23rd September 2023
First task this morning is to check out of the Nash Airport Hotel and go back to the airport to collect our rental car which we will use for the next week. Once again, the airport shuttle bus is provided although this time the number of passengers exceeded the bus capacity, so one couple was left behind for the next trip.
Geneva airport is looking a bit tired, and it is a long walk to the rental car area, however the waiting time to get our car was reasonable. We ended up with a new VW Passat Wagon, which we managed to compress our luggage into before heading out towards Evian-les-Bains our destination for the next week.
The weather forecast for today was a bit grim, with rain forecasted, but our luck continues and we have another mild sunny day.
We had 2 attempts to capture a photo of the fountain rising out of Lake Geneva, both from a moving car and neither really giving the best view in relation to the lake. Nevertheless, here they are.
Looking down a street we shouldn't have been in towards the fountain
After a few missed turns due to late advice from the GPS, we find ourselves on track, travelling along the lakeside.
Views of Lac Leman
We haven't had breakfast and by 11 am, there is a need to stop for sustenance. We found a nice little cafe in a village along the way, had a good brunch and were ready to move on to find our accommodation for the next week.
Adding to our challenge were some major roadworks near our hotel, an inability to fully. understand French road signs about closed or partially closed roads and a lot of pedestrians just wandering all over the place on the road to our destination. We found it anyway.
La Vernaiz
We were immediately impressed when we turned up at La Vernaiz and as we were early, we checked in and went for a walk whilst our rooms were being made ready. A short walk from the hotel took us past a horse riding school to a park that gave us a great panoramic view of the lake.
Horse riding school which is not very busy because it is lunch time
View from the park
Our rooms were ready by 1.30pm. We are located on the 3rd floor of the Grand Hotel Building, a lovely old building with generous sized rooms, views of the lake and a big common use area on the ground floor.
Grand Hotel Building
View from our Room
Carole checking out the games area downstairs
Outdoor terrace attached to the restaurant and bar
It is the perfect place for a relaxing week before returning home. The staff are very helpful and the surrounding area has plenty to keep us busy, if we wish.
Once all settled, it is well past lunch time, so we decide to go down to the main town and have a look around. We will find something to eat there I am sure.
La Verniaz is located high up on a hill looking down over the town and the descent down to the lakeside is steep. Fortunately there is a funicular railway nearby that operates for most of the day (except lunch time of course, we are in France). The service is free and has been operating on and off since 1907. There are a number of stops along the way for passengers to get on and off. It runs every 20 minutes and we arrive just after one has left, so we have a 20 minute wait.
I decide to walk down and meet the others at the bottom. For some of the way, I can walk alongside the rail line, and the rest is wandering through backstreets to get to the final station at lake level.
The line is 750m long and runs above ground and through a couple of tunnels
Through the backstreets there is plenty to see
The Funicular bottom station where I wait for the others
The funicular trip takes around 15 minutes, by the time is stops and starts along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. Once all back together it is a short walk to the lakeside.
There were a lot of interesting things to see on the walk down the hill, which we will explore another day. The most well known of which is Source Cachat, where a public supply of Evian Water is available free to all, via a fountain where you can fill your bottle for free.
Along the lakeside it is clear that boating is a major pastime, and ferries run from place to place on both sides of the lake ie from France to Switzerland and vice versa.
A marina/ferry terminal by the lake
There are lots of restaurants and lakeside cafes, I think we could get quite used to this place. Hunger has set in and we find an outdoor cafe on the lake for something light, a few beers (coffee for the girls) and a big plate of hot chips !
Enough sightseeing for toady, we head back to the funicular to catch the 4.40 pm service back up the hill. there is lots to do in the town, but that is for another day.
There are a number of large chestnut tree salong the waterfront laden with fruit
Alighting from the funicular at the top station
Today is Sharon's Birthday, so we have more important things to do. Armed with a bottle of champagne (kindly left in Sharon's room by her daughter in law's sister who lives nearby), we settle in to a table in the ground floor common room to celebrate. Snacks are provided from John's cache of packets collected on the Viking Cruise.
Celebrations continue over dinner at the restaurant at La Vernaiz. The food was excellent, as was the service. Overall a great start to our week here.
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