A Little Life in the Alps

Now that we’re settled in a bit, we’d love to take you on a quick tour of the town we’re calling home: Chernex.

Nestled between Lake Léman and the surrounding vineyards, Chernex is a small hillside village about a 30-minute walk (uphill!) from Montreux. Home to roughly 2,000 residents, locals are nicknamed “The Lanterns.” Depending on who you ask, the name either comes from villagers who once hunted wolves by lantern light—or from a centuries-old fire that lit up the town in a less fortunate way.

The village is built into steep, terraced terrain, with houses—many of them hundreds of years old—clustered together. Most have been converted into fourplexes or subdivided into apartments. Our apartment is perched right above the post office and a super convenient Denner market, perfect for everyday groceries.

The main street, Rue des Deux Fontaines, is home to:

• Restaurant du Raisin
• A butcher shop (Épicerie Fine aux Deux Couteaux),
• A pharmacy,
• And a hairdresser.

Chernex also boasts two schools, a gymnasium, a church, a bakery, and a cozy bar near the train station. Everything—truly—is within a five-minute walk.

We get around on foot, though Sabine and Yvan have kindly shuttled us to the larger Coop supermarket down in Villeneuve when needed. From our apartment, it’s exactly three minutes to the train station (we’ve timed it—especially when we’re running late). True to Swiss efficiency, the train departs exactly on schedule, every time.

Our station is a stop along the GoldenPass line, which winds its way through the Bernese Oberland between Montreux and Interlaken. Watching the elegant tourist trains pass through is a treat, especially from the little playground park across the street from our place.

Tonight, Cedar became the first of us to dip into the lake. Sheila and I were both impressed—though Sabine and her friends have us beat; they swim every Friday year-round, even through winter. While waiting for the girls to finish gymnastics, we brought along an impromptu picnic and sat lakeside, enjoying the view.

Not a bad way to end the day.