Switzerland was not on my original itinerary. The day when Ortelius reached Cabo Verde on April 25, I got a message from Prudence inviting me to her 60th birthday cum 25th wedding anniversary party. Hence I made a trip to Switzerland attending her party, visiting friends in Geneva and going to Basel to see a Paul Gauguin exhibition.June 10 Wednesday: Cagliari, Sardinia – Rome, Italy – Geneva, Switzerland
I left Cagliari at 7:45am with Denise and Ellen after spending a wonderful trip in Italy together. Then I took a connecting flight to Geneva in Rome while they returned to Hong Kong. Everything went smoothly: I arrived in Geneva before 12 noon and reached my friend’s place by bus at 12:30pm.
I met Louise who comes from Hong Kong and her husband Jean-Claude in New York more than ten years ago. Upon Jean-Claude’s retirement, they returned to Geneva, Switzerland’s second largest city that hosts the highest number of international organisations in the world including the headquarters of the agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. Though I had been in the city a couple of times, I confess I hardly know it.
After lunch, we took the tram to Lake Geneva where we had tea by the lake. Geneva is picturesque with blue sky, mountains in silhouette, beautiful old buildings along the lake and crystal clear water. Louise and I headed to the old town while Jean-Claude hurried back to baby-sit their grandchildren.
When walking up the hill to Saint-Pierre Cathedral (dating back to 1160), I can vaguely recall my first visit to the well-preserved old town. Things have not changed much. We went into the cathedral which beautiful and serene Gothic interior looks impressive. I am excited to learn about recent excavations which reveals a history of the site dating back to the Roman time. The Archaeological Site of Saint-Pierre Cathedral is worth seeing. Unfortunately it was late and the museum was about to close. Next time when I am back in Geneva, I love to visit this site and the Museum of Reformation next door.
 Saint-Pierre Cathedral (L) & Reformation Wall (R) |
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We had a leisure walk downhill to the cultural hub of the city where the Rath Museum, Grand Theatre and the University of Geneva which was founded by John Calvin founder of Calvinism. In the park nearby, there is an International Monument to the Reformation, usually known as the Reformation Wall, built into the old city wall to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Calvin’s birth and the 350th anniversary of the university’s establishment. During the Reformation (roughly the period from 1517 to 1648), Geneva was the centre of Calvinism, and its history and heritage since the 16th century has been closely linked to that of Protestantism.
This monument honours many individuals, events and documents of the Protestant reformation by depicting them in statutes and bas-reliefs. At the centre of the monument, there are four 5 m-tall statutes of Calvinism’s main proponents namely Theodore Beza (1519-1605), John Calvin (1509-1564), William Farel (1489-1565) and John Knox (c.1513-1572).
We spent a quiet evening at home. They love nature, history, arts and travel. Jean-Claude, a good photographer showed me his photo albums of their recent trips to eastern Turkey and Uzbekistan.
June 11 Thursday: Drive along Lake Geneva
Jean-Claude’s flavourite region in his home country is the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a World Heritage Site, stretching for about 30km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva from Chillon Castle to the eastern outskirts of Lausanne in the Vaud region. The current terraces with an area of 1408 ha can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area. The terraces are dotted with picturesque villages.
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The weather was fine but hazy: the mountain ranges on both the French and Swiss sides and the lake looked like an impressionist painting. We set off after 10am, had a coffee in a village before reaching Vevey, a beautiful town by Lake Geneva affording breathtaking views of the Alpine panorama. Nestlé’s headquarters is located here and the world famous comedian Charlie Chaplin spent his last 25 years here. We had a lovely lunch: I had a horse steak. I promise them to return during the grape harvest season when the region turns golden.
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It’s 4pm when we got home. After resting for an hour and a half, we set off again for a dinner-musical show in another village. The musical “A Little Night Music” in English has a complicated plot. A successful lawyer married a young girl of the age of his son but the marriage had never been consummated. He met a lady friend after 15 years of separation and found out he had a daughter with her. The story has a happy but lousy ending: the son who was in love with his step-mother, eloped with her while the father happily reunited with the lady and the daughter. We did not get home till 11pm.
June 12 Friday: Geneva – Basel – Zurich
Louise had kindly brought me a train day pass (CHF40) which enables the holder to travel anywhere within Switzerland. Jean-Claude discovered an exhibition on Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) at the Beyeler Riehen Foundation in Basel. I like Gauguin’s painting which is unique and iconic conveying an exceptional harmony between nature and culture, mysticism and eroticism, dream and reality. With the day pass, I could take the train to Basel before going to Prudence’s village in Pfaffikon, 25 minutes by train from Zurich.
I left Geneva before 8am. The train ride is supposed to take just over three hours with a change in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. As there was a problem between Bern and Basel, the train was delayed and I did not arrive in Basel till 11:30am. The train staff immediately handed out a CHF10 couple to all passengers who had been inconvenienced. I am impressed.
I left my luggage in the train station (CHF7) and paid CHF28 for the exhibition. I am lucky to see it by chance: the collection of over 50 masterpieces from leading international museums and private collections is superb. But space is a problem: the exhibits are placed in eight rooms and a couple of them are fairly small.
After spending two hours in the museum, I hurried back to the station with a brief stop at the Marktplatz, the heart of the old town for a few photos. Switzerland has superb rail network: there are many trains to Zurich. I arrived in Zurich around 4:45pm with plenty of time to get on a connecting train to Pfaffikon. The train was late for over 10 minutes (a lot by Swiss standard) and did not leave till 5:19pm. At 5:45pm, I spotted Prudence by her car outside the train station.
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Prudence, an old friend, moved with her husband Jurgen from Germany to Switzerland in early 1990s. She is a fantastic home-maker and cook: her house with a garden is tasteful furnished and very comfortable.
June 13 Saturday: Party Time
The party would be held in Villa Aurum in Rapperswil from 6pm to midnight. I spent the morning preparing my trip notes on Italy while Prudence was busy preparing for the evening party and lunch for her relatives coming from Germany who arrived around 11am. We had a delicious BBQ prepared by Max, her son.
Jurgen’s yoga studio
After lunch, Jurgen took his family to his yoga studio which I had seen many years ago when they were negotiating the terms with the owner. The empty space I saw last time is now nicely decorated. Jurgen is a successful yoga teacher with some 200 students. Then we went to Villa Aurum to check out the venue. The villa has three comfortable rooms where Jurgen’s family would be staying that evening.
We went home to rest and get ourselves ready. Prudence and Jurgen were beautifully dressed with matching red colour: they had not coordinated but both had chosen the same colour theme. Max looked handsome and smart in a stylish blazer. Luckily I had brought a dress in the Canary Islands upon receipt of the invitation.
The weather was perfect: a clear warm day. At 5:40pm, we were back in Villa Aurum. The reception was held in the garden and the formal dinner in the high-ceiling hall inside the villa. The florist had already laid beautiful floral arrangements on the table and the wall. They had hired an entertainer who would sing and play music the whole evening.
Guests began to arrive at 6pm. Prudence and Jurgen were busy taking pictures with the guests who were chatting and drinking champagne. The happy couple led the way to the hall and the dinner lasted more than three hours. We had more wine and a most delicious four-course meal.
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 The two youngest guests -babies of Jurgen’s nephews |
 Congratulations to Prudence & Jurgen |
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The most moving moment was when Jurgen played his guitar singing a love song for Prudence. Their eyes were fixed on each other filled with tenderness and love! Then they invited guests to sing and dance. I had a good time chatting with some of her good friends and taking photos. The party finished at 12:30am.
June 14 Sunday: Rest Day
June 15 Monday: Zurich, Switzerland – Florence, Italy
My flight to Florence, Italy would depart at 11:25am. Prudence kindly took me to the airport. The flight to Rome was delayed followed by another delay to Florence. As a result, I did not arrive in Florence till 5pm, almost an hour and a half behind schedule.
Remarks
I would not have made a trip to Switzerland had it not been for Prudence’s party. They are a lovely couple and I appreciate their invitation since I had missed their wedding in Hong Kong 25 years ago. At that time, I was working in Brussels. I ask them to invite me to their 50th anniversary (if I am still around!).
I have done a lot in five days in Switzerland. It’s wonderful to meet up with Louise and Jean-Claude in Geneva and see Gauguin’s fantastic exhibition in Basel. I shall return one day to see the golden terraces in the Vaud region in mid September and other World Heritage Sites in Switzerland.