The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Switzerland:
French Switzerland
The French Swiss differ noticeably from their German-speaking compatriots--in their simple, fashionable dress, friendly sense of humor, and the unexpected flashes of joie de vivre that liven up their calm and orderly towns. French Switzerland centers around grand, romantic Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Stravinsky wrote The Rite of Spring in Montreux, on the east side of the lake, now the site of one of the world's hottest jazz festivals. To the west, Geneva, headquarters of the International Red Cross, has long been a sedate city of humanity and enlightenment, but even she lets down her discreet chignon once a year (December 11) to celebrate the Escalade, a 17th-century battle.
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