It's another long day - a lot of it with no internet - so I;m glad when I manage to make my excuses and sneak off at around 4pm.
I'm going to head along the lake side to Chateau Chillon:
"Chillon est un bloc de tours pose sur un bloc de rochers". Victor Hugo, Le Rhin
I was told that it's a 45 minute walk from the conference venue, but it shuts at 5pm... so I decide to take advantage of my free public transport card during my stay. My hotel gave it to me... a great idea..... really encourages tourism. It can be quite tough to get up off your arse after being at a conference all day in order to put in some leg work at a museum or a castle, but when you;re given the transport for free, you feel you should use them.
The transport system is both regular; every ten minutes up to midnight.....and popular; I struggle for a seat on a long bendy bus.
15 minutes later I get off to the marvelous views of Chateau Chillon:
Its great walking over a moat and into a castle. The weather has to be above 20 degrees.... I'm in rolled up shirt sleeves and I'm listening to old skool Pearl Jam (17 days to go!!!). I'm in a great mood:
The place is much bigger than I expected. generally you go to medieval castles and you can't believe how Aristocracy lived in such small spaces.... but this is a little more serious:
It costs 10 CHF... which is reasonable.... but it does make me hope that there's something inside...
By this point I'm onto Pearl Jam playing the Melkweg in 1992:
I wander into the first courtyard...
The Chateau Chillon has been around since roman times, and has basically been built upon and built upon over the years. It's a little like my parents house...As a result the castle has lots of different bits dating from different times...
I cross the bridge into the castle and pass through a 15th century gate. You can tell by the shape of the archway that the gate is late 15th century(Bullshit! a leaflet provided all facts in this blog except the ones about Pearl jam) This opens out onto the first courtyard:
Immediately you get a feel for the castle, its a kind of higgledy piggledy mass of little turrets, and buildings with wooden roofs and struts... really nice, and the late afternoon glow really gives the terracotta roofs and yellow walls a summary feel..... Have I swallowed a Dulux colour chart?? or is it the first sun I've seen in 6 months coupled with Hungerstrike blasting in my ears:
From here I enter the first of the rooms... They are 13th century rooms which were used as various functions such as prisons, gallows and storehouses.
There;s some earthquake damage which makes i looks like the rocks have grown up from beneath the castle. The light shining in from the windows makes you imagine that the beautiful view actually emits light:
The highlight of this section of the castle is Bonivard's Prison. Bonivard was a prior who was in favour of the independence of Geneva and as a result was chained to a pillar for five years:
Lord Byron visited and while he wasn't busy having sex with his sister...he was inspired to write a poem about Bonivard:
Sonnet on Chillon
Eternal Spirit of the chainless Mind!
Brightest in dungeons, Liberty, thou art;--
For there thy habitation is the heart,--
The heart which love of thee alone can bind;
And when thy sons to fetters are consigned,
To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom,
Their country conquers with their martyrdom,
And Freedom's fame finds wings on every wind.
Chillon! thy prison is a holy place,
And thy sad floor an altar, for 'twas trod,
Until his very steps have left a trace,
Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod,
By Bonnivard! May none those marks efface!
For they appeal from tyranny to God.
He also sign his name on one of the pillars...
I listen to an extended jam at the end of Reachdown, I get some more photos. Byron wasn't the only artistic person to be in this room... on of the 15th century prisoners was a christian graffi artisit:
not a patch on Bulgaria.
From here, I get out to the second courtyard.. and climb stairs to another area of the castle.
It's clear there is a totally different atmosphere now. I am in a restored 13th Century Grand Hall. It;s pretty grand with very tasteful restoration.
There's a coat of mail and a suit of armer at one end it;s surrounded by various spears and lances:
It seems fitting that Sonic Reducer kicks in just as I'm looking at these instruments of war:
There's a great collection of period plates and jugs at one end..... the huge pewter jugs look worthy of a good night of feasting and drinking at the gollem:
I head through various rooms feeling like an old knight, except I'm sure that old knights don't dance and boogie to Baba O'Reilly and Rocking in the free world. I really hope no one else sneaked away from the conference...:
By the time I get to the master bedroom...I'm very jealous of the view:
There's also some Latrine's:
Who needs toilet duck!!!!
This leads out to the third courtyard....
This place is more of a small walled village than a castle.
The next section leads through various rooms for bedrooms, a great hall for banquets...
a hall for scribes and attendants to the duke..
...and shows us some models of the castle:
which leads us to another courtyard. From here, the entire side of the castle facing the road has got a bastion for archers. I run along imagining the days when legolas, i mean the archers.... were standing defending the castle. It's really exciting.. my good mood means that I feel like I'm 8 years old abnd running around castles in Scotland. It's just a shame the gift shop didn't sell plastic swords...
At the end of the first wall for archers there's a cannon pointed out towards the entrance to the moat:
Maybe I'm the only one.... but this wooden run, spirals round the side of the castle and up through the middle. I can't help but run along it, as I listen to Dirty Frank!!
this then leads up to the keep.... My adrenalin and energy and Brother by Pearl jam allows me to run up the 4 flights of stairs two at a time, leaving me at the top of the structure(world) looking out onto lake geneva, Montreux, and the alps......
I'm very impressed by the castle... too often Castles which aren't in complete ruins, are restored badly and filled with uninteresting dust in order that an admission charge can be put in place.... but his castle keeps the spirit alive.... makes you smell and feel back into the past.... It's situation is absolutely spectacular, and the good weather has me brimming full of energy.
I head back to the bus station and head back into town. I get off at the wrong end of town, so that I cna have a little walk back through the centre.....
I get to see the infamous casino which replaced the one in "Smoke on the water"
Not really worth the riff!!!
I also get to see Freddie in daylight....
After that it's back to the hotel for a gym session before I get some work down and settle for the night. My first real day of touring, travel and discovery this year and it felt amazing.....
Did I mention it's just 17 days to go:
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