7 stalwarts assembled at the COTY building in Versoix Bourg on this warm (24°) cloudless day:
Richard, Mike, Hubert, Gerard, David, Philip and chef de course Norman.
We climbed the modest hill to the Canal de Versoix then followed it upstream to a point short of the autoroute viaduct.
Norman explained the history of this feat of 18th century engineering: in the late 1700s, the French government decided
to rival Geneva commercially on Lac Léman, so planned a new town (Cité Choiseul) under the guidance of the Duc de Choiseul,
for which the canal would supply water taken from La Versoix at La Bâtie. A few buildings were erected, but then, as my Histoire de Versoix recounts, ‘le Duc tomba en disgrâce’ and the city was never built.
We then dropped down to La Versoix river, which has remained the Canton’s river with the highest volume in these months of drought
(it is fed from underground lakes deep in the limestone Jura). In the shade of the trees, the temperature was refreshing. We turned left at the footbridge and climbed a modest slope back to the canal. Intellectual discussions were the order of the day (and not just about the aches and pains of the tamalou), such that our noble leader inexplicably missed a turning – unheard of. The chattering classes were yanked back and we duly enjoyed the shady sylvan glades of the lower La Versoix back to COTY: 2h05 actual walking time. Beers all round then lunch under sunshades at Le Café National, where comments congratulatory (Norman turned 90 a month ago) mischievous and inspired rent the air. The walk was declared a memorable success. Les absents avaient tort, une fois de plus.
Norman
