Montreaux Part 2

Okay, we left off right when we saw the castle and I started hyperventilating about princesses and childhood dreams of living in a giant stone refrigerator. Whoops. The cynicism is supposed to come later. Along with what I learned about witch hunts and torture in thee olden dayes.

Giant stone clock - a nice touch for any imposing domicile. 

Just the cutest little tower EVER.

Interior shot...where I had a Game of Thrones moment. 

The great thing about Chillon was that you could walk through almost the entire building. There were all sorts of twisting staircases and long passageways and a hidden rooms. It was many magnitudes of awesome. Being that it was built entirely of stone, wood and metal with little access to sunlight, it was also freezing. And since I had decided to leave my trusty puffer coat at home in favor of a more professorial look, I was smote.

After climbing many steep and daunting staircases, we were treated to this view (note: all epic shots in this post were taken by Anthony).

I don't know what this thing is, but it's adorable.

There was a display of medieval armor in several of the rooms. Which inevitably begged the question if the enemy were storming the castle which weapon would you choose to defend yourself? Anthony chose the mace which, from the photo above is clearly a ball of evil and I, having read far too much George RR Martin, chose the giant broadsword...you know, because it's subtle. Later in the gift shop, Anthony had to talk me down from buying a replica broadsword. I relented only after realizing that the edges weren't even sharp. How would a dull broadsword help me in the event of the End Times?

Some interior details

Okay, so, witches. They had a special exhibit going on with lots of relics of the period and while I have watched The Crucible, know a decent amount information about the general horrors of witch hunting, it is much more poignant to see handwritten documents detailing the various interrogations and sentencing of innocent people. And just to drive the exhibit home, when you walked outside into the inner courtyard there were some example pyres that had been erected. Yeesh. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, the amulet pictured above does indeed have abracadabra engraved on it. I predict it will be the Next Big Thing in accessorizing this fall.

Back to pretty things: doorhandles

Cool typography

The incredible view from the highest point of the castle. 

All in all, this was a great little daytrip and I can't wait to come back here with my family in August. We also found out that Montreaux is the start of the Golden Pass which provides several incredible rides through the mountains. When the weather gets a little warmer, I think we will definitely be checking this out.