The castle of Tourbillon on the hill opposite Valere basilica was built at the turn o the 13th and…read more14th century by bishop Boniface de Challant, a native of Savoy, who made it his principal residence. It is a short walk up a hill from the town of Sion to visit the two castles sitting on opposite hills form each other. The castle unfortunately was ruined during a great fire, that also destroyed part of the town of Sion in 1788. However, there is still a small chapel at the center of the castle ruins that is well preserved. However, the chapel is locked and you can only gain entrance with a tour or guide. Thankfully, on the day my group of friends went, I happened upon the volunteer guide ending his tour with a couple of visitors. He was kind enough to take me on a personal tour of the chapel and up into one of the remaining towers. It would have been an impressive place at one time, if it wasn't mostly destroyed.

This subterranean lake has a length of around 300 meters, which they say makes this the largest…read morenatural underground lake in Europe. Even better it can be explored during a 30 minute boat ride. Most of the guides are able to speak in English, so they translated sections of the tour to those of us on the row boat that were English speaking. The lake is open the 19th of March to the 1st of November. You can take the train easily to St. Leonard and then walk up. At the entrance to the lake is a small cafe and trinket tourist shop, where you can purchase your ticket for 10 CHF. In Switzerland, very few places have indoor air conditioning, so it is hard to find a place to get out of the heat to relax. One extremely hot day, we decided to check out the underground lake. As you walk down the stairs to get onto the boat you can feel the temperature drop significantly. The guide told us that no matter what time of the year the temperature remains the same down there. It was amazing to be on a boat in a cave, you feel like you are in a movie. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom. It was beautiful. The 10 CHF was definitely worth the 30 minute retreat from the hot heat. We almost went on the boat a second time because it was so enjoyable. They have fish that they placed into the lake to keep the water clean. There were HUGE. You could see them swarming all around the boat.

Valere Basilica i s a fortified church which stands on an opposite hill from the hill on which the…read moreCastle of Tourbillon lies. Valere was built during the 12th and 13th centuries and obtained the rank of minor basilica at the time of the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1984. This was the first time I have been to a castle - that was really a Church. It is quite impressive and the inside is well preserved. There is even an organ on the west side of the basilica that is believed to have been built in 1425, which would make it one of the oldest organs in the world that still works. Its pipes are arranged to form a rough outline of a church. There is a small museum here that you need to pay extra to enter. I didn't enter the museum when I was there as I was running out of time, and the church itself was pretty impressive to explore by itself.

From Valere there is a great overview on the city of Sion and the surroundingsread more

Want to step back into medieval times? Then definitely check out the Château de La Bâtiaz. This…read moreis a 13th Century medieval castle built as a fortress, not a residence, in order to protect the neighboring area. No fancy royal balls were thrown here, the only thing thrown here most likely were large objects from a catapult. From Martigny, you need to walk across the river, out of town, and up into the cliffs. It's a short trek, but worth it. Check out the website for information on visiting times. We went during the off season, but were lucky to catch a demonstration of one of the many catapults they have on display in the courtyard as you enter the castle. There is supposed to be a display of torture devices, and while there were a few, I think that either it was shut down for the season, as we went through the turn style without having to pay, or, it was under renovation. We climbed up the tower (which it appears you typically have to pay for, but for some reason there was no ability to pay - you just walked up at the time), and from the top of the tower is a great view of the region. Also, one of the special surprises was that there is a medieval tavern on site. The food was really good! They also appear to put on shows at the castle during the open season. I would definitely go back.

Very original and good medieval food and service :)read more

Our favorite activity while in Zermatt. We arrived via the loop trail (Blatten via Gorner Gorge)…read morewhich put us entering from the far end. This direction of travel through made our trip all down stairs. If you enter the other way (from the entrance where you pay (5.50 each), you'll be going up a bit of short, steep stairs. Either way you choose to go the gorge is amazing. We started the trail in the morning and never met anyone until we entered the gorge, still only meeting 2 people while down in it. Highly recommend! And if you fancy a bit more of a hike we found that loop trail to be great beginning to end.

From the statue of Freddie Mercury, it's almost a perfect 2 miles down to the Chateau du Chillon…read moreand the whole walk is gorgeous, planted with stunning flowers throughout. It gets much nicer the closer you get to Montreux, but you'll find them the whole way down. A well paved path, it's pretty highly used by all manner of walkers, runners, and dogs. Not to be missed - definitely take it to/from the castle if you have the time.

My boyfriend has been my guide through Switzerland and decided today we'd visit the Tower of Fart…read more I know apparently how you pronouce Peilz sounds the same as the word fart. Later on I'll be reviewing the Castle of to shit. Anyways, this tower is situated near the lake and is in the city near Nestle. Yes the company is from Switzerland. Saw the building too. The tower has some kind of walk way to it, but it was closed when we got to the door. We then took a walk around the tower. There was a cave with water dripping through the top as it was raining when we were there. Also a little area full of yachts. Cute place to meander around. The museum of games is here too.