“Nevertheless, for two years I rested in Switzerland. And rested, you have no idea! Assured (or almost) that tomorrow would be identical to today and as calm as yesterday.”
A few lines on his two years in Switzerland
Switzerland is not only one of the most beautiful countries in the world; it is also, no doubt, the most genuine democracy: every important decision is taken with the agreement of the people, who have the right to demand, on the initiative of a small number of citizens, “votations” on subjects they judge important, from the country’s integration into economic Europe to the muzzling of dogs in the street.
As a humorist said, hell would be a country where the police were German, the cooks English, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss and everything run by the Italians; heaven would be a country where the police were British, the cooks French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian and everything run by the Swiss.
In Switzerland everything is run by the Swiss. That is already a good start.
Everything has been foreseen, thought out, organized and programmed for the happiness and safety of the citizens. No ill wind must, on any pretext, ruffle the surface of the calm lake of their lives. The Swiss, ultra-protected, are happy people.
Yet in two years I was lucky enough to witness two unforeseen events there (“unforeseen”: can you imagine?) that shook the whole of Switzerland.
Three weeks after the tsunami in Asia, Switzerland struck in its turn! “Anguish grips the city: all the trams are blocked, the Lausanne metro evacuated. Fortunately the banks were protected by their internal power supply. All the shops are plunged into darkness and most close their doors, but those of the big chains heroically resist and refuse to evacuate despite the risks to goods left in the dark. No theft will be reported. The fire brigade has to rescue more than a hundred people stuck in lifts. All will be saved within 10 to 45 minutes.”
Enough to be traumatised, all the more so as barely six months later the weather services failed in their turn!
Tornado on the Riviera
On 18 July 2005, at 3.30 p.m., quietly settled in my living room on the ninth floor of a tower facing Lake Geneva, I thought I was dreaming: I saw a tornado coming at me!
There was no mistaking it: the birds were fleeing at full speed and, on the water, an enormous seething wave preceded a cavalcade of black clouds rushing toward Montreux. I could not be wrong: I have seen plenty of tornadoes and cyclones. But this tornado had not been forecast by the Swiss weather services, so it had to be a dream. Necessarily…
Shaking with laughter, I went out onto the balcony to photograph this optical illusion. Two seconds later I was being machine-gunned by hailstones the size of pigeon’s eggs and had to beat a retreat.
The phenomenon lasted only five minutes but was extremely violent. Around Montreux, every metal shutter facing the lake was wrecked, windows blown out, roofs perforated, and thousands of cars dented as if they had been trampled.
Discovering the damage, I felt betrayed, like every Swiss: this catastrophe proved that not everything had yet been foreseen to ensure my safety in all circumstances!
Nevertheless, for two years I rested in Switzerland. And rested, you have no idea! Assured (or almost) that tomorrow would be identical to today and as calm as yesterday.
Switzerland is a land neither of adventure, nor of conquest, nor of chance. It is quite simple: I no longer remember what I did during my whole stay! Thank you, Switzerland!
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