Switzerland Draws to a Close

"We all came out to Montreux,
On the Lake Geneva shoreline,
To make records with a mobile,
Yeah, we didn't have much time."

Smoke on the Water
Words & music by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice
DEEP PURPLE, 1972


On Sunday we woke in Interlaken and decided that we had had enough of the Swiss countryside. We rolled out of town in the shadow of the Eiger and headed in the direction of Lake Geneva.

This was meant to be an easy day, but once again the temperature in the sun was reaching 38c making every kilometre a strength-sapping exercise. We had checked the profile of the stage and it had appeared to offer nothing more than a gradual climb to a pass at about 1050m. In reality it turned out to be 15km of steady climbing punctuated with some fairly sharp sections for good measure. With the heat rising and our legs feeling all of the luggage and every one of the 1000km covered so far, we suffered to the crest of the pass before the respite of the gentle descent into Saanen, near Gstaad.

We found some replenishment at a delightful bakery on the main street of Saanen and made the decision to attempt to reach Montreux on Lake Geneva. The profile looked in our favour and it would free up an extra day for rest. Unfortunately, we didn't expect the atrocious head-wind that we encountered as we left Saanen, making the next 40km into Bulle a total son-of-a-bitch. However, despite tempers that we could only just contain in the rising heat, we pushed on and emerged onto the Lake Geneva shoreline having covered 163km.

The French-speaking Swiss are a remarkable lot. One instantly notices the difference between the French-speaking cantons and the predominant German ones. The people are clearly closer to their French cousins across the border, with a more laissez-faire approach to life and an expressiveness that is more French than Swiss. Yet there are differences to the French: I was surprised and amused to see a couple parking their car, the woman standing on the footpath making sure that her partner parked exactly within the space designated by the lines – hardly a French characteristic, I’m sure you’ll agree.

So, here we are in Montreux and in typical Tour de Fat style we arrived the day after the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival closed. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at an Italian restaurant on the water front and watched the road crews pack up the staging and lights and head out of town in a procession of semi-trailers. I’m sure it would have been worth visiting and so I will leave you today with a recommendation to visit Montreux during the Jazz Festival as there is little else to keep one entertained otherwise.

Stage 12 – Interlaken to Montreux 163.7km