Les Lilas

Les Diablarets

by littlesam1

After spending several days in three of the major cities of Switzerland we moved on the to a small village in the French speaking Alps. I was able to get more of Swiss experience here after leaving the hustle of the cities behind. It was so different to be in a rural isolated Swiss village. I finally felt like I was in Switzerland and not just another Euorpean city.

One warning about moving out of the cities and into the country area. It is difficult to communicate. Although I know little German it was much easier to communicate in the German speaking cities of Bern, Basel, and Zurich. I do have some ability to speak a little French and yet I found it harder to communicate here in this French speaking village than in the German speaking cities. For one thing no one here spoke English or if they did it was very limited.

Les Diablarets is a small mountain village high in the Alps in the French speaking area of Switzerland. When I started inquiring about the area before taking the trip I kept getting the same response, "Its really in a remote area." When I finally arrived in Les Diablarets my first thought was "This is really a remote area."

You arrive in Les Diablarets by train. Now this is not your large train with many passenger cars. This is a small two car passenger trains that climbs the mountains between Aigle and Les Diablarets. Les Diablarets is at the end of the line after an hour train ride from Aigle.

This little symbol above is of a little devil boy playing a flute and dancing. He is the symbol of Les Diablarets and can be seen on almost every house and shop in the village. This large one stands in front of the tourist office.