What to do on a rainy day on Lake Geneva (aka Lac Léman)?? Go to a museum, of course! And if you are with kids, there is nothing better than the Château in La Tour-de-Peilz. (Don’t ask me how to pronounce that last word.)
The museum contains a user friendly collection of games, along with a fascinating history of gaming. You can see ancient “board” games carved out of wood and stone, all manner of dice and dominos, chess figures from the Middle East, India and Germany, intricate Mahjong tiles, and many other interesting game pieces.
There are all kinds of playing cards as well … Did you know that Tarot was initially a card game? It was a favorite pastime of Johann Strauss, and his personal Tarot cards are on display.
Along with the exhibits are games you can stop to play, like Mancala (one of my childhood favorites, and pretty much one of the oldest games in existence), Backgammon (another favorite), Tarot and a game similar to Sorry.
There is even a room filled with casino games – some donated from the casino in Montreux.
After you are through perusing the museum, you are free to sit and play any number of board games located in the room adjacent to the gift shop. It is really a great place to spend a couple of hours with the kids – away from iPods and PSP’s – just playing good, old-fashioned board games!
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