It's easy to wake to the beautiful lake view I have, and I’m keen to join the Train du Chocolat, that’s right you heard, Chocolate but they forgot to add to the tour name - Cheese too!!

8.40am easy walk to the station to meet the delightful chocolate train, onboard we are greeted with a chocolate croissant and hot drink.     Our travel is through tranquil countryside with it’s rolling hills and green green pastures where the cows of course produce the very best Le Gruyeres Cheese .   The visit to the cheese demonstration dairy is probably one of the best I’ve seen, because they actually showed you the whole process, from start to finish live – they had sections of each stage happening real time. You don’t just look over the cheese maker’s shoulder, your peek right into the vat....everything was behind big glass panels and you were given a headset to listen to each step, we were guided by a Cow called Cherry – it had some humour added as she mentioned how the farmer made her cheese, what she ate to give the flavour of the cheese, how she had 4 tummy’s and that she wasn’t so keen when her t*** were pulled on a regular basis!! We were all given a sample of cheese – 6 months, 8 months and 10 months.   It surprises me how the flavour really does change as it gets older.   I came away with a small piece of my favourite cheese and over the next few days had it on a fresh roll I got from breaky for lunch.     I was so good, didn’t buy any more cheese ok ..........ok I did, I bought a small best Cheese Recipe book!

We then were taken to the medieval town of Gruyeres by a bus, a delightful small town, really just a street with outdoor cafes and some shops.   We were greeted by bells, ringing – goats in a paddock feeding on the rich green grass.   Every sheep had a bell so you can imagine the sound.

There was a castle and museum to visit but I’d seen my castle yesterday and didn’t want to rush in the few hours we had there for lunch and exploration of the town of 15th to 17th century houses along a pedestrian street.   I had lunch at the top of the town at the Chalet Restaurant it has a clock made of different size cow bells, so it chimed at times whilst I was there.    I decided to have a fondue, it was a ham and cheese type for one, often the menu’s only cater for two, so this was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.   At the restaurant it had copies of chapters of Heidi, yes Heidi is from Switzerland.   I enjoyed reading some of those, and it brought back memories of when I was a child along with the movie with Shirley Temple in it.   I forgot about Peter and Clara who she helped get better living in the country.  

As we left, I happened to get to see two black lambs, probably only a month old, and got in a pat, before Mum wanted all the attention!

Our last stop was to the Cailler Chocolate Factory- pure chocolate – pure emotion they say! In a town called Broc. Again I can see why this tour is popular another good factory show, with walk in compartments of the history and the making of chocolate and the story of Cailler Chocolate which we know it as Nestle.   As soon as you walk in the door you can smell cocoa, it’s such a rich yummy smell, it gets your taste buds longing for chocolate something.

The last part of the tour is the chocolate tasting I don’t think I have ever been to a factory that just allows you to eat as much as you want, as long as you don’t leave the room, oh my golly, I had to leave after 4 pieces I just couldn’t eat more than that as prior to the tasting area you were given samples as you went through the factory at each stage of making too.   I did buy some chocolate, at the factory it is amazingly cheap, I think I bought three blocks for a couple of dollars.   Yes they are still in my bag, whether they get home is another question!!!