Some days ago I went back to Nyon, the town I wrote about in my post on Noviodunum, but this time I didn’t stay. I walked down to the harbor and took the ferry across the lake to Yvoire, on the French side.

Getting there is very easy. The boat leaves from Nyon and the crossing is short, about twenty minutes, so you barely have time to enjoy the view of the lake before you arrive.

Yvoire is small, and you can walk around the whole town in no time, but it is beautiful. It still has its medieval walls, gates and a castle by the water, and its narrow stone streets are lovely to wander through. According to Wikipedia, the town was fortified in the early 14th century by Count Amadeus V of Savoy, and today it is listed among the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”.

It is amazing how such a short boat ride takes you to a completely different and beautiful clplace.

Last weekend I got up early and went for a bike ride, something I do fairly often when the weather starts warming up. I crossed Basel in the morning when absolutely no one was around and you could hear all the birds singing, arrived at Burgfelderhof, and headed over to buy bread in the French town of Saint-Louis. After crossing through the town, I went to Huningue and then over the famous "Passerelle des Trois Pays" bridge you can see in the photo above, to get into Weil am Rhein and pick up some extra groceries before heading back to Switzerland.

This structure, called the Dreiländerbrücke in German, is a beautiful bridge that crosses the Rhine between Huningue (France) and Weil am Rhein (Germany), and according to Wikipedia, it holds the world record for the longest single-span bridge for pedestrians and bicycles only.

Last week, with summer weather in full swing, I took the ferry from Ouchy to Évian. Once there, I took a nice walk along the lakeshore of Évian-les-Bains. Maybe I had always missed it before, but this time I noticed something in the lake: a massive eagle perched on one of those metal platforms near the ferry terminal. The statue is quite realistic.

Curious, I looked it up later and found out the sculpture is called L’Atterrissage (“The Landing”), created by Vanly Tiene. The eagle and its nest together span nearly five meters and weigh around three tonnes. It was installed just after Christmas.

I also learned that this piece now stands where a swan sculpture once floated—until it was destroyed by a storm. It’s really quite a beautiful sight.

Earlier this week, on my way back to Lausanne, I took a quick walk by the port in Thonon and stumbled upon an interesting bronze sculpture of a mermaid. I was curious, so I took a picture and wondered about its story. I soon discovered online that this piece is called La Sirène, a reproduction of a work by Marguerite Peltzer, a Belgian-born artist who made Thonon her home.

The original sculpture has stood in the Town Hall courtyard since the 1960s, but this new bronze version now stands on the lakefront, bringing Peltzer's art into public view. I was very lucky to stumble upon it!

Last weekend, I went on a nice bike ride to buy a few items for breakfast. My journey took me across the Franco-German border via the "Passerelle des Trois Pays" bridge. As I pedaled along, the sun began to rise, casting beautiful multicolored hues on the horizon, while birds flew from one side to the other. I couldn't resist the urge to stop and take a photo. You can see the result above.

A few weeks back, on my way to Poland, I had a connecting flight in Paris. During my stroll toward the Châtelet train station, I came across the majestic Hôtel de Ville again, with its amazing Renaissance-style architecture. On that particular day, it brought to mind a historical event that unfolded many years ago.

On the 6th of July 2005, the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics was announced. As I looked at the Hôtel de Ville, memories came back of the disappointment and the "noise" from the crowd gathered there when "London" was declared the selected city.

As I reflected on that past occasion, I couldn't help but think of the future. The people of Paris will be in the spotlight next year, since they will host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Today the French are voting in their presidential election, and the possibility of having a far-right president, who has campaigned against Europe and NATO, brings dark clouds to the European horizon. I'm hoping the French people will reject those proposals. Allez les Bleus!