First Day at La Verniaz

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24th September 2023

Another great sunny day awaits us. We have no specific plans for today, but first priority is breakfast.  It is Sunday, so we are not quite sure what to expect with regard to the level of activity in the town, but jump in the car at just after 9 am and head down the hill.



 Car parking in the town area is a bit uncertain so we took a spot on the edge of town and walked down to the water. We were quite close to what may be Evian Waters HQ.


Arborists here are very creative with the trees


Some more of the driftwood sculptors handiwork

Soon we are in town, walking down some pretty quiet cobblestone streets looking for a boulangerie or similar.


Choices are pretty limited, but we did find one called Coffee Break. As far as the male behind the counter was concerned, if you weren't a local, you weren't welcome. Fortunately a nice lady appeared and served us. It was the usual baguette with ham and cheese with coffee which is becoming very addictive, but probably not great for the waistline.

Our walk continued giving us a chance to explore the town a bit more whilst it was not too busy.


War memorial covering the Two World Wars and Indo China war


Chateau de Forbonne


This replica of of a traditional cargo boat that was used throughout the 19th century takes tourists out for a sail on the lake. They were primarily used for transporting rock and gravel from the limestone quarries found around the edge of the lake. At 35 m long these vessels could carry up to 200 tonnes of rock which all had to be loaded on the deck by wheelbarrow.

 
Palais Lumiere where a Man Ray Exhibition is currently being held





More driftwood sculpture


More trimmed trees




Evian City Hall



The Casino is undergoing a major renovation 


There is not a lot of wind but there are always sailing boats out on the lake

Finally back at the car we decide to explore a nearby town Publier, only about 6 km away back in the direction of Geneva.

It is another pretty little village by the lake. We parked uphill near a park and walked down to the town from there. 





There was a war memorial at the bottom of the park


St Ferreol Church

City Hall

There are some great views of the lake.



We drove down to the lakeside to find a restaurant that had been recommended to John, La Table du Grand Lac. It didn't take long to find it and stop and make a lunch booking for Wednesday.


La Table du Grand Lac

With lunch on our mind we drove back to Evian hoping to find somewhere nice to have a relaxing lunch. We drove along the waterfront and saw a lot of people dining at a restaurant attached to a big marina. Fortunately we found a parking spot, wandered across the road and secured a nice table. An added bonus was live music from a talented saxophonist.


It turned out to be a large sailing club marina



We all opted to have a healthy smoked duck salad, with a touch foie gras


A walk after lunch took us past the hardstand area where a few boats were up on the deck being antifouled. Most of them appeared to be using coppercoat antifouling.


A bit further around the waterline, we found a beach with people sunbathing and swimming.

Facing the beach was a massive old mansion that now appears abandoned.


Continuing on we came to a large hotel complex Hotel Les Cygnes. From what we could see it looks like is was built in 1926.


Enough exercise for today, we walked back to the car and drove back to La Verniaz for a few hours rest before catching the funicular back down to Evian township for our dinner booking at Villa Borghese, an Italian restaurant not far from the casino.

Pizza was the order of the day and they were very good.

After dinner we had to get back to La Verniaz and the funicular ceases running at 7.10pm each evening. Our hosts at La Verniaz had advised us that should we be in town after this hour, we could go to the casino and request a courtesy bus to take us home. To our great surprise this worked like a charm, and we were back at La Verniaz just in time to see the Australian Rugby team get thrashed by Wales. Probably one of the worst Australian team performances I have seen. 


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