Chateau de Chillon

This morning we said goodbye to Saint Luc. Looking out the window, the snow-covered mountains lay out of reach, replaced by a dense fog. It gave the valley an imposing atmosphere for our departure, but in its own way it was also just as beautiful. The drive out of the mountains was not enjoyable, the windy one lane mountain roads are frightening enough in good conditions, the fog made the possibility of falling to our deaths a little too realistic. A short drive away we reached the Nicolas de Stael museum. I remember thinking it was very depressing he died so young, though honestly I'm not a huge fan of "modern art." I really liked the antique cars on the bottom floor of the museum, but more than that I found the sculptures outside excellent. I thought it was really interesting how the artists used the sunlight, shade, and water to display their pieces; it gives a huge amount of depth to their art which it seemed to me the paintings inside had lacked.

After leaving the museum we set out for the Chateau de Chillon. My first impression of the Chateau was that the fog on the lake was very dramatic. It made it impossible to tell where the water ended, and the sky and the mountains began. There are some things just so beautiful you can't capture them with a camera, one of the reasons I don't have one. The other reason is it makes me feel too much like a tourist. Being the "Other" I already feel enough like an outsider. The path outside the castle where we had our presentation of Chillon was perfect; allowing us to look over the lake, into the dense fog, unable to see the other shore. The atmosphere of it all was just so intense, so thick with mystery.

I really wished I had read Lord Byron's poem before visiting Chillon. I feel like the tour would have been more impressive if I had. The castle itself however was impressive enough. It seems to rise out of the lake, right into the fog; mixing itself with the scenery behind it. I'm actually glad we got to see the Chateau de Chillon in this weather, it made for a very dark ominous feel as we walked around the high castle walls. The castle seemed to speak to us, messages of people long dead and gone.

Lord Byron's name on one of the pillars.

The tour guide tried to lighten everything up for us, talking about the parties and culture of the castle, the grandeur of the Savoy family and all that. However for me at least, it didn't matter what she said; Chillon belonged to the fog. And this had overtaken our perspective of the castle. No matter how she tried to sugarcoat Chillon, with its' grand wealth and prosperity, if I had to describe the castle in one word it would be chilling. The drive from Chillon to Lausanne was not very long. Once there we set out looking for dinner, where the stars and mountains of Saint Luc were replaced by the blinding lights of the city.