I think I will have to do this post in two parts, way too many pictures. Somehow I don’t like excluding pictures from this post, it’s like betraying this place that shrouded me in rainbows and sunshine and the cool river breeze…
All our Euro trips right up to Chamonix were planned, after that we would just pour over google maps deciding which area to explore near Geneva. Found a place that none of us had heard of before, Yvoire, one of the most beautiful villages in France. That was when I knew that France has a list of the most beautiful villages in France, an independent organisation that aims to promote small and picturesque french villages.
So one glorious Saturday morning we started out to explore Yvoire, by taking a train from Geneva to Nyon and then a ferry to Yvoire which is right opposite Nyon (click on the map for a larger view). The train ride from Geneva to Nyon, takes bout 20 minutes and the boat ride is about 25 minutes.
Here, we reached Nyon and then we have to walk for a few minutes to catch the ferry ride from Nyon to Yvoire…
Beautiful houses in Nyon on the way…
Lake Lehman is bordered by Switzerland on one side and France on the other….
People on sail boats, enjoying a beautiful day. France is seen in the distance…
I wonder how everything always looks perfect here… no ugly structure, no electrical wires hanging around, nothing jarring the beauty of the place.
The skies were magnificent that day… clouds constantly chasing each other and casting protective shadows on everything below them, it was like an orchestra of the skies…
Almost nearing land…
This is the first sight of Yvoire from the ferry, the castle of Yvoire, sitting pretty on the river banks…
This is where you disembark… and the greenery just seems to embrace you, draw you in…
This is a common sight everywhere you look….
A small path leading to the lake…
Enchanting…
Flowering window boxes everywhere…
A shop with pretty cursive writing… the script alone imparts immediate charm and beauty.
Part of some fortification…
A typical street…
Yvoire is a small village… hardly any vehicles ply inside this beautiful place.
A restaurant…
More restaurants…
To cater to the tourists who come trickling to this place. It’s not overtly crowded like other touristy places, this is a nice calm place that appeals to mostly older folks. There is nothing much for young people to do here, this is purely a place to walk around introspectively and let nature embrace you.
Beautiful stone structure…
The church steeple seen in the distance…
A conical plant hanger…
Walking to church…
The church…
The church entrance…
Inside the church…
Patterns on the floor…
Jesus calming the waters, a nice altar for this lake side village…
The confessional chamber… how cute are those lace curtains.
A bench, a window and flowers… a corner of the library building.
The Library, opposite the church, shrouded in sunlight… has to be the cutest library ever…
The view from church, a boating dock… standing outside and attending mass seems appealing here.
This is the library, seen from the church entrance…
More window boxes…
A cute boutique…
Another nice place…
Ah, look at this… nature embracing these stone dwellings… if only we would let her embrace our land too…
This cat perfectly depicts life here… easy and laid back… simple and invigorating… peaceful and meaningful…
So walking around blissfully we were unaware of the time and had a late lunch. That pinkish slab is Foie Gras (pronounced fwah graah), a delicacy in French cuisine, it is the fattened liver of a duck or goose. ( After reading the wiki link, I feel bad for eating it now…)
Some minced raw meat dish…
This was the salad I ordered… doesn’t look great but it was surprisingly good.
This is the locally caught river fish and chips, and it was great…
The dessert we had, a Tiramisu…
The restaurant we ate in… I don’t remember the name of the restaurant.
And this is just half the day… more pictures later…
breathtaking! what do you mean the salad doesn't look good!
Only half of a day with so many petty pictures! Such a beautiful place you have visited!
Zak, I mean not like the usual leafy salad with croutons and stuff. This was mostly lightly steamed vegetables…and turnips, pretty good.
Veronica, yeah… almost like stepping into a land before time.