The Train du Chocolat

On one of our days in Switzerland we drove into Montreaux to board the "Train du Chocolat" which was an all day trip from Montreaux through Montbovon onto Gruzeres and then to Broc. The train was really nice, first class according to the brochure, the engine was metallic gold with the name on it and there was only four carriages and they were like the old fashioned trains, actually they were old train carriages, but had like upholstered lounge chair like seats and carpeted floors and lovely big clean windows to look out of. The actual train journey was very scenic and relaxing, especially for David who could sit and enjoy the scenery as he didnt have to concentrate and drive! We arrived at the village of Gruyeres where we did a tour of the factory that makes the famous Gruyuere Cheese, I thought it would stink like other cheese factories we have visited in the past but it was all behind big glass walls which was excellent!! It was really interesting walking through the factory and seeing the huge copper vats full of hot milk and how they made the cheese, after the cheese is put into the moulds for a couple of days, they then dunk the cheese in vats of salt for another couple of days before storing them in a big cellar and turning them regularly. We got some samples to take home which were very handy as we had them on toast for tea that night!! After the cheese factory tour we had a couple of hours free to wander around the village of Gruyeres and check out the Castle of Gruyeres which was good but to tell you the truth we are a bit "castled and chateaued" out by now!! But it had great views of the surrounding countryside. The village was nice we had lunch at a cafe with good views and I had a ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of tea, and it was really good!! Most other people seemed to be eating cheese fondue, which looked way to cheesy for me!! We then boarded a bus to be transferred to the village of Broc to the "Maison Cailler-Nestle" Chocolate factory. The tour through the factory was interesting enough, but the free tasting (which was really why everyone was there!!) was excellent, they had all their range on the testing plates, but there is only so much chocolate you can eat in a few minutes!! They also had a factory shop with everything on sale. We then took the train back through the mountains to Montreaux. It was a great day, really enjoyable and relaxing.