Chateau Chillon
It is starting to look like spring outside, even though it's the end of February. It's still a little cold to start doing a lot of traveling, but we were really ready to get out for a little day trip. We headed over to Chateau Chillon, located on a small rocky island near the far end of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Here I am at the postern gate at the castle's base level. This gate had access to the lake and allowed for delivery of goods by boat or for the escape of castle occupants when the need called. The little pamphlet guide says that this probably became an execution room in the 16th century. Eww. 
This talk of execution brings me to the poem written by Lord Bryon, called The Prisoner of Chillon, which tells the tale of one man's captivity in the dungeon of Chateau Chillon. The castle has inspired other writers and artists from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Delacroix to Courbet.
In all, we spent about 3 hours wandering the rooms of the chateau, ending at the top of the keep. The keep, on the center of the island rock, is thought to date back to the 11th century, with the rest of the chateau having evolved around it. It was a neat to place to visit, even in February, with more to offer than I first thought.
It is starting to look like spring outside, even though it's the end of February. It's still a little cold to start doing a lot of traveling, but we were really ready to get out for a little day trip. We headed over to Chateau Chillon, located on a small rocky island near the far end of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Here I am at the postern gate at the castle's base level. This gate had access to the lake and allowed for delivery of goods by boat or for the escape of castle occupants when the need called. The little pamphlet guide says that this probably became an execution room in the 16th century. Eww. 
This talk of execution brings me to the poem written by Lord Bryon, called The Prisoner of Chillon, which tells the tale of one man's captivity in the dungeon of Chateau Chillon. The castle has inspired other writers and artists from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Delacroix to Courbet.
In all, we spent about 3 hours wandering the rooms of the chateau, ending at the top of the keep. The keep, on the center of the island rock, is thought to date back to the 11th century, with the rest of the chateau having evolved around it. It was a neat to place to visit, even in February, with more to offer than I first thought. 
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