Neuchâtel

On Saturday we jumped in the car and drove over to Neuchâtel, which is meant to be one of the most French towns of la Suisse romande in terms of language, food, and attitudes, and is also the watch-making capital of Switzerland.

Switzerland being a small country, it only took us about an hour of driving to get from Vevey to Neuchâtel, and although I always considered Neuchâtel to be North West of us (being so close to France) in fact it is almost exactly to the North and even a tiny bit to the East. Anyway, that is enough about the oddly shaped country we live in!

We started at the top of the old town, near the 12th century Collégiale church and Château, after which the town gets its name.

We wandered around the cobbled streets, hopping into shops and downing hot chocolates to keep us warm. The old town is very attractive, and the Art and History museum was surprisingly interesting, housing some famous 18th Century Automotons (the Writer, the Illustrator and the Musician) as well as some interesting artwork by local artists.

We stayed in Neuchâtel until sunset when the temperature suddenly dropped, driving home via Yverdon where we took a walk around the old town and had another warming cup of hot chocolate. I think more than anything this trip reminded us just how small the country is, especially when you have a car, and how easy it is to get out and see more of the place with minimal fuss.