Travel Blogger Daily Post: Temptations From Switzerland’s Lake Geneva Region

Wine and Dine Me at The Matterhorn, Swiss Festivals, On The Glacier Express Train and Wine Tasting In A Castle

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger

I’ve been transported, in a senses-stimulating kind of way, to Switzerland’s Lake Geneva Region.

A pair of press events has presented this nice area of the world to me, and it seems there’s quite a bit that has “peaked” my interests.

For starters, it has a wine country. The Southwestern part of the country has vineyards – including right up to the edge of a lake (Lavax Vineyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Europe’s highest at 1,200 meters (between Visp and Visperterminen) – plus there is wine tasting in a castle (the L’Oenotheque du Chateau Villa, and how European cool is that, I ask you!?).

 

I was able to try the wines at the events and they are quite good; the whites are very smooth and subtle, but also have enough flavor to keep the palate pleasantly entertained. One of the events, an annual holiday gathering for Los Angeles journalists, was held in the residency of the Council General of Switzerland in L.A. The neighborhood is the same where Prince William and his new bride Kate stayed while in Southern California, creating an international media frenzy.

But now back to Lake Geneva.

There is also quite a bit of wine to be had, I’m sure, aboard the Glacier Express, a train to the sky that crosses nearly 300 bridges and goes through 90 tunnels during its entire length.

Its final destination is the most famous landmark in the area: The Matterhorn, or Zermatt. It would be a very cool place to visit – pun kind of intended – especially arriving there by something so exhilarating sounding as the Glacier Express.

The Lake Geneva region also has some interesting-looking festivals and events, too. Paleo is one of the largest music festivals in Europe (July 19-24, though it’s probably pales in comparison to the Zurich Street Parade), and the Bol d’Or Mirabaud regatta on Lake Geneva (June 17-19), among them.

 

And while I would hardly like to spend an entire weekend at it – a couple of hours seems sufficient –  cow fighting in Martigny certainly sounds interesting. With enough wine, of course (tho this seems more of a beer or even a schnapps kind of event).

Lausanne has to be taken in on a weekend; that’s the big nightlife spot of the region.

I’ve actually been to this area once, to the Alps resort of Saas-Fee, a true Swiss village that I very much enjoyed.

But, as I learned, there is much more to explore.