Cheesing It Up in Gruyères

Gruyères is always a favorite destination for visitors, in part because it is such a short drive from Geneva, but especially because it is so wonderfully picturesque and has great food, especially if one is a cheese lover.  Fortunately, my summer visitors were!  So, off we headed to visit this delightful place - me for approximately the thousandth visit, but I enjoy it every single time!

At the entrance gate, we were greeted by the heraldic emblem of the Counts of Gruyères (featuring a representation of the crane (grue in French).

The crane motif is repeated everywhere.

From the village itself, the mountains looked as if they were a painted backdrop.

In addition to the castle, there were lots of shops, featuring Swiss handicrafts

such as these lawn decorations.

A small chapel now serves as an art gallery.

During our visit, we witnessed a horse-drawn cart that had just deposited

a bride and groom to their reception destination.

My visitors especially enjoyed the view from the medieval ramparts and

walked around to enjoy the scenery from different perspectives.