Day 3 Part 2: Dinner in Gruyères

After our visit to Maison Cailler it was time to head to Gruyères. Located in the Canton of Fribourg, in the foothills of Mont Moléson, the fortress town of Gruyères is perched atop an 82 metre hill.

It is a fascinating old town with many of the buildings being beautifully maintained in their original style and centuries old cobble stone streets that made for an interesting walk.

The largest building in the town is Chateau de Gruyères (castle) built between 1270 and 1282 and now home to a museum.

Chateau St Germain, another important building within the town, was acquired by the artist H.R. Giger and now houses the H.R. Giger Museum and the Giger Café/Bar. Sadly time did not allow for a visit to either museum, which gives me a reason for a return trip to do so.

Gruyères is of course the area where that fabulous cheese of the same name comes from. Given that we were in Gruyères, it was only natural that dinner would be fondue. Our restaurant was Café – Restaurant des Remparts which, like many buildings in the town, is built in to the external wall of the town.

The outer walls of the town are situated on the edges of the hill and thus give amazing views out over the surrounding countryside. Our group was fortunate as soon after sitting down, the clouds parted and we were able to enjoy the view with a little sun before it set.

The interior of the restaurant is very traditional Swiss style. Lots of wood, red and white, lace and very homely touches. The ladies who served us were dressed fairly traditionally as well.

An entrée of salad and platters of cold meats with pickled onions and cornichons was presented first, shortly followed by fondue of vacherin and While I usually have 2 or 3 fondues a year at home, it was a revelation to have it in Switzerland. Steamed chat potatoes are served along with bread cubes. The fondue itself was thick, cheesy and creamy and totally delicious.

All that cheesy goodness was followed by a dessert of wonderful fresh berries, topped with luscious, thick Gruyère cream. The cream was served at the table by the waitress who came around with a wooden bowl that the cream had been set in and the scooped out with a paddle shaped spoon. The dollop of cream was VERY generous.

Walking outside after dinner it was lovely to see the town lit up in the twilight.

Day 3 was a very long day for our group as we arrived back at the hotel around 1030, but a day that was really fascinating and fantastic.