return to hermance, switzerland

On March 3, I returned  to the Fondation Brocher in Hermance, Switzerland for another 2-month stay, departing (I'm sure reluctantly) on April 25. There are 11 researchers in residence, primarily from Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland) and the UK, but also Tanzania and Turkey, as well as the US and Canada. My fellow researchers are lively and engaging,  and all are much younger than me. One way the age difference is manifest is that I'm the only resident who has bought a public transit pass; the others get around pretty much everywhere, including to supermarkets in France, via bike. Also, I have so far declined to accompany others to the seasonal sauna in Hermance, which involves jumping into the frigid lake afterwards, and I have not yet dared to use the institute's sit-on-top kayak.

The institute is beautifully located on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) about a half-hour north of the city of Geneva and almost on the French border. It is a 5-minute walk to the tiny and very picturesque medieval village of Hermance, which also has a lovely beach.

Here are some photos  from the first three weeks, showing the Villa Brocher, the view from the balcony of my bedroom, the grounds, a raclette evening, and pics from our project presentations day and of our March group and the friendly Brocher Bengal cat, Noisette.

The Fondation Brocher

Photo by Sam Truchot, 03-24-2025

Hermance Village: the church, épicerie (grocery store), fountain, view from tower, Pêcherie (fish shack),  Plage (Beach), and sauna (by day & at sunset).

Added on March 23: It is only the 3rd week of March, and daffodils, forsythia, and Magnolia and various fruit trees are blooming, and some brave folks were even swimming (as well as diving) in Hermance! Later,  some of us met for drinks at the buvette (seasonal tavern). Distressingly, the server had no idea what I was saying when I tried to order a glass of white wine, so clearly efforts to improve my French have been a complete failure.

Playing Pétanque 

Pétanque was invented in Provence but became popular throughout France and indeed Europe as well as former French colonies. On its history, click here. My only previous experience was an online version in the 2024 Jacquie Lawson advent calendar, which was set in Paris. So I was excited to play the real thing, and have since become an addict.

visiT to the beach at Chens-sur-leman (France)

Chens-sur-Leman is the next village up the lake from Hermance. It is over the border in France, and thus (unlike the situation in Switzerland or most U.S. states), everyone has  the legal right to traverse private property at the shore. (Note sign on the tree). [Added on 03-29: It turns out that the public's "'droit de passage" to and along the shore is actually  limited by exceptions, including properties purchased before passage of the 1985 law].

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pizza night

Sadly, the stays for the March and Feb/March groups end on Thursday.  One researcher leaves today, and we had a send-off homemade pizza party for her yesterday evening.

Genève

In the first three weeks, I have only rarely ventured into the city of Geneva, which is about a half-hour south of Hermance on the bus.  However, I discovered soon after my arrival that most of the banknotes that I brought back with me from the stay in 2019 were no longer valid, although they could be exchanged for new notes at the central bank. It was quite an adventure finding the one central-bank desk (inside a different bank) where this could be accomplished, but on the way, I snapped photos of two famous local sites: the jet  d'eau , which reaches 140 meters high, and  the nearby flower clock, l'horloge fleurie.

Today (March 27), I visited the Parc la Grange and adjacent Parc des Eaux Vives near the center of Geneva. Both have historical buildings, lovely paths and plantings, and views of the lake. Hard to believe that I spent 3 months in Geneva (two in 2019) before discovering these parks.  Sadly, the members of the March group left this morning. They will be missed.

Yesterday (March 28), I met Luca Chiapperino, who was at the Brocher with me in 2019.  (Luca is at the University of Lausanne and he and family live near Neuchâtel). We had a lovely afternoon eating superb gelato by the lake. (The jet d'eau is in the background).

Looking closely, you may be able to see that my hair is much shorter. That's because I stopped at a haircutting school late last week for an intended trim. However, no one there spoke English, and I didn't actually know how to say "trim." I thought I'd gotten the point across with pantomime and near-synonyms but clearly not, and I am now nearly bald. (Back at the Brocher,  everyone claimed to like it, but I think they were just being polite).

A touching end to the march session

In light of the constant drumbeat of depressing news, I thought I would share this story:

One of the March-group researchers, Joel Semme, is from Tanzania. The first leg of his return flight was scheduled to depart from Geneva airport in the early morning, so Joel planned to take the last bus of the day (at 2:47 am) from the Brocher to the city, where he would transfer to the bus to the airport. When no bus appeared after an anxiety-producing wait of a half-hour, Joel flagged down a passing car. One of the occupants accessed the public-transit website and saw that the night buses had been cancelled. The driver and friends then insisted on taking him directly to the airport, where he arrived early!

The episode reminded me of my first visit here, when I somehow managed to get off the bus at the wrong stop. (It's not that easy to make a mistake as the stops are both announced and displayed on a screen). I had no idea where I was and no way to make a call. Eventually, I spotted a young woman across the road. She said that she lived nearby, and that I should just wait by my luggage while she returned home and retrieved her car. Five minutes later, she pulled up and drove me to the door.

Yet another reason that I would love to stay where I am ....

entre arve et lac -- A vineyard walking/biking trail

Lake Geneva area is a major wine-producing area, and the hills across the road from the Brocher are rich with vineyards. One of the major wine trails in Switzerland, called Entre Arve et Lac, begins in Hermance village and ends 18 km (about 11 miles) later in the village of Choulex, where there is also a nature reserve. The trail can actually be accessed from the Brocher just by crossing the road and walking up a street running away from the lake. The walk itself is enchanting, with vineyards, orchards, and farms, picturesque villages, and views of the lake and Jura mountains on one side and the French Alps on the other.

the Geneva conservatory and botanical garden

Today (Saturday) it is 23C/73F degrees(!) and cloudless, so I decided to take off for the botanical garden, which is on the other side of the lake. A perfect day for such an outing.

along the hermance river (border w france)

The nearby French village of Veigy-Foncenex was the center of a major network that smuggled Jews and other refugees across the Hermance River into Switzerland from Nazi-occupied France. The village priest and three residents, who were organizers of the network, were eventually arrested and deported; only one survived. The Mémorial des Sauveteurs de l'Ombre in Veigy-Foncenex honors the memory of the French smugglers.

It was overcast yesterday when I set out for the memorial, but the sun suddenly appeared as I began the return trip (an almost 3-hour hike in total due  to my becoming hopelessly lost)! The ridge near the memorial afforded wonderful views of the Mont Blanc massif. And huge tracts of land are now covered with bright yellow flowering rapeseed (canola).