Indian Summer on the Lake

It was an unseasonable 28 Deg. C when we visited family in Switzerland during Sept. 2019.

Home to just 18,500 people, and just 25kms North of Geneva, Nyon is famous for it’s historic Château de Nyon and Roman monuments dating back to the age of Julius Ceasar.

Locals and tourists alike were seeking refuge in the cool waters of Lake Geneva (known as Lac Léman to Francophiles) - some leaping from an old concrete diving platform that appeared to be floating on the surface of the still blue water some 20m off-shore.

For those wanting to explore the lake region, there are a fleet of pre-1930’s Belle Époque paddle steamboats that traverse the area offering up to 850 passengers on single journey, old-fashioned 1st or 2nd class ferry rides. If you have more time, there are longer lunch or dinner cruises that take in breath-taking destinations such as the jazz-festival famous Montreux, or Evian (home of the well-known water brand) in France.

We decided to take the option of a one-hour ride across to the romantic medieval village of Yvoire (on the French side of the lake) for lunch. A return trip costs about CHF 70 or NZ$110 pp, which wasn’t cheap, but the views of the Alps from on the lake, and the charm of seeing the exposed workings of the steamer were all part of the experience.

The carless town of Yvoire has a permanent population of just 800, with a written history dating back as far as the 1300’s. We spent a few hours meandering around it’s well preserved, narrow cobblestoned streets - captivated by a series of small shops and galleries, flowers overflowing from every balcony window sill. Of course, all of this high-altitude lake air soon had the stomachs rumbling..

While tempted by the favourite local dish of ‘filets de perche’ we decided to seat ourselves in the shaded courtyard of a quaint little place to enjoy, a very well-priced, delicious and authentic crêpe coupled with a glass of Rosé de Provence.

On our way back to the ferry, we took in two prominent local landmarks. The beautiful Church St. Pancras and it’s gleaming stainless steel clad, onion-shaped steeple, (recently refurbished from it’s former 1850’s tin) and Chateau d’Yvoire, in its commanding position right on the lake-edge.

It was a really special day out, and a wonderful opportunity to test out my newly acquired Leica Q2. The 28mm f1.7 lens was ideal for tight spaces, as well as capturing the wider context of the postcard-like scenery. With its 47Mp sensor, there is also plenty of resolution for post-cropping should this be required.