- Part 1 of the report with Lake Biel can be found here.
- Part 3 of the report with Lake Murten will follow soon.
After the heavy thunderstorm during the night, the blue sky is reflected in the puddles on the pier the next morning. Today, not a breath disturbs the perfect sea surface. No chance for the sailors and kiters from the day before. Fortunately, at least we have the wind - and the canopy open to the sides against the sun.
We soon reach the southern end of the lake. But this time we leave Le Landeron to starboard and enter the Zihl Canal. Completed in 1885 as part of the aforementioned waterway regulation, it connects Lake Biel with the much larger Lake Neuchâtel.
The canton of Bern is still on the left and Neuchâtel - or rather Neuchâtel - is now on the right. For the length of the canal of around eight kilometres, we follow the language border. This is also known as the "Röstigraben" in German-speaking Switzerland. It certainly suits the canal. In the past, this dividing line also went hand in hand with pronounced political and cultural differences. In the meantime, however, the increasingly pronounced contrast between town and country has taken over this role. Either way, with the end of the very green waterway (apart from the dusty concrete works in La Tène), bilingualism comes to an end again for the time being: with the exception of a small corner, French is spoken again on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel.
Holiday atmosphere in Cortaillod
Long piers now guide us out onto Lac de Neuchâtel (even if we stick to its Swiss-German name for the sake of simplicity). The southern end of the lake, almost 37 kilometres away, is hidden in the mist in front of our bow. However, the distance to our destination for the day, the wine village of Cortaillod, is less than half that. Instead, we skip the cantonal capital of Neuchâtel itself, which now stretches along the shore and up the slopes on our starboard side. Yesterday we had architecture in Biel, both medieval and modern, and today nature is on the programme. It's already having an effect.
It seems as if we have the mirror-smooth lake to ourselves. So we do the only sensible thing - and let ourselves drift, quite literally: stop, unfold the bathing ladder and into the water!
Cortaillod has a pretty harbour with a wave-shaped outer pier, on the inside of which guests can moor alongside. The capitainerie is already deserted, although it is only the beginning of September, but according to the calendar it is already low season. We deposit the mooring fee of 20 francs (12 per bateau, 8 per électricité) in the envelope as requested. Petit Cortaillod, the district directly on the water, also has a campsite with a sunbathing lawn, pebble beach and - like everywhere else on the lake - a bathing bay. An art gallery and wine shop complete the ensemble. We will find ourselves on the terrace of the "De Pilotis" restaurant in the evening.
The actual village is located slightly above the hillside, and is therefore not only on the signposted Route du Vignoble, the "wine route", but also surrounded by vineyards. No wonder Cortaillod also has its own designation of origin, the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Everywhere on the vines, the ripe grapes sparkle in the sun. Chasselas is the most important of the white varieties here. The red variety is Pinot Noir.
Prussia in Switzerland?
We have been travelling for a few hours, from the course of the River Areuse (which gave its name to our Linssen) to the middle of the vineyards and ever higher up. A vantage point spreads out its panorama for us: the green ridges of the Jura behind us, the lake in front of us and beyond, far on the horizon in pale blue: the Alps. From the Eiger at one end to the Weiße Frau and the Wildhorn all the way to Mont Blanc.
With this view, who would think that this little corner of the world was once Prussian? Strictly speaking, it was actually 150 years, from 1707 to 1857, during which time the Hohenzollerns (with a brief Napoleonic interlude) ruled the Principality of Neuchâtel in personal union - although the territory was already part of the Swiss Confederation. The free-thinking and extremely Francophile "Old Fritz", at least in his younger years, must nevertheless have been pleased by the existence of his French-speaking subjects. But the connection was not to last: in 1848, the year of the revolution, the republic was also proclaimed in Neuchâtel.
Nevertheless, the Prussian eagle clung to his title - and eventually even threatened war. However, as this plan met with little favour from the other crowned heads of Europe, Frederick William IV finally agreed to the so-called Neuchâtel Treaty in the Treaty of Paris: he renounced his claim to power but retained the title. Vive la République et Canton de Neuchâtel! Until today.
The next morning, there is still time for a swim on the beach at Cortaillod, because we don't have far to go that day: we barely have to cover ten kilometres in a southerly direction across the lake before our steel yacht reaches the harbour entrance of Estavayer-le-Lac on the eastern shore. The sky is as blue as ever, even if there is now a slight breeze from the west.
Estyvayer-le-Lac: feet in the water
The town's landmark can be recognised from afar: the imposing silhouette of Chenaux Castle. We enter the large marina with its avenue of long pontoons. The outer sides of the jetties are reserved for guests. We have almost free choice, only one place is occupied by a Nimbus. We find the friendly harbour master at the capitainerie tower, where he helps us launch a few jet skis. No rush! He wants to drop by the jetty later with his boat.
Or perhaps tomorrow. The small town, whose centre could serve as the backdrop for any medieval film, lies partly on the riverbank and partly on the upper edge of the adjoining plateau. Instead of film extras in tunics, however, tourists populate the alleyways around the collegiate church of Saint-Laurent, and at the viewpoint on the Place de Moudon they hold selfie sticks up to the sky instead of swords. As in Neuchâtel opposite, history was not always straightforward here in the canton of Fribourg (or Fribourg). Chenaux Castle, a well-preserved hilltop castle built towards the end of the thirteenth century by the ruling Estavayer family, is a splendid example of this in more ways than one.
In the period that followed, its lords changed again and again, territories were united, divided, bought or even fought over in bloodshed. In order to impress - or intimidate - his own population, Humbert of Savoy built the mighty keep, begun around 1435, on the town itself. Forty years later, during the Burgundian Wars, Estavayer was finally conquered by the Confederates of Fribourg. It is still the administrative centre today, partly because it has long been much more civilised than it was back then.
Just half an hour later, all of this is already far away again - at least it feels that way. We are now sitting in two deckchairs at the "FMR Lounge Bar" (motto: Les pieds dans l'eau - feet in the water), once again right by the lake. With the castle still in view, we fortunately didn't have to fight for the coveted seats. We "inherited" them from two women who had taken a break on a SUP tour but are now back on the board.
- Part 1 of the report with Lake Biel can be found here.
- Part 3 of the report with Lake Murten will follow soon.
