Geneva & the Mont Blanc
A first stroll around Geneva, Switzerland
After yesterday’s (unplanned) foray into vintage postcards from Switzerland, I’ll share some specimen from Geneva with you.
In case you missed the posting, here goes:
A Canon in the Making = Lake Geneva + Mont Blanc
One of the defining features of the Geneva postcards is its enduring composition, i.e., “pictorial canon”. Most of them show a combination of Lake Geneva, more or less identical perspectives, and the mountain range behind the city. As my dear friend S.A. (who hails originally from Switzerland) would hold, that’s what makes the country so “boringly standardised”, but for our purposes, this is, of course, amazing.
Sadly undated, shown is “one of the most popular spots in Geneva”, the Bains des Pâquis, “an artificial peninsula surrounded by a lively beach that jets into the lake near Pâquis district (Rive Droite). It’s scenery is unmistakable due to the lighthouse at the end.”
Paquis baths (Bains des Pâquis) are essentially two saunas, hammam and turkish baths; together with restaurant providing great spot for rejuvenations.
It is “very popular during hot summer days, has more than sufficient room to lie down and sunbathe, as well as easy access to the water. A magnificent view over the lake and the Jet d’Eau [water fountain] makes it a must place to visit.”
In the background, we are able to see Mont Blanc, the highest peak of the Alps.
These next two picture postcards are also undated, but they, too, shows the lakeside Bains des Pâquis, the famous water fountain, and Mont Blanc in the background.
The Mont Blanc is also the fixture, so to speak, in the below picture postcard showing the Palace of Nations (Palais des Nations), once the headquarter of the “League of Nations”, the fore-runner of the United Nations that presently uses the compound. The below postcard, also showing the Mont Blanc in the background, was mailed in 1962.
Finally, in this coulour photograph adorning the below picture postcard, Mont Blanc, the water fountain, and Lake Geneva are all prominently on display. It was mailed in 1968.
