Gruyères: the town, the cheese

My plan for this weekend was to go and find a forest showing its beautiful autumn colours, then to walk in and photograph it. There were going to be fiery reds, golden yellows and every now and then a green leaf for a bit of variety. This is how the forests looked last weekend and I was looking forward to seeing them close up in their autumnal glory. The plan ended up going to custard because the trees jumped the gun and finished doing their autumn routine. According to the trees, it's already winter! They are done with autumn and won't speak of it any more. The reds are now brown, the yellow is just nowhere to be seen any more, and without the contrast the greens are boring. I will have to photograph them next year! After this setback, the best thing to do seemed to be to drown my sorrows in melted cheese.

The crane of Gruyères on the train from Palezieux.

So Tanya and I went to Gruyères, a town famous for the cheese of the same name, which is the primary ingredient in fondue. According to Wikipedia, the town of Gruyères was named after its symbol, the crane, because crane is "grue" in French. The Wikipedia article claims that the "legendary founder" of the town, named Gruerius, caught a crane and decided it would be his heraldic animal, thus "inspiring the name" of the town. I think it's mighty strange that a town whose name was inspired by a captured crane was also founded by a Monsieur Gruerius, whose name is suspiciously crane-like. I have come up with an alternative history in which the founder wanted to name the town after himself but didn't want to appear self-serving. So he produced some poor captured crane, presumably at a town meeting, and said "I know, we should name our town after my heraldic animal!" to which the townspeople said "Wait, do you even have a heraldic animal?" and he said "Yes I do! It's... THIS CRANE!!". The townspeople, dazzled by the unexpected introduction of the crane, let him away with it. This kind of detail is missing from Wikipedia so is pure speculation on my part, but I think it passes most logical tests.

The Omnipresent Stalking Crane. Note it appears not only on the wall but also on the curtains.

Whatever its history, the crane has embedded itself extremely firmly in Gruyères. It's well equipped for fondue, after all, because its beak is the perfect skewer to use to dip a gherkin in melted cheese. As long as cranes like cheese and gherkins - and I imagine they do - I totally understand. Thus in Gruyères you can't go two steps without seeing a crane, wings up, stepping forward proudly, or perhaps protecting vats of fondue from marauding cheese-eaters. Most of them look mildly cranky. The crane is featured prominently on the side of the train to Gruyères, and appears in symbolic form, quite without warning, throughout the town's gorgeous streets. And the streets of Gruyères really are lovely, all cobbled and old and filled with archways that frame the surrounding countryside. The town is perched on a hill with a castle at the steep end and lots of cows with bells on at the other.

Tanya hanging out in Gruyères.

It is a little known rule that by cantonal law, it is forbidden to go to Gruyères without eating a fondue. It is little known because it's not even remotely true, but because Gruyères produces gruyères, and gruyères is the fondue cheese, it certainly makes a lot of sense. Tanya and I decided to play it safe by having a fondue before we left. What a great meal idea it is! Take melted cheese and dip Good Things in it. Accompany with wine. Those cranes sure were on to something.

Fondue! Mission accomplished.

An extra bonus - the discovery that Switzerland has national rollerblade routes.