Gruyeres the walled village

You can click on the images to see the large view.

Gruyere was exactly how I remembered it.  The last time I was here was in August of 1970.  I had hitchhiked from Barcelona to Geneva for a Summer session in French at L'Universite de la Cite in Geneva.  I met a guy on the way who lived in Geneva and was returning home after a summer of travel.  He told me that I would never find a place to stay that I could afford and invited me to stay with his family while attend the university.  The family did not know me from Adam but took me in as one of their own.  My time there formed friendships that  have lasted a lifetime.  While staying with the family, one weekend we traveld by car to Gruyere.  Each night the mother would make a different dish for dinner but something at the meal would always have Gruyere Cheese in it.  I often asked questions about this magnificent cheese and one night she told me that she would take me to the village where all the Gruyere cheese is made.  Little did I know that all this cheese could come from a village this small and remote.  This is a land where cows, goats and sheep are king.  Festivals, children's stories and legends are built around these animals and their strong ties with the Swiss countryside.

The first image of Gruyere above gives some perspective as to the layout and location of this beautiful fairytale village.  It is a village so typical of this medieval time period of the 1100's or thereabouts.    The entire village is surrounded by a wall....from the entrance at the right had side until the Castle at the other end.  The street that you see served as a support system for the castle.  Therein lived the merchants and workers that provided the upkeep and construction infrastructure for the Lord of the Castle.  Inhabitants from all the surrounding areas would travel to the village and buy goods from the merchants....food, fresh fruits and vegetables, living supplies and of course cheese.  The lord of the castle would then tax the merchants and demand payment for the use of the merchant shops.  Sound familiar?

During our stay at Gruyere, each of the images above would become part of our experience while in Gruyere....from top to bottom _ view of Gruyere from the train, The castle in the mist at the end of the street, the clock-tower, the Hostelerie St. George where we stayed and the weather during our stay.

Dan