Chateau-de-Chillon

Today we headed south to a castle guarding the Bernese Alps - Chateau-de-Chillon. We took the train to Lausanne and from there we chose a boat cruise to the castle. The boat ride was really nice. For 2-hours we cruised along taking in the shore scenery. The hilly shore was awash with fields of grapes from the many winerys in the area. The homes and towns looked pretty darn good too.
The castle dates back to the early 12th century, but its site has been occupied since the Bronze Age. It is built on a natural island just off the mainland. This creates a natural moat around the castle. It is deceivingly small on the outside. Inside it is very spacious. Really, the only tight spots are some of the passage ways from one spot to another.
One example of the castle's size is the dining room below. The fireplace could be stood in by 8 or 10 grown men. The ceiling was about 20 ft. and the wood work of it was something I would like to have in my own house.
Oooo, can you guess what the next picture is? You've no doubt seen one before. A toilet fit for a King and a Queen since this was a two-holer. Your business would just drop 50 ft. into the lake below.
Nearly all the rooms of the castle were open for viewing. The tour took us through 46 rooms. The last of the rooms were in the Keep. The thing just kept going up and up. The stairs were steep and tight, but at the top you were rewarded with a great 360° view.
After leaving the castle we walked to the nearest train station for the ride home. On the way back we jumped off at Lausanne and went to a Starbucks in the old city center. We were going to have dinner, but little Parker was being a bit of a handful. It was better to just head home. Both Payton and Parker are becoming quite good tourists.