Floral mosaic

Saturday
Today we (Roger and I, Jen and her friend Magali) visited Nyon, on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva. We first explored the chateau, which commands a wonderful view over the lake. From the terrace behind you can watch all the sailing boats and the paddle steamers plying up and down the lake. There was some sort of jazz festival taking place in the town, and while we were in the square in front of the chateau taking pictures, we could hear music getting closer and closer, and finally we saw a group of 8-10 musicians parading through the street. They went through the archway of the chateau to the terrace and then on down to the lakefront. There were several stage areas set up in the town and we were to hear them again several times during the day. The chateau in its present form dates back to the 16th century and has always been an administrative building, including serving as a prison as late as 1979. Now, it has historical displays, displays of porcelain, as well as temporary exhibitions. When we had finished exploring the chateau we walked on down through gardens to the lake shore. By this time it was lunch time, and with the aid of Magali's smart phone we found a very nice creperie and enjoyed a delicious lunch outside, accompanied by more jazz.

Our access to the chateau also gave us access to two other small museums - the Mueum of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and the Roman museum, which is located inside the foundations of a first century Roman basilica and showcases various Roman finds in the town. Finally, we walked through this lovely park overlooking the lake, where we came across this floral mosaic of Aesop's fable Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Crow and the Fox).

A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree. "That's for me, as I am a Fox," said Mr. Fox, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. "Good day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How well you are looking today: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds."
The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Mr. Fox.
"That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future: "Do not trust flatterers."

The pillars above the mosaic are another reminder of Nyon's Roman past. Nyon’s written history started around BC45 when during the times of Julius Caesar the Roman town Noviodunum, which was an important town in the Roman Colonia Iulia Equestris, was founded on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Roman presence lasted until around AD400 but Nyon remained occupied by humans without interruption. These pillars were discovered buried horizontally in old town Nyon and moved to overlook Lake Geneva in 1958.