Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The transfer at Zweisimmen places you aboard MOB's Golden Pass Panoramic
Express on a narrow-gauge railroad, with Montreux as its destination. The best
instruction here is to “follow the crowd” as you move between the standard- and
narrow-gauge trains.
A regular stop is Gstaad, which, you may recall, is the alpine-resort retreat of
many famous movie stars, including Elizabeth Taylor and Roger Moore. During
his lifetime, Richard Burton frequented the area, and the late David Niven main-
tained a chalet there on a mountainside for many years. Château d'Oex (pro-
nounced “day”) is an alpine resort, too, but more at the family level, frequented by
the Genevese when they grow tired of viewing beautiful Lake Geneva—possibly
because it's flat.
Our “wood pile theory” can be tested—at least two-thirds of it—because you will
be passing from a German-speaking area into one of French habitation. Based on
research we have made during several decades of European rail travel, the the-
ory is this: The Germans pile wood with precision, the Italians pile it artistically,
and the French stack theirs with an air of independence. The two regular stops are
Gstaad and Château d'Oex. Watch what happens to the wood piles between these
two points. Gstaad, as the name may imply, is German; Château d'Oex lies in the
French-speaking district.
Approaching Montreux, the train descends 2,000 feet to Lake Geneva in much
the same manner as a jet airliner does when entering a landing pattern. It whirls
through a series of hairpin curves for almost a half hour before coming to rest be-
side the main Montreux railway station. Have your camera handy, for you are going
to see some sensational scenery during the descent.
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