Switzerland - Chocolate, Cheese and Castle Day Trip

This is a short guide on how to enjoy the world-renown Swiss milk chocolate, the characteristic Gruyere cheese and a time-travel back to the Medieval age in one day.

Departing from Vevey, my friend and I took the train to Broc, which is the center point between Vevey and Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

Maison Cailler, the factory where Cailler chocolate is currently produced, hosts a chocolate museum where you can learn about the history of the cocoa, milk chocolate production in Switzerland, as well as getting interactive hands-on experience on chocolate and its raw components: cocoa bean and cocoa butter.

Cocoa bean

Cocoa butter

There, you will also see the machinery used in the past and in present to process cocoa into chocolate.

The past

The present

See how fast chocolate sticks are made:

Not interested in technical stuff? What about... tasting chocolate? *nomnom*

How to taste chocolate - taken from a display in Maison Cailler

There are about 15-20 different chocolate products that you can taste as much as you want. No kidding. They don't provide you with water, though, so at some point you will start feeling that you had enough chocolate. I recommend bringing at least a bottle of water to rinse your palate so you can enjoy the tasting better. These two sections were my favorites:

Like the chocolates? You can buy them at the shop right at the exit. The shop sells other products that are not available for tasting in the exhibition, and they are typically the special edition chocolates (i.e. winter special flavors). The chocolates sold here are cheaper than in the supermarket.

After too much chocolate (maybe there is never too much for some of you), it's good to have something salty. We took the train from Broc to Gruyere to see how the delicious Swiss cheese is made in La Maison du Gruyere.

I study food technology, so nothing is really new to me. Nevertheless, I find the use of automation pretty amazing. The tanks on the right are where rennet (the enzyme to curd milk into cheese) is added into milk, stirred and cut. On the left is where they drain water and whey from casein curds and mold them into a cheese wheel. The machines automatically turn the cheese wheel from time to time.

Note that the cheese production is only 3-4 times a day, between 9-11 AM and between 1-2 PM. Make sure to plan your trip well!

After an interactive session upstairs, you can also visit the cellar where the cheeses are aged.

The visit took us around 30-45 minutes because we took things slowly. 

Aside from the cheese factory, you can also visit the restaurant. There are better places out there, but if you are only on a short visit to Switzerland and will have no other chance to try the fondue, you can try it here. It's not that the fondue is bad, but my friend and I had better cheese fondue with richer taste of the cheese and the white wine. Also, for the portion, it is a little bit overpriced. With the three of us, we thought of sharing the set menu: Menu gruérien for 44 Francs, but it was not really enough to fill us. This comes with cheese fondue, dried meat platter and meringue with double creme and raspberries.

Cheese fondue (Gruyère AOP and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP) Served with bread, potatoes, onions and gherkins

Himbeeren, Meringue und Doppelrahm aus dem Greyerzerland - Raspberries, meringue and double cream of Gruyère

Holzplättli mit Trockenfleisch - Wooden plate with dried beef meat

If you live around Vevey, I'd recommend to visit des Trois Siflettes. Check this link for my fondue experience there.

Close to the train station is Gruyere castle and a small town. If you want to buy souvenirs, buy them at La Maison du Gruyere because it is cheaper; don't buy them at the town center.

The interior of the castle was rustic but well-maintained. You should not expect glamorous and bourgeois decorations like in Palace of Versailles, but this castle is for sure bigger than Chateau de Chillon close to Montreux. 

The view from the top of the castle was also splendid, since it is located up the hill. The climb was not too bad, since we kept stopping on every floor to explore the castle.

Lastly, enjoy the scenic sunset in Gruyere:

I would recommend a full day trip for Broc and Gruyere if you don't live close by. Shops closes early in Switzerland, so start exploring early. The restaurant at La Maison du Gruyere closes at 7 PM in between October and May and 8 PM in summer (Jun - Sep).

For more information, check out their official websites:

La Maison Cailler (Broc)

La Maison du Gruyere Cheese Factory (Gruyere)

La Maison du Gruyere Restaurant (Gruyere)

Gruyere Castle (Gruyere)

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Spain - Toledo, a Medieval City

As a video game lover, I've encountered many medieval-themed games. Castles, swords, knights... well, if you like these things, you will have to visit Toledo in Spain.

Overview of Toledo

I took a day off from my Madrid trip, as my friend suggested. Toledo is only half an hour away from Madrid by train. However, I highly recommend buying the train ticket in advance because there are a lot of people commuting to and from Madrid. It will not be surprising if you can't find tickets to go in the morning if you attempt to buy the ticket just before you ride the train.

This also means that you should - or I'd rather say, MUST - buy the return ticket in advance unless you are staying in Toledo for a night. 

Once you reached Toledo station, there is a tourist information centre where you can buy a wristband with access to 5 or 6 main attractions of Toledo. If I'm not wrong, you can also buy a combi ticket for the train ticket and the wristband at Atocha Renfe station in Madrid. I'm not sure if it would be cheaper, but in any case, you can still buy the wristband in Toledo station.

Toledo Station

Do you have to buy the wristband? Well, for sure, you'll save time queuing outside the main attractions. For some attractions, a guided tour is provided. So in the end, I think the wristband is worth getting.

The first attraction I entered was the cathedral.

What's interesting about this cathedral is that there are a lot of somewhat hidden rooms. Exploring the cathedral on your own feels like being in an RPG.

One of the 'hidden' rooms

As a foodie, tasting the local food is a must. I tried Toledanas, which are kind of like very crumbly almond cookies. They're yummy!

I enjoy looking at the buildings and walking up and down the alleys. Oh, that being said, PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. And don't wear heels because they might get stuck between the stones on the ground.

The City Hall

You might think a library is too boring to visit, but not in Toledo.

If you enter the City Library (Biblioteca Publica del Estado), you can go to the 9th floor and have a great view of Toledo for free. Well, it would be nice to buy some drinks from the cafe up there.

 If you're not scared of heights, try visiting Iglesia del Salvador (included in the wristband). The church is very small and the design is pretty simple, but you could climb the bell tower.

Iglesia del Salvador

Iglesia del Salvador, bell tower view 1

Iglesia del Salvador, bell tower view 2

Iglesia del Salvador, bell tower view 3

Castilla-La Mancha Escuela de Arte

The synagogue, Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca, is a little bit difficult to appreciate without a guide. Somehow I missed the guided tour, so I didn't really understand what to look out for except that the interior somewhat looked like an interior of a mosque.

The next one is actually a must-go place: Iglesia de San Ildefonso. Why? Because you can get the best view of Toledo from this church's tower.

The interior is not as grandeur as the Toledo cathedral, but the entrance to the tower is free.

The climb wasn't that bad: the stairs are large enough. It's definitely much easier than climbing the Basilica di San Pietro's dome in Vatican City.

I didn't bring a good camera with me, but even with my smart phone, the view from the tower is magnificent enough.

My last highlight of Toledo would be the city gate.

The city gate is accessible for free, but in order to climb up the gate, you have to have the wrist band combi ticket I mentioned at the beginning of the post. All in all, the combi ticket is worth the price. It saves you time from queuing for tickets (especially for the Cathedral), and you get guided tours at certain spots.

Again, the climb wasn't bad at all. It's a little bit cramped, but it's fine.

Toledo is a gorgeous place to visit!

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