November 2006: Château de Chillon (Montreux)

Lake Leman lies by Chillon’s walls: A thousand feet in depth below Its massy waters meet and flow... There are seven pillars of Gothic mould, In Chillon’s dungeons deep and old, There are seven columns massy and grey, Dim with a dull imprison’d ray, A sunbeam which hath lost its way…

Lord Byron, The Prisoner of Chillon

One of the highlights of a visit to Switzerland, is the stunning 13th century Château de Chillon. This impressive specimen, among the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, just besides Montreux, an elegant, turreted pile jutting out into the water, framed by trees and the craggy mountains. You could easily spend a half-day soaking up the atmosphere.