the lakeshore promenade, including an Iranian protest event taking place. Walking along the piers on the lake where boaters and fishermen hang out, we saw a white swan gliding smoothly in between parked yachts in the harbor. Moving on along the north shore of the lake we strolled along the lakeshore park in Montreux, enjoying extraordinary flower displays and grand views of the Alps across the lake. Near the end of the day we came to Chillon Castle, taking in a stunning scene of this massive medieval fortress rising from the glassy lake waters, reflecting the sunset warming the snow-capped mountains.