French-speaking Switzerland, or
Suisse-Romande
, occupies the western third of
the country, comprising the shores
of Lake Geneva and the hills and
lakes leading north almost to
Basel. The ambience here is
thoroughly Gallic: historical
animosity between Calvinist Geneva
and Catholic France has nowadays
given way to a yearning on the
part of most francophone Swiss to
abandon their bumpkin compatriots
in the east and embrace the EU.
The short train-ride from the
Swiss-German cities of the
Mittelland crosses more than just
a linguistic boundary - it seems
to span a whole continent of
attitude.
Geneva , at the
southwestern tip of Lake Geneva
(Lac Léman in French) was once a
haven for free-thinkers from all
over Europe; now it's a city of
diplomats and big business.
Halfway around the lake, Lausanne
is full of young people, an
energetic, funky town acclaimed as
the skateboarding capital of
Europe. Further east, the
lakeshore is lined with vineyards
and opulent villas - Montreux
is particularly chic - although
you can still taste the unspoilt
paradise, evoked by the stunning
medieval Château de Chillon
, which drew Byron and the
Romantic poets and which inspired
Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein
. Mont Blanc, Western Europe's
highest mountain (4807m), is
visible from Geneva city centre,
while Montreux and neighbouring Vevey
have breathtaking views across the
water to the French Alps. On a
sunny day, the train ride around
the vineyard-rich northern shore
is memorably scenic, but taking
advantage of the lake's excellent boat
service (IR no discount; ER &
SP free; www.cgn.ch ) will
help bring home the full grandeur
of the setting.
