Farsighted Fly Girl

                                               Once every generation, the centuries-old viticultural festival, Fete des Vignerons, unfolds in Vevey, Switzerland. Watching this spectacle of music, dancing, wine and fanciful costumes, felt like I had been transported to something out of a Dr. Seuss story. With a law that prohibits the fest from taking place more than five times in a century, I felt incredibly lucky to witness this celebration of Swiss wine traditions dating back to the 17th century.  Some of the fetes 5,500 performers in costumes strolled the narrow streets of Vevey after a show that featured fairies, bees, royal courts, playing cards and 17th-century wine growers. The performance was in French but the drama transcended language barriers. It's a difficult experience to describe but if I had to sum it up, I would explain it as the magic of Cirque D...

Images of Switzerland  always seem to involve mountains and alpine scenery, which does make up a lot of the country's distinctive beauty but that's not all you'll see. I was ecstatic to visit the Lake Geneva region , where I got to revel in the aquatic vistas of Switzerland.  Walking along the shoreline in Montreux , I discovered exactly why it's called the Swiss Riviera.  Crystalline blue water framed by mountains served as a stunning backdrop for sidewalk cafes, live concerts and sculptures rising up from the water. The mermaid raiding a seahorse was my absolute favorite, especially with children splashing around it. This abstract piece looks like dolphins diving out of the water. Although the sculpture wasn't actually in the water, it gave the illusion from a distance. The fork sticking up from the lake was the silliest piece to me but it's also the most popular, as you can gather from the chair posted in front of it for the perfect Instagram selfie....

Switzerland i s one of those places that everyone loves. When I visited Lucerne years ago, I was astounded that the mountains and lakes, the medieval squares, were as charming and pristine as all the photos that show Switzerland as this kind of outdoor paradise. Even the Swiss cows, responsible for that life essential, Swiss chocolate, looked pretty as they delicately munched impossibly green grass. So it goes without saying that I'm excited to return to Switzerland, courtesy of  Swiss Tourism , this time to the famous Lake Geneva region.   I'll be visiting Mt. Santis, and the folkloric village of Appenzell  , the textile center of St. Gallen and lovely Lausanne . But what I'm really stirred up about is attending the Fete des Vignerons.  Never heard of it you say?  That's because this viticultural celebration of the regions wine making traditions happens only once in a generation. There's even a rule that it can not  take place more than five times in ...