Villa Diodati

As my friend James had to work this morning, I took a walk down to the town of Ouchy (pronounced ou-SHEE) on the lake. France lies directly on the other side and one can take a boat ride to the town of Evian-les-Bains, (source of Evian water, btw). I saw a banner hanging from a balcony that read: “Ni Nationalité, ni claxon!”, which would translate as: Neither nationalism nor horn blowing! I don’t imagine the sedate, law-abiding Swiss were fond of last night’s exuberent display. If Germany had won, nothing would have happened here. There aren’t many Germans around.
Things in Europe are frightfully expensive. I happened to be in Europe on January 1, 2002, when the European Union abandonded their separate currencies and switched over to the Euro. At that time the exchange rate with the US dollar was at parity. The other day I exchanged $100 for a mere 61 euros. Ouch! I stopped for a small cup of coffee in a café down the street and paid SF 3,50 for it, about $3.20. One other concern is parking. There are virtually no free parking places in all of Lausanne. I am paying $18 a day to park in a garage down the street. Ouch again. This evening we went out to eat at a really nice Italian place down the street. I reckon our meal cost at least twice as much as something comparable in the US. It's an expensive place to be, but it's only money...
James had the afternoon off but could not be enticed to drive to Geneva with me. He hates the place. It's not really a Swiss city, but an international one, and the playground of the rich. I had been there many times before. The main attraction today was the Villa Diodati, where Byron, Shelley & Co. spent the summer of 1816 (also the setting for a certain obscure opera...). I knew generally where to find it, in the village of Cologny. It was once a separate entity, but is now the ritziest residential area of Geneva with fine villas offering a splendid view of the lake and the mountains beyond. I am not the first person to seek out Diodati. There was a map in the town square which led me to it, down a few narrow lanes, one of them appropriately named Rue Byron. The villa is now private property (housing some foundation or other, I think). The house and the grounds have been beautifully maintained. It was not open for viewing, but one can see the villa and the gardens from the lane. Abutting the Maison Diodati is an empty field called the Pré de Byron (Byron's field). There was a small carpark and a plaque describing the history of the villa. The smaller house in which Percy, Mary Shelley and Claire Clairmont stayed, the Maison Chappuis, would have been at the bottom of the field, but it has long since been torn down. I must report that I was deeply moved to be there, moved to tears. I had seen photos of Diodati on the internet, of course, but to actually stand on the spot, feel the warmth of the air and enjoy the serenity of that place where Byron and friends passed many times during their summer here was a little overwhelming. Okay, so I got a little verklemmt... These characters and the villa occupied my imagination for more than two years of my life and are a part of me. Cast of "Everlasting Universe", I salute you!
Having seen what I wanted to see I thought it would be nice to take a walk in the vieille ville, the old town of Geneva, and visit the Cathédrale de Saint Pierre. I followed the signs but then got hopelessly lost and had to give up. I saw a sign for the autoroute to Lausanne and headed back. The two cities are about 45 minutes apart on the autoroute, but it is not a particularly interesting drive. I should have taken the smaller road that goes along the shore of the lake (which, btw, is called here Lac Léman).