Visit to Vevey, remembering Dad

We walked into Montreux this morning, and took the paddle ship 'La Suisse' to Vevey. The weather was perfect for the twenty minute journey there. Built in 1910, this was originally a paddle steamer, but I believe has since been converted to diesel-electric power. Passing along the main ship to reach the front deck you're greeted by the sight of the massive crankshafts which drive the paddles. 

While were in port, there were two 'grease monkeys' inspecting and topping up lubricant pots above each gleaming crankshaft. The engine room interior was immaculately clean, and a sight which took me back to travelling on the paddle steamer plying back and forth over the Severn Estuary between Weston super Mare and Cardiff. I recall standing in wonder, aged seven, alongside my Dad, staring through an internal viewing window at similar engine at work on a coal powered paddle ship. It was quicker and more exciting to reach Weston for the annual Miners' Fortnight holiday this way than to go by train, needing to change, and lug cases from platform to platform in Bristol Temple Meads. It was a busy time, demand for the ship was high, so we weren't always successful. 

Gazing into the engine room well with delight, I felt from a moment as if Dad was still stood beside me. Co-incidentally, tomorrow would have been his 113th birthday, but he died 45 years ago. Being a mine transport engineer, he had a great love of heavy machinery of all kinds, and took pleasure in sharing them with me. I wonder what he'd have made of the mechanical world of nowadays? I'm so glad he lived to see a man walk on the moon.

We had a leisurely walk around Vevey's old town, and its bustling Saturday market in the Place du Marché. A silver band was ready to play in the shelter of the covered market hall, and outside there was an unusual marching band of a dozen wearing local folk costumes, with an assortment of brass instruments and several drummers. They made a loud raucous sound, and their repertoire was of carnival music with jazz-rock flavour. There's another smaller square at the heart of the Old Town, which was also crowded with stalls, and a third wind band was playing here, more sedately. Quite an unexpected outdoor treat, but for what reason it was happening, we didn't find out.

We returned to the Nestlé Alimentarium, discovered last summer, for lunch, this time on the terrace overlooking the lake. After another walk along the lakeside promenade, we caught the passle ship back to Montreux, this time aboard the 'Montreux'. Launched in 1904 this is the eldest of the CGN operational fleet, and despite its traditional means of propulsion it now enjoys the latest hi-tech steering gear, as a result of its last re-fit. After more than a century, these beautiful craft still give pleasure to hundreds of thousands of visitors, and to some regular commuters along, or across Lac Léman.

Looking forward to making the trip again with Rhiannon, when she joins us at the end of the month.

Walk to Vevey

A mild sunny day, for a change, and after celebrating the midweek BCP Eucharist, I received a text message from Valdo proposing an afternoon walk. We met at the débarcadière in Montreux, and walked along the lakeside all the way to Vevey, stopping on the way to look at La Tour de Peilz. The lakeside Chaeau de la Tour de Peilz is now the home of the Swiss Museum of Games, and has a collection of examples from all over the world, with opportunities to try some of them out, apparently.

The protestant Parish Church freshly restored and re-opened a few months ago has a stone spire atop its tower typical of the alpine region of the Rhone. It sits along the edge of a large square with a big primary school opposite. There's an arched passage way between adjacent streets in the base of the tower, and a spacious adjoining patio contains a large permanent roofed canopy, where people can gather under shelter to socialise before or after church. It's a feature you don't see very often, and I imagine this has many other uses as well. 

The building is dedicated to St Théodule Apostle of the Valais, who began his mission in Martigny in the fourth century. The building dates from the early fourteenth century, probably around the time the Chateau was built. Its galleries are eighteenth century, but the rest of the building is typically Vaudois protestant, making the most of its ancient lines, with its windows furnished with fine 20th century stained glass. 

After half an hour in the town centre, we walked on to Vevey and had a cup of tea in the Hostellerie de Genève in the Grande Place, before taking a train back to Montreux on which Valdo could carry on to Aigle. You can see the photos I took here.

A foodie Epiphany Day

A wonderful mild clear blue skies Epiphany Day today. We took the train from Territet to Vevey and explored the town, in somewhat more depth than on my previous visit here in September, when I went to a community lunch at All Saints Vevey. 

We went through the Old Town, starting from La Grande Place with its covered market hall and variety of open air stalls, enjoying the extensive zone of pedestrianised streets, as far as the rue du Leman. Then we turned down to walk back along Quai Perdonnet, the lake promenade, hunting for a restaurant for lunch. The imposing modern building at the bottom of the street nearest the lake is a showcase for the Nestle foundation, a museum dedicated to the preparation and consumption of food, called the Alimentarium. We soon discovered that it has a marvellous cafeteria restaurant on the ground floor, open to the pubic, with a straightforward selection of meals for vegetarians and omnivores alike, all using freshly prepared, and for the most part, local ingredients using traditional local recipes or developments of them. Clare had the fish and I had the veggie option and both of us were impressed with what we ate.

Much to our surprise and delight, as we were eating, my dear friend Valdo Richard came over from the other end of the restaurant and greeted us! We spoke on the phone a few days ago and promised to meet when their New Year holiday grand-parental childminding stint was over. He and Ann-Lise stop to eat at the Alimentarium on their long lakeside walks. They take the train down from Aigle to one of the stations along the route du Lac and walk from there. We had coffee together after the meal, then bade them farewell as they continued their recreational trek, and we too walked west on the lakeside promenade for a kilometre or so, before going back into the town shopping centre to look for a few extra items needed for our lunchtime Epiphany party tomorrow. We've invited the church congregation to come in for vin chaud and freshly baked mince pies. And therein lies a tale.

Clare came out from home well prepared, with a small bag of vegetarian suet and some spicy sacks of gluhweingewurtz and a recipe for DIY mincemeat. We shopped for dried fruit, nuts, oranges and lemons yesterday, but failed to find currants. We prepared and cooked up the necessary ingredients, substituting dried prunes, but Clare wasn't satisfied with the outcome, so after our walk we went on a hunt for currants, which we found them in a Bio shop close to La Grande Place. After further recipe adjustments to balance flavours and texture, with currants and another grated apple Clare was fairly satisfied with the result and set about making pastry, using a mixture of flour and ground almonds or hazelnuts, to great effect in the finished baked product. She retired to bed secure in the knowledge that the mince pies would pass muster for our discerning guests, both British and Swiss.