Did someone say Gruyere?

The mountains were hidden by the clouds that day in Gruyere

The longer I'm in Switzerland, the better I'm getting at being a tour guide for guests. Sorry my peeps who visited me in June and July -- I knew nothing and you got a lame vacation.  Now I'm ready to entertain.

So when Taylor Timmins, one of my co-workers from my KHOU days in Houston, called and said she was in Lausanne for just an afternoon, I knew exactly where to take her to see all things "Swiss" in a day and that magical place was Gruyère.

Swiss cows...they are everywhere. Not just in Gruyere - although this one was.

In Gruyère  you can see the place where they make Gruyere cheese and you can visit the Maison Cailler chocolate factory (see the Gruyère website). Seeing both in one afternoon is too much for a stomach to handle, so we opted for the cheese.

Why the cows in Gruyere have to wear flowers, we don't know.

When going to Gruyère  there are a number of trains to choose from -- depending on when you are leaving. There is the chocolate train, the panoramic train and the "La Gruyère" Retro Train, which is also known as the Fondue Train. We took that one.

Taylor and Jennifer being tourists on the Retro Train.

The train is done up in retro from days gone by, but we didn't get fondue as we were saving that for the cheese factory. We did order some wine though to celebrate seeing each other as it had been 8 years since I had been in Houston (can't believe it has been that long).  It's amazing how time flies, but seem like nothing when you meet up with friends again.

The entrance to the village.

We arrived at the factory at 2 pm (Taylor and her co-worker Jennifer - who was an instant long lost friend - had to work in the morning so we had a noon start) and the cheese factory was just closing for the day.

What I like about Swiss people is that they don't try to sell you crap.  We asked if the museum was worth it without the Gruyere factory tour, and she told us no, not really. Really love the honesty. Why pay money for something not worth seeing?

Stack of cheese.

But the good new was that the restaurant was open and we could enjoy fondue if we wanted. Yay!! Mission accomplished.

Fondue with potatoes and bread. The potatoes with fondue are the best idea ever. Only the Swiss would think of this.

When in Gruyère, in addition to the cheese and chocolate, there are a few things to do.

First of all, you need to visit the town.  It's very old-style Swiss with the Medieval stone wall still surrounding it and everything.  You have to walk up a big hill to get to the town (I've learned big hills are normal in Switzerland and my butt and legs have learned to accommodate these over the months I've been here), but once you are in, it's flat and enjoyable.

Can't believe this is an entrance to a public toilet. So nice with the leaves!

Inside the walls, you'll find a bunch of little tourist shops, a few nice chocolate place, the palace and my personal favorite -- the Alien Bar.

This place is bizarre (and really crowded so go early if you want to get a seat).  It's tiny inside and not Medieval like the rest of the village at all (go to his website - hrgiger.com -- and be amazed as I didn't take photos.).

It's actually called the H.R. Giger Museum Bar but everyone calls it the Alien Bar as H.R. Giger was the artist who designed the set for the Alien movies.  So the entire interior is based on this theme. It's very cool and worth visiting. It's like entering a different world.

Celebrating new and old friendships.

The day was quick, but wonderful. Thanks Taylor and Jennifer for letting me show you around!