Geneva and Wye

Just back from a few days visiting an American friend from California who is herself over in Europe to see her son and his family who live just outside Geneva where he works for Rolex. As aforementioned friend is older than I, I did expect a quiet time but we did a ridiculous amount of travelling over two days after lovely local trips to Geneva and to explore Nyon where she is staying.

 Chateau de Nyon constructed between 1574
and 1583 on the site of an 11th century fortress.

In Geneva we chiefly explored the lovely old town via a demanding climb and I was impressed to learn that Henri Dunant, one of the founders of the Red Cross in Geneva was a forebear of hers. The unbelievably enormous Lac Leman was a serene and picturesque backdrop to our first two days and I did warm to the town of Nyon which was buzzing with overflowing cafe and restaurant terraces in the evenings and boasted a number of lovely old buildings and many green places adorned with large trees plus, in one space, a Roman arch balanced still on the edge of Lac Leman
.

Evidence of the large Roman settlement
on the Nyon site.

 Our destination for lunch, half way up the
mountain above Les Houches.

I must admit to a slight alarm to learn that on one day we were going to lunch ‘with a dear friend’ in Verbier [two hours’ drive away] and to a lovely cousin of my host in Les Houches on the edge of Chamonix. [nearly two hours away as the splendid chalet was well above Les Houches and took more than twenty minutes of hairpin bends to discover.] My driver, at 88, had compromised eyesight [one eye with macular degeneration], weak muscles in one leg and an admirable devil-may-care attitude which I much admired. Turned out that she is a superb and confident
driver on motorways, [perhaps less accurate in car parks etc!!] and frankly, in spite of the handicaps of ageing, is an amazing example to other seniors. I am not of a nervous disposition and never indulge in unnecessary worries and negative imaginings and so did enjoy both journeys and both days out. In fact, after Verbier, we drove for some time [not in a homeward direction] to Saillon to some fabulous thermal baths including a thermal river where we spent a happy, healthy couple of hours, and I again doffed my hat to my driver’s astonishing stamina. The lunches, by the way, were excellent; at La Marmotte, above Verbier, and actually in the lovely chalet above Les Houches where we were royally entertained to Raclette and Swiss wine. It was Heaven, as we gazed mistily at the navel of the mountain range pressing itself almost against the chalet windows. A different world.

 View from the dining room of the chalet above Les Houches.

 The wonderful 12th century 'Temple de Nyon
ancienne eglise Notre Dame.'
The original stained glass is spectacular
within the plain,simple church.

 Early mediaeval fresco from the same church.

This blog is very late; one day after my return from Nyon, a girl friend arrived for the rest of the week and one day after she left, I did too, to return for a long weekend to 'my' village near Canterbury where I lived for over 31 years. The high spot of that visit was a big celebration lunch [allegedly for her 69th] at friends in a nearby village. They have an impressive house and garden and, for the occasion, a huge marquee, pale blue with flowers, [the prettiest ever!] had been erected and equipped to seat 100 people for the luncheon feast and the hog roast happening nearby!! Champagne flowed and I was delighted to keep meeting old friends from Wye. It was an amazing five or six hours, heart-warming and fondly memorable.