Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman) is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France.
My great-aunt Gerda, who spent the years of WWI working as lady's maid for an unknown employer in Lyon, France, also during those years travelled more than once to Lake Geneva. On the French side they stayed at the resort Evian-les Bains; but they also went across the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland.
Cf. these posts of mine from 1922:
1915 - Sepia Saturday 604 (A Holiday at Lake Geneva 1915 - Jan 2022)
1917 - Sepia Saturday 608 ("I have had no News from Sweden in months" 1917 - Feb 2022)
1913-18 - Sepia Saturday 611 (Hotel Postcards 1913-18 - March 2022)
Below are some unwritten postcards from Gerda's collection which I assume she bought on these trips as well. (I don't think they've been included in previous posts.) From her written postcards I have drawn the conclusion that she loved lake and sea views, and also quite liked to bathe/swim when she had the opportunity. From her many travels I also assume she did not suffer from sea-sickness, but enjoyed boat trips as well.
Repeating the text from one of the postcards sent to her brother in 1915:
"Switzerland, 19 sept 1915 - Dear brother, I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. Sending you a view from here. I hope you will recieve it soon. Love, sister Gerda."
 |
| Lac Léman. - Château de Chillon. |
 |
| Chateau de Chillon |
Chillon Castle (French: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. Chillon is amongst the most visited medieval castles in Switzerland and Europe.
 |
| By JoachimKohlerBremen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46700055 |
 |
| 1931. - Ile de Salagnon (Lac Léman) |
Only found a French article about Salagnon Island on Wikipedia.
 |
| 6395 Lac Léman. Etude et Ile de Salagnon |
 |
| Bords du Léman - Coucher de soleil. (The shores of Lake Geneva - Sunset) |
Even through the sepia tone, the beauty of these places shines through. I especially like the little Ile de Salagnon. What a fantastic view! I laughed how we have both chosen one of the great lakes around Switzerland. Do you think Gerda might have once seen a zeppelin over the lake?
ReplyDeleteMike, I can't recall Gerda ever mentioning it on any of the postcards. And I think the only time I've had a photo of a zeppelin on my blog was in a post about the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 - a Fair which I'm not sure that Gerda herself got to visit, even if her employer then, the Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte, did. (Gerda was in the US, but I have no evidence that she visited Chicago, only that she spent time at the estate of Bernadotte's parents-in-law in Pleasantville, NY.) Interestingly, though, a former employer of Gerda's from her years in Chicago, Dr Otto Schmidt, was vice president of 'The German Group' at the World’s Fair, but took an active stand against National Socialism supporters who wanted the fly the German swaztika flag, by refusing to attend an event held in connection with the landing in Chicago of the German airship Graf Zeppelin. If you're interested in reading that old blog post in full, you'll find it here:
Deletehttps://greetingspast.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-1933-chicago-worlds-fair.html
I enjoyed seeing that postcard of the Zeppelin and comparing it to others I've seen. I imagine many people who went to the Chicago world's fair lost all hope and optimism for the future as the decade progressed. Here is newsreel footage of the Graf Zeppelin in Chicago in 1933.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/XFeOTpdWfWQ
It amazes me the way those historic castles & chateaux are built all but right ON the water! I wonder how often they flooded? The contrast in the one color photo of Chateau de Chillon with the modern railway or auto way behind it is quite a striking immage.
ReplyDeleteLaN, yes, those buildings could hardly be any closer to the water, could they!
DeleteMy favorite view is the one with the moon. amazing the way the castles are built right on the water. I bet they were damp if not flooded. I wonder if Gerta saw a zeppelin too!
ReplyDeleteKristin, see my reply to Mike!
DeleteWhat a wonderful election of postcards and you are so lucky that Gerda kept them for future generations to appreciate. So many my favourites - the lighting on the mountains and lake on the Ile de Salagnon views but the modern view of the flyover motorway behind the ancient castle is particularity striking.
ReplyDeleteSue, the unwritten cards didn't seem to tell me much when I first found them, but after having gone through all her written ones, I find I can put many of the unwritten ones in context too.
DeleteI had the same thought as others about the castles right on the water. One can imagine the beauty of the moonlit night, the mountains in the background, the green hills. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteKathy, yes, certainly views to just "sit and stare" at :)
DeleteGerda had a life that allowed her to see so many places...though of course she was working most of the time. I love these photos of lakes and castles.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I think her position as lady's maid probably still meant she got to travel rather comfortably, and see a lot of the tourist attractions as well.
Delete