Tom
first of all, thank you all again for your kind input! very much appreciated!
we went to schloss schadau for the anniversary (although not on the exact date), where i had arranged a private dinner with nice decoration etc. my sweet parents, they were very touched. and then i was touched to see them touched. needless to say there were tears involved.
i was also planning to go at yvoire last sunday; however my parents are not the youngest anymore and i could see they were a bit tired, so took them for a boat trip to neuchatel and lake murten instead. i was not too impressed i must say (weather might have played a role)...probably yvoire would have been better, but i plan to go there myself on the first occassion.
parents are gone now and i miss them already. why do goodbyes get more and more difficult?
Oops! Sorry.
And cheer up, they have really great doughter!
Plan B. A surprise!
Take the train to Fribourg, then a bus to Bulle, then a train to Broc-Fabrique,
http://www.cailler.ch/en/Chocolaterie/Information.aspx
and visit the Nestlé-Cailler chocolate factory. Entrance fee is CHF 10,-- (Pensioners are CHF 8)
There is a choice of English / French or German, nice tours with as much chocolate as you can eat.
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/navpage-...FR-120165.html
http://map.search.ch/broc/rue-jules-bellet-7
There is also a cheese making factory in Gruyères to visit, as the cheese making is mainly in the morning, you might want to make this the first visit,
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/navpage-...FR-120205.html
http://map.search.ch/pringy/place-de...baeude,service
the nearby town of Gruyères is beautiful, & has a castle worth visiting.
as a matter of fact we were on our way to a small cheese factory somewhere in the emmental, when my boyfriend's car went kaputt...so we missed it!
they are both about 90 minutes drive from Bern, 120 Km.
http://map.search.ch/bex/rte-des-min...kultur,service
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http://www.lavey-les-bains.ch/index.php?lang=en
the thermal water is very warm and the baths can be visited even when it is snowing!