September 13, 2008.

Our first stop on our 10 day road trip was Villars, a small town in the French-speaking Swiss Alps, and the annual wine festival in neighboring Ollons. This was our second time at the festival and we again thoroughly enjoyed it. About 15 small family-run wineries open their vineyards for winetasting accompanied by tasty foods prepared by the families. Several have live music as well. The wineries are generally no more than about a half mile apart, so you can walk from one to the next (or you can hop on constantly circulating free transportation that is part of the festival). Although the weather was cool and wet, the scenery was spectacular. It is hard to capture the vastness and beauty of the vineyards climbing up the sides of the Alps, with charming Swiss homes sprinkled here and there.