In the territory of the Swiss Confederation, you can find many unique natural beauties that will make any vacation attractive and fulfilling. There are snow-capped peaks of the Alps with ski slopes, wonderful mountain valleys with pastoral pictures, and the charm of small towns with neat European architectural compositions. But Switzerland did not get the sea, but the locals do not suffer from this at all.
Not a single cheese …
When asked which sea washes Switzerland, a not too diligent student will try to find the answer, helplessly wandering around the map of the Old World. A professional travel agent will mysteriously smile and offer a trip to Lake Geneva. It is it that is rightfully considered a local symbol, and rest on its shores is quite a pleasant substitute for the traditional beach one.
Lake Geneva occupies the honorable second step of the pedestal of the largest in Europe. Its area is over 580 sq. km and is slightly inferior in size only to the Hungarian Balaton.
Interesting Facts:
- Lake Geneva is the largest in the Alps. Its height above sea level exceeds 370 meters.
- The deepest point of the lake is at around 310 meters.
- Only one river flows into Lake Geneva - the Rhone, which flows out of it.
- The shape of the lake resembles an irregular crescent, and its bend divides the reservoir into conditional Big and Small lakes.
- There is passenger traffic on Lake Geneva. The company that carries them out owns five paddle steamers that were built over a hundred years ago. The shipping company itself was founded in the 1870s, but the first ships began to sail here in the 20s of the 19th century. The main functions of shipping on Lake Geneva: historical, tourist and, of course, transport.
- The Swiss Sea was the birthplace of the famous Deep Purple song Smoke on the Water. In 1971, a fire broke out in a casino in Montreux, caused by the shooting of a fan of Frank Zappa.
- For many years, the writer Vladimir Nabokov lived in a hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva. He is buried in the small village of Clarens on the northeastern coast.
And when asked which seas in Switzerland, those who have been here will certainly answer - chocolate ones. The famous sweet product has been cooked on the shores of Lake Geneva for more than a century and a half. It was local confectioners who began to add milk to it, presenting the world with a new brand - delicate milk chocolate from Nestlé.
