I met Ornella from last night at the Château de Chillon and we walked around it together. The castle dates from the middle ages and was a popular destination for such literary greats as Lord Byron, Victor Hugo and Mary Shelley. I was not really familiar with the works of Byron because I don’t think he was one of the Mersey poets, but he drew inspiration from his visit to write his famous poem The Prisoner of Château de Chillon. This was based on a true story of a monk who was imprisoned there for 6 years in 1530. My poetic observation of the day:
painted angels clinging to the ceilings of old churches
A large group of American tourists arrived, pouring out of a fleet of cars and bustling through the turnstile. There was Harold and Albert, and Betty and Sue. Poor Harold struggled to get through some of the doorways, impeded not only by the large camera hanging around his neck.
We caught a bus into the centre of town and enjoyed a long chat over tea and coffee. We bonded over our love of poetry. The juke box in the cafe had Silver Machine (Hawkwind) and Elected (Alice Cooper), as well as a few Pink Floyd tracks (e.g., Arnold Layne and If ).
That was Day 9, enjoying Montreux in the company of Ornella from Savona. Thenceforth, we went our separate ways, never to know the paths each of us took through life.
But where will tomorrow night find me?
Clue: On the outskirts of a town at the southern tip of Italy’s largest lake.
Psychologist on the Move 