SPONTANEOUS WEEKEND: MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND

As you'll find out in up and coming posts I absolutely adore music, as do most.  Last year, I was lucky enough to attend over fourteen concerts and shows.  So I made it my aim in 2015 to beat that...ridiculous I know, but why not!  A friend found out about the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, along with the esteemed Freddie Mercury's annual birthday celebrations at Montreux's ever glowing casino.  After what seemed like minutes of discussing how random it would be, we had booked the tickets.  So there we go, spontaneous moments with friends make life more interesting right?

MONTREUX, SUMMER JAZZ FESTIVAL

We decided to stay in Montreux, located on the most elegant picturesque Lake Geneva, at the very forefront of the Swiss Alps.  Montreux has been renowned for it's Jazz Festival since 1967.  From Alt-J, The Kooks, Lady Gaga, Alabama Shakes, Jamie xx to Chemical Brothers, the festival is famous for its vast variety of bands and artists.  The festival now lasts around two weeks, we were fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the celebrations.

MONTREAL CASINO, FREDDIE MERCURY'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
After spending the first afternoon familiarising ourselves with the incredible Montreux, we headed back to get ready for the evenings casino celebrations.  The event attire code suggested 'bold black and white, dress in the spirit of Freddie himself'.

The atmosphere was amazing; fans had travelled worldwide to celebrate the iconic Freddie Mercury's birthday.  I was stunned at the shear amount of effort some had gone to with their outfits.  So it began, champagne after champagne, Bohemian Rhapsody to Killer Queen Vodka...what a night.

(Freddie Mercury, bronze statue placed by Montreux waterfront)

Despite feeling less than level headed; the next morning we came across the Queen Studio Experience, located in Casino Barrier de Montreux itself.  Queen recorded a total of seven albums at the studio, including the historic final album Made In Heaven...an album thats Freddie never actually heard in its final state.  It was inspiring to see the actual control room where the iconic albums were recorded. 

The exhibition includes a huge range of memorabilia and photo archives, with access all areas. The studios also became the destination of some of the biggest names in music, featuring: David Bowie, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and of course the number of Montreux Jazz Festival concerts. 

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