Montreux - The jewel of the Swiss Riviera

We took a weekend and headed to the southwestern part of Switzerland to the town of Montreux, the resort town known for its annual jazz festival. We wanted to relax and pamper ourselves with some swiss spa treatments. We managed to enjoy a nice soak in their hydrotherapy tubs. But after the most clinical massages we've ever experienced, we felt rubbed the wrong way.

But sterile spa treatments aside, Montreux provided us the opportunity to check out Château de Chillon, one of Europe's coolest castles. It's right on the lake with the snow-covered Alps as a back drop. Stunning.

Montreux is in the French-speaking part of the country and not only has embraced the French language but also excellent French-inspired cuisine. You should have seen Kathleen chatting the with locals. What a pro. The town's charm has captivated artists, writers and musicians, including Lord Byron, Mary Shelly, Leo Tolstoy and Hans Christian Andersen, and let's not forget Freddy Mercury. This was Freddy's second home and the place where he came when he was very ill at the end of his life; and eventually, he passed away here.

Also, there's a casino in Montreux that has entered into rock legend. On 4, December 1971, during a concert given by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, a rocket-flare was fired into the ceiling, and the building was suddenly engulfed by flames. As clouds of smoke soared above the waters of the lake, Ian Gillan, of the band Deep Purple, who was watching from his hotel room, was inspired by the sight to write "Smoke on the Water."