Switzerland, spring 2006

We spent a few days in Switzerland in March, mainly to visit our friend Jean-Paul in Murten. We also did a bit of skiing in Verbier.

Here is a portrait gallery of our friends.

Jean-Paul

Nicolas

Anne

Adrian and Louise

Louise and her son Corsin

Grandmother Evi and Corsin

Louise and Adrian with Joan

Joan and I with Louise and Boris

Joan and Adrian

We made a nice meal for Joan's birthday.

The chef and one of his creations.

The ladies are salivating (Joan, Mina and Evi)

JP toasting the birthday girl.

Three "bons vivants" (Nicolas, Karl and Adrian)

We had several delicious cakes.

We drank fantastic wines from Mina's cellar.

When we went to Verbier to ski, we stayed in a B&B in the small village of Versegère in the valley. Since we skied mostly in the fog, I have no pictures of that!

The bed & breakfast of Juliette Bortoli (I recommend it).

We went back to Murten through the mountains taking pictures of old chalets.

This one was built by Juliette's neighbor as a playroom for children. It is now a garden shed.

This small chalet, built in 1793, was at the top of the pass below the Diablerets.

Les Diablerets

This plain chalet is the oldest one we saw: 1620.

This one, of 1718, had much more ornate woodwork.

We finished the trip with a visit to a place in the lake of Bienne, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau sought refuge for a while. Much to his chagrin, he could not stay there more then a few weeks: the political hacks of the day ejected him from Switzerland. Even though he claimed he just wanted to raise rabbits, they feared that his ideas might endanger the good people of Switzerland!

His refuge was on an island which became a peninsula when the three lakes of Bienne, Morat and Neuchatel were lowered by a meter or two to drain the swamps that surrounded them (another good idea of the local politicians!). The house is now a nice restaurant.