Caux and Montreux - Swiss Life continues

Amsterdam was always meant to be the more hectic part of the vacation, with my plans for Lausanne being really just to relax. It did not always feel like that though, but the next day, after a lot of wine, we headed towards Montreux, where we would take the funicular train up the mountain side to the small village of Caux. And it is small. But cute.

I guess a highlight of the village is the former Caux Palace Hotel, which is now a conference centre and a hotel school. But it is a beautiful building and though we were not allowed inside, I imagined the views from the grounds were stunning.

Still, we did not do too badly on the outskirts.

This funicular train experience was much better than a previous experience I had in Hastings, probably because the views were nicer, there were more people onboard (who wants to die alone?), and you could not see the incline from the base of the mountain.

With it being a warm and sunny day at last, we took the train back down and took an easy stroll along la Place du Marché in Montreux. Here, there were street vendors, boardwalk cafes and of course, the lake.

After a quick bite, we took the bus to Château de Chillon, where we would leave our friend to explore the castle on her own, but not before a few photos.

This was my last full day in Switzerland before heading back to my third favourite island after Trinidad and Tobago - Great Britain!

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It's Wine O'Clock - Trip to Swiss Wine Country

After a great night out with adventures into Swiss fondue, we prepared ourselves for the next mission - to visit Lavaux - a region in the canton of Vaud, or as I like to call it, part of Swiss wine country. I was very excited for this and the weather seemed to cooperate ever so slightly as the rains abated, though the sun never really quite joined the party.

Lavaux is beautiful, framed by the gorgeous waters of the lake and with the Swiss alps nestled neatly in the background, though on this day we could barely see the peaks behind the grey of the now non-threatening clouds.

Beautiful views from the top of the vineyards

The wine villages below us 

We took the wine trail through the vineyards to the lovely town of St Saphorin, where we stopped for a bite and of course, had some wine. The trail itself takes you through the terraced vineyards which stretch for miles (and miles!), with the Chasselas grape being master (or mistress) of the vineyards.

Our lunch break was at a small, unpretentious village pub-like establishment (you know how I "love" pub-like establishments), but this was Switzerland and the dish of the day, comprised of perfectly cooked lamb, spinach and roast potatoes was fantastic.

Assiette du Jour!

With our bellies full, we took a less scenic stroll to the town of Rivas, the central town of the region and the location of the Lavaux Vinorama, where we would sample some of the best wines the region had to offer. Exciting!

After a short film about the life of the wine grower or le vigneron (during which time I unashamedly stole a few winks), we were led back upstairs to the main event - the tasting. We were actually supposed to taste 3 wines, but our dedicated host was a real gem, and between us girls, we managed to taste quite a few reds and whites - each exquisite (though there was one red which really did not make love to my palate at all!). Paired with bread and sticks of puff pastry, our afternoon wine tasting was decadent and is a must for anyone visiting this beautiful area of Lausanne.

Wines everywhere, at every turn...

Lovely whites from the Lavaux region in Switzerland

Our reds -all for us!

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How we defeated the rain in Lausanne, Switzerland

Amsterdam had lived up to all my expectations but soon it was time to set off once more. This time I took myself and my pink suitcase to Amsterdam Schipol airport en route to Geneva International in Switzerland. There I met my girlfriends, one Swiss and the other who had arrived about 10mins before from Madrid and much to my fatigued traveller horror, we made a mad dash for the train which would take us to our final destination, Lausanne.

In the dark of night, Lausanne did not get me that excited and when the heavens opened up the next morning, shrouding the city in grey, I was a bit hesitant to fall in love with it. But even with the lake and mountains cloaked in bleakness, the hilly city still managed to show its charm. With the rain not letting up, we were content to have some drinks and then later dinner with friends, leaving more adventurous pursuits for less watery days.

Well...this seemed almost impossible, but we still managed to do a bit of sightseeing, including seeking physical shelter and maybe spiritual refuge as well in the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne, where I did indeed whsiper a prayer for my loved ones, and also leave a prayer request on the request board. You will just have to ask me what I asked for.

View of rainy Lausanne from the hill on which the cathedral is located

Hilly Lausanne - one can get quite the workout here

The interior of the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Lausanne

The rain just would not quit but this would not stop us from enjoying first a couple fabulous coffee creations at the Nespresso boutique. For those who love coffee as I do, this was heaven on earth. You got a full explanation of the various Nespresso products, along with customised sampling of the coffee itself. Then, if you were so inclined, you can sit in the Nespresso bar and order from their vast menu of simply divine hot or cold beverages. After a lot of walking up and down the streets of Lausanne, this was my everything.

The Nespresso Boutique in Lausanne - products and coffee galore

All the little coloured pods are Nespresso pods. So much choice!

I tried first Un Doux Defile de Mocca Latte which was a wonderful twist on the mocha latte, with the kicker being the hazelnut base.

These were the specialty drinks of the month. I had the last two as shown here.

My special Swiss mocha latte

The real star was the Mojito a la mode Coco - a layered mojito comprised of a regular mojito at the bottom, cold, shaken coffee in the middle and coconut cream. This was epic and the flavours all worked so well together.

My coffee mojito. Epic!

But it was our date with Swiss cheese fondue later that evening that made all our rainy day blues go away. We had reservations at the Café du Grütli, which is located on the ground floor of one of the oldest buildings in Lausanne (over 150 years old), with the current owners working their magic with fondue for the past 30 years.

I was a bit apprehensive about fondue as my stomach cannot always handle such richness, especially being lactose intolerant. But how can one come to Switzerland and not try cheese fondue? With our Swiss guide (my friend, Laure) we ordered the cheese fondue and the tomato cheese fondue. The former is eaten by dipping bits of bread into the pot of melted cheeses infused with white wine, while you eat the latter by pouring some of it over potatoes. Both fondues are served straight off the stovetop and are kept warm and more importantly, in their melted state by placing them on spirit burners on the table. The bread is simple, as are the potatoes as it is really a simple, yet traditional dish.

Our pots of cheese fondue. 

My tomato and cheese fondue served over boiled potatoes
and bits of bread to be dipped in the plain cheesefondue, using my dipping fork

Can I just say all apprehension over my frail stomach went out the door after the first bite? When the girl brought out both pots, I was convinced there was no way we would be able to eat it all. An hour later, both pots were empty and the wine was done as well. It was incredible and possibly the highlight of my entire Lausanne experience.

And that's how we defeated the rain that day!

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Oprah, the Ugly Handbag and the Ugly Face of Racism

The Zurich store where they told Lady O where to park it

Today, I read an article about Oprah being snubbed by a salesclerk in Zurich, as the salesclerk made her own assumption that Miss O simply could not afford the US$38,000 bag.

Miss O - how many billion dollars is she worth again?

But this is not the issue - whether she can or cannot afford the bag.

Besides not knowing her customer was one of the most powerful and richest persons in the universe, the salesclerk clearly made an assumption based on the customer's appearance, and whether it was her race, or what she was wearing, that is just not cool. It happens right here as well. People make assumptions about you based on your ethnicity - whether you are black, white, Asian - there is always something that is ascribed to you because of your race.

The salesclerk probably made the assumption that this black woman, as nicely dressed as she was in her Donna Karan, just did not have the moolah to put down on a ridiculously priced, and dare I say, ugly handbag. But how dare she make that conclusion, and worse act on it? It's one thing to THINK it, but it is just malicious to ACT on it. It spits in the face of where black people have come after years of struggle against this same sort of nonsense, and it is just a basic contravention of the general rules of customer service - if you want to keep it simple and non-controversial.

This is a global news story because of the person it happened to, but it happens to a lot of us. I would tend to agree with Miss O that she was discriminated against because she was black. The shop owner's reasoning that it was a mere "misunderstanding" is insulting. Even worse, when she says Miss O was treated badly because the salesclerk did not recognise her. That makes it right?? So if she knew it was Oprah, she would have let her see the bag? What about if I - non-billionaire, average black global citizen - walked into this store? I would be chased out? Seriously!

Having experienced subtle and not so subtle racial antagonism on my most recent vacation, where for example, a bus driver in Rome refused to let me on a bus out of pure spite, I can relate to what Miss O endured. What is even more insulting is when people, in trying to brush off your personal experience and feelings after such an encounter, try to argue that you - black person - are "too sensitive", "not everything is about race", "sometimes you don't recognise you have a chip on your shoulder". These were some of the suggestions I got while trying to explain my feelings of humiliation and anger after such an encounter, by a well-meaning white person, who simply cannot understand and appreciate MY experience, in much the same way that I may not appreciate his.

The handbag at the centre of it all
$38,000?? Really?

It is sad that when I travel to some places, I am not just single global superstar, but I am the "black tourist". I am usually in the minority, and often singled out, for not always uplifting and positive reasons. So yes, Miss O - even as rich and powerful as she is - is just the black woman walking into a store, which maybe in the salesclerk's opinion, she had no right to walk into. The fact that we still have not one or 10 people like this in the world still, but millions, is heartbreaking - in a world we like to consider progressive, and in societies that consider themselves modern, progressive and rate on global satisfaction indices as some of the best places to live. Best for whom though?

It is sad that these types of experiences can sour your experience with a place. I met some of the best people in Rome but the few not-so-nice experiences threatened to sully my perception of the city because it is not just an attack on me, or on Oprah. It is an attack on a wide cross section of the global village - a village that often is not warm and welcoming to everyone living in it.

When not even my money can motivate you to not act hateful, then I have to completely re-evaluate my desire to visit your shop, your restaurant, your city or your country, because at the end of the day, my worth is more than golden, and if you cannot appreciate that, then I know where I can go. I don't think any of us, should subject ourselves to the ignorance and hatred of others, and we need to not just THINK about taking our worth back, but ACT on it.

And that girl was lucky anyone wanted to even see that handbag - black or not - cause the bag is fugly. I would not pay $38 for that, much less $38,000.

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