Another day in Switzerland, and we set out to catch a Paddle Steamer for a trip on Lake Geneva, There was no boat due at Vevey so we got a Bus To Montreux and just as we left a little shop there was a Paddle Steamer coming in to stop. So we managed to get across to the jetty and this was a most majestic Paddle Boat. Over 100 years old it had just be completly restored and returned back to its original condition. The First Class Dining room was like something from the Titanic and the second class for us 'Plebs' was slightly less plush but still more than adequate. The Paddle boats themselves were at one stage retired from active duty but public pressure and public donations meant many have been restored and returned into daily service or during the busy Summer months. For the technical minded the boats no longer run on coal but now on oil and many of the manual 'oiling' jobs have been automated but you can still see the enormous pistons and cylinders and various mechanical bits driving the paddle wheels outside.
The trip lasted as far as Lausanne. There we changed to another Paddle boat and crossed over into France at Evian. Here we had something to eat and as it was in France it was much more reasonable priced. From there I saw a signpost for the re opened Funicular, so we walked up to the Funicular. Again like the Paddle boat the Funi was taken out of service and was closed for many years but was reopened again by private donations about 10 years ago. The Funi itself has been brought back to the 'belle epoque' period but all the engineering has been fully modernised.
The was not much to see at the summit but there was a small shop selling souvenirs and the top staion again had been beautifully renovated and restored.
Photographs to follow later.
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