Thursday, April 3, 2014

C - Chillon Castle, Switzerland




On the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva, I had the chance to visit Chillon Castle.  I admit to getting slightly lost.  It is big.  There are lots of stairs and passageways.  Even with a map and having learned orienteering with the Boy Scouts, I found myself seemingly going around in circles.


The highlight is certainly the underground area where prisoners were kept.  The most well-known is that of the imprisonment of Francois Bonivard by the Duke of Savoy.  The imprisonment was immortalized by Lord Byron, who made him the hero of his poem  "The Prisoner of Chillon".

Below are pictures of the dungeon area and the view from same.






One of the outside courtyards above, and the guest quarters below.

 


All in all, lots to see in a very unusual setting, on day three.

On my Bucket List:  Costa Rica

15 comments:

  1. This place is so beautiful. I just randomly called here and you might be interested
    http://asoutherngypsy.com/c-costa-rica-5-unforgettable-adventures/
    Good luck with the A to Z challenge
    martine@ silencingthebell

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  2. What a beautiful place, I have written about some of the places I have visited. I really love the picture of the lake, looked stunning and so relaxing.

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  3. That view is so beautiful. I love it.

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  4. Gorgeous, Denise. I've never been inside Chillon, only passed by it in a boat on the lake. Excellent post!!

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    1. It was a very interesting experience. Hard to choose between all of the pictures I took.

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  5. Love exploring castles so this would certainly be on my list if and when we get to visit the Lake Geneva area. It's really cool to wander in and out of the passageways and get a feeling as to what the prisoners were going through. Some can be very realistic indeed as they are so well maintained and preserved over the years. Great post, looking forward to the rest of your A to Z Challenge!

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    1. Passageways. Wander. Right. I'd probably miss my dinner a lot if I had lived there. Prisoners slept on sloping stones cut into the walls. Ugh!

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  6. Beautiful castle and photos! I love exploring castles so this would definitely be on my list :)

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  7. Absolutely stunning! While I lived in Germany, I was able to see many castles similar to this. Seeing your pictures really made me miss it. I think I'll take down my photo albums….thanks!!

    Elsie
    AJ's wHooligan in the A-Z Challenge

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  8. I haven't been to that specific place, but I LOVE Switzerland. It was one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen.

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    1. I would love to go back and cross the country by train.

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  9. Never been to Switzerland although hubby went before I met him. Lovely castle and beautiful views.

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  10. Oh how beautiful and the history! The one picture of the gothic hall actually sent chills down my spine-eerie to me for some reason and yet so beautiful

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