SWITZERLAND
Snowy landscapes
greet guests at the
Art Furrer Hotels in
Riederalp MitteLAUSANNE
From Bern, we head south towards
Lausanne, but not before making a quick stop
at Broc-Fabrique, home of Maison Cailler, the
oldest brand of Swiss chocolate still in
existence. Even before our train pulls up to
the station, the strong smell of cocoa beans
roasting hits us and our mouths start to water
at the thought of trying one of Switzerland’s
most established brands of chocolate. It
doesn’t take much effort to use our noses as
guides to find the all-white maison with a
calligraphic Cailler brandished at the top.
The museum/factory has self-guided tours
that take visitors on a spectacular journey
from bean to bar through specially designed
rooms with special effects that tell the history
of chocolate-making, how Cailler brought
this art to Switzerland and a shortened
factory walkthrough of making a simple
piece of Cailler milk chocolate. The tour then
culminates in a sample room where visitors
can taste test various chocolates, pralines and
bon bons produced right at Maison Cailler.
Fulfil souvenir requirements for friends and
family back home by stocking up on Cailler
chocolate products in the gift shop or,
indulge in a rich and frothy hot or ice cold
chocolate beverage with a pastry at the cafe.
With chocolate-filled bellies, we continue
on to Lausanne, the first of three cities we
visit that are located along the shores of Lac
Léman. Lausanne is famous two things: for
being the final resting place of Coco Chanel
(she’s buried in Cimetière du Bois-de-Vaux),
and for being the Olympic Capital of the
world. Lausanne was chosen as the
headquarters of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) by Baron Pierre de
Coubertin for its peaceful surroundings in- Today, it is where the President of the
IOC resides and where The Olympic
Museum is located.
For anyone who wants an in-depth
study on the Olympics, from its
beginnings in Greece to the most currently
held games in Rio de Janeiro, The Olympic
Museum is to be visited. It is possible to
spend a whole afternoon walking around
the 3,000m2 interactive exhibits that
showcase the things like the first Olympic
flag, how the games are chosen and the
various lanterns and torches that carry the
Olympic flame from Olympus itself to the
host country of the games, as well as
significant events in the Olympics’ history,
and even sports memorabilia from
medallists in the games. It is worth it to
hire a guide just to learn more details
about the Olympics in general and to find
hidden gems within the exhibits.Lifting high the banner of a united
world through sports at the entrance
to the Olympic Park. Below Lanterns
that carruy the Olympic flame across
the countries and continentsPHOTOGRAPHS: COPYRIGHT, LAUSANNE TOURISM / MANO; ART FURRER HOTELS