Switzerland 1 - Geneva /The thinking mans crumpet/Alexandra Bastedo and the Champions

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Why did we end up in the south east of France and then decided that we would drive right across the border into Switzerland.The Schengen agreement has made it easier to cross borders without the need to queue at the guard posts waiting for passports to be checked. With vignette fitted to the windscreen we headed out towards the mountains heading for Switzerland. It took some time to traverse the mountains, the roads wound up and back down into valleys taking what seemed like an age. We passed signs to Chambery and Albertville and snow started to build up on the mountaintops. All men of a certain age will have worked out by now why we were heading to Geneva to see the lake and the famous Jet d'Eau.

Switzerland is one of the those places you travel through to get to somewhere else but it is fair to say that the roads were empty,the grass verges clean and the snow on the mountains pristine. The air too felt clean and bracing.

As we approached the city Maddie decided to lead us up the garden path. We had given her directions to find us the nearest car park to the lake. She advised us to turn left down what looked like a town street with shops to one side and a hedge to the other. What we hadnt realised was that this was a dual carriageway and the hedge was hiding the other side of the road. How silly you feel when you see two cars coming towards you gesturing wildly that you are doing something wrong. With no alternative but to carry on we put our heads down embarrased and carried on regardless. When we eventually got to the car park which was underground we found a lovely clean place with immaculate marble lined toilets and piped music.

We left the car and set off ready to pay homage to the 1960's programme The Champions. A programme which featured the thinking mans crumpet Alexandra Bastedo and the thinking womans crumpets William Gaunt and Stuart Damon. We stood on the bridge admiring the Jet d'Eau spewing its water miles into the air and hummed the opening tune to ourselves. Memories are made of this.

What a lovely place Geneva is,clean, tidy,small enough to get around easily and showing its wealth to all the world through the goods in its shop windows. Would welike to go back - probably - if only to see the fountain at night which would have been magical.

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Photos

Geneva
The Jet d'Eau