Senior Cheese Lovers Head For Gruyères

Gruyères (French pronunciation: [gru-i-air]) is a town in the district of Gruyère in Switzerland just south of Bern. Its German name is Greyerz. Many seniors who enjoy good cheese know the high quality of Gruyere, it is one of the world’s best-known cheeses.

It’s near the top for me and my wife and I have enjoyed many classy French cheeses. Charles DeGaulle once said “How do you expect me to govern a country that has over 365 different kinds of cheeses and over a hundred ways to prepare an omelette?”  He was right you know. He also said “the world’s cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people.” That’s true too.

Cheese Fondue Tempts Senior Visitors

The medieval town of 2,000 inhabitants is an important tourist location in the upper valley of the Saane River, and gives its name to Gruyère cheese. Senior travelers simply must try the fondue, from the French word “fondre” which translated means to melt.

The traditional lunch in Gruyères includes Raclette, a Swiss dish based on heating a huge round cheese and scraping off (racler) the melted part. Senior visitors add it to sliced steamed potatoes or a variety of thin “charcuteries.” Miam Miam.

To make an “official fondue” it is a full meal, which consists of Gruyère AOP cheese and wine melted together in a pan. Break apart a nice baguette into smaller pieces, take the specially designed fondue long-stemmed forks and dip into the hot melted cheese. Yum.

The French say that whoever loses their first piece of bread into the melted cheese pays for the meal. So if you are a novice, better wait till someone else loses their bread. Several restaurants in town serve Gruyère specialities and desserts made with delicious Gruyère double cream.

There is also a chocolate fondue made of chocolate melted with milk or cream for dipping a variety of fruits. Cheese-making can be watched first-hand at the modern dairy in Gruyères or the traditional alp dairy at Moléson village.

Medieval Town Beacons Senior Visitors

The town is tiny with a handful of alleys and only one that can be called a street, but filled with things to see and do. At the far end of town is the castle of Gruyères which is open to the public for a nominal fee. The castle, which dates back to the 13th century, is today a museum depicting 800 years of regional architecture, history and culture.

The ramparts around the town, date to the 12th century. The counts of Gruyères lived in the castle from the 12th to the 16th century. The Maison du Gruyere is right alongside the train station in Gruyere.

Since three different languages are spoken depending on the region, senior visitors would say  “Danke” for “Thank you” in German, ” Merci” in French and “Grazie” in Italian. So make plans for a stop in the town of Gruyères, Switzerland. jeb