Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley visited Montreux Switzerland in 1816 and sailed on Lake Geneva, then called Lake Leman. Byron toured Chillon Castle which stands on the lake, and wrote his poem, “The Prisoner of Chillon,” about Francois Bonivard who was imprisoned in Chillon’s dungeons from 1532 -1536.
“There are seven pillars of gothic mould,
in Chillon’s dungeons deep and cold.”
“There are seven columns, mossy and grey,
Dim with a dull imprisoned ray”
(The dungeon is below.)
“They chained us each to column stone,
And we were three, yet each alone”
You can see the columns and just make out the iron loops for the chains towards the bottom of the closest one. A class of bored school children were listening to their teacher. She droned on way too long. If one just read the more gruesome lines of Byron’s poem and let the kids explore the dungeon, I bet they’d be hooked on poetry for life! I speak terrible French, but I swear I heard the teacher, say, “Listen Johann, you will be tested on this!” Laughing, there was nothing that would have made me listen less, but I digress…..
Chillon castle was home to the counts of Savoy from the mid 12th century.
The oldest bedroom in the castle has 14th century medieval murals.
Montreux and Lake Geneva are beautiful. There is an old city center that is fun to explore and lots of wonderful restaurants. We bid farewell to Switzerland now, as we head back to Germany.
Cheers to you from Sweet Suise!
Quotations from “The Prisoner of Chillon,” Lord Byron 1816.
For more on Bonivard check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Bonivard
What perfect blues in the first picture. So soothing… calming. Just the kind of thing i needed to see right now. Hugs!
Ahhhhh, so glad. Sending cheers and hugz to you!
What a chilling, yet fascinating place. That first photo is so serene! 🙂
It really is a beautiful castle. All the castles had dungeons, and errrrr …….people who were in them! It was all part of the middle ages I guess. Can you imagine eating dinner with prisoners in the dungeon? I think I would prefer a cottage!
I love how you have caught the light on those beautiful flowers the colour and delicacy really make a contrast to the surrounding buildings. Lovely composition Cindy
Awwww, thank you for looking so closely Pauline!
What an astonishing post. Thank you, Cindy!
What a kind comment! Thank you~
Aaaaaa, the Swiss…….gotta love place, I like to call it little castles, the buildings look like they have come out some fantasy child type of movie, the little town houses do have something to them. Not a lot of skycrapers there, which in one sense is good since I don´t look up constantly and end up with neck pain.
I am with you on skyscrapers, the Swiss does countryside looks like a beautiful fairy tale! Cheers to you my friend and be well~
wollte noch mal schauen, so schön ist das, schönen Sonntag, Klaus
Sie sind sehr freundlich ! Danke !
That castle is just spellbinding. And the view of those mountains in the distance – wow! Cheers, Cindy.
So happy you enjoyed it as I did Halim and cheers back to you my friend~
Wieder wunderschöne Fotos ich wünsche einen schönen Sonntag und gute neue Woche lieber Gruß von mir Gislinde
Sie sind ein guter Freund Gislinde ! Vielen Dank !
A lovely place, Cindy. You photos are gorgeous. 🙂
You are most kind and most appreciated my friend. Good luck with the new home improvement project~
Awesome castle! But I wouldn’t want to be chained up in that dungeon! I feel for those school children…”Test” is a dirty word at the moment as it also applies in my workplace and so far it’s not going at all well 😉 If I’m lucky I might still have a job at the end of it all! If not I will probably be chained up in that very dungeon you talk about here!! 😉
Eeeeks! Retirement is the only long term solution to such a job I am afraid. But they will never succeed in chaining you my friend. Let them try, Wolfie will eat them. Besides your mind flies high and clear in your blog and can never be chained. Let us know who dares to try such and we will bury them in bloggery!!! 🙂
Seriously, if they don’t appreciate YOU, then they suck.
That is just my professional clinical opinion~
You can tell I was good at my job. I was, and I am right about this!!! ❤
The colors are still vibrant on the 14th century murals, which is amazing to see!
This was a ceiling and I am not sure if it is of the same time period as the murals which I have photos of also. I am not sure of the century. Still this is an old castle and these are old ceilings and I agree with you, they are amazing. Thank you and cheers too~
Yikes on the story … but on-my-gosh wonderful on the location!!!!
Yes, exactly my reaction!!!
Such a paradisiacal place dear Cindy. Wonderful photos!. Sending you love, Aquileana 😛
Sending it back to you my friend with appreciation too!
This took me straight back to going round Chillon when I was 7 or 8. It made a great impression on me and was the first postcard I ever bought! RH ps my father had Byron’s room at Trinity, Cambridge. I hoped to follow suit but the room allocations by the time I was at Trinity didn’t work out for me, sadly!
What an amazing history! It would really be special to have Byron’s room! Did it induce poetic inspiration in your father??? 😉
amazing pictures, Cindy! sending hugs from baldy x
Thank you so much for the appreciation and hugz back to you!
danke für deinen Besuch, eine gute Woche, Klaus
Vielen danke! Freundlich!
Not only did I read and hear this post- I felt it! Thank you.
Oh that is lovely! Thank you!
Oh I just love this! I’ve always had a love of castles as well as a love of Byron’s poetry. It’s almost magical to be able to see these pictures while reading some… 😀
So glad you love Byron too and yes it is wonderful to read and actually see where the poor prisoner was held! Cheers to you and thank you too~
whew, that dungeon looks very scary. Thanks so much for this tour of Switzerland, I’m sad to see it go, but I think Germany will be great too. 😀
So happy you enjoyed my friend and yes Germany is always wonderful too!
Such beautiful work Cindy ~ and Switzerland is this great place of beauty I’ve long admired…thanks for the tour!
Thank you more for the thoughtful comments my friend!
I was just at Lake Constance in July ~ so these posts took me back to the beauty (and incredible food)! Cheers!
Ahhhhh, yes!! Beauty and food, worth traveling a long way for!!!! 😉
I am always moved by what you share… the images always leave me breathless, along with your words such a delight to embrace. But I also wanted to let you know something that is not said enough…thank you for always blessing me with your visits…they are priceless blessings to me Cindy. God has allowed many in this world to become sisters and brothers through his genuine and selfless love. You are one of those gems! God bless you and thank you always!
Awwwww, so kind of you Wendell and so appreciated too! Thank you~
Fascinating to explore the history behind the poetry. It’s eerie and moving but also beautiful in your photos. Thanks for sharing.
Such a kind and thoughtful comment! Merci beaucoup~
Wow! Stunning! I love the way the columns emerge out of solid rock!
Good eyes! Yes the whole castle is built on this irregular rock island!
Those folk were tough back then! No auto anything and yet…
look what they create!
Images of that bring the the desire to live beautifully. Thank you!
Oh that makes them more worthwhile! Thank you so much~
Great photos brought to life by the poem you were clever enough to add…those kids should have had you for a guide.
I would have loved it! I used to teach my kids science olympiad teams and it was such a blast! Thanks so much and cheers to you~
Love the flying buttresses.
Gorgeous structures aren’t they! I do too~
Poor Bonivard imprisoned in those dungeons for four years, never able to see the beauty of the surrounding waters and views. I bet it was extra damp in those dungeons.
What is it with some teachers — that they can bore children silly with something that could be made interesting if delivered in a more entertaining style?
That is a million dollar question! I think either they are unexcited about the subject or just plain burned out. It is so fun to teach kids, but I imagine that day in and day out, year after year, one might get quite tired of it.
That first shot is dreamy, Cindy! And then the harsh reality of Chillon and the dungeons. I’ll keep my head in the clouds, I think 🙂
Better than in a dungeon any day!
After dreamy and scary and harsh realities the blue water is soothing washing away all worries 🙂
Oh so glad and cheers to you too! ❤
I really should have looked closer at your blog when I first followed. I’m loving it all. Thank you 🙂
So glad! We have some similar traveling history so it is great to know you!
And you.
I have a few posts in drafts that are relating to my recent trip to Switzerland and Italy. I’ve been waiting ages for my husband to go through all the pics (5000 in total) and choose some for me to use, but he’s not had the time. I’ll probably end up just posting the review with only a few images at this rate.
Lovely to make your acquaintance.
Right time for me to go to bed.
Night night.
Lovely to meet you too and look forward to your posts and photos!
Beautiful photos of a fascinating place! It’s incredible how some teachers can turn something that kids should enjoy into something dull – takes a talent of sorts!!
Laughing, yes maybe we can call it a reverse talent! 😉
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