As the plane banked over a spectacular range of snow-covered mountains coming into land in Geneva, Marie Phillip from Toronto in the seat beside me volunteered, “Those are the French Alps. You are lucky to have a clear day today, because a panoramic view is very rare, as usually clouds hide them from sight.”

We took a train from Geneva to Neuchatel which was worth the expensive 26 Euro ticket, as it sped us through the picture book Swiss countryside. Taking the Finicular from the Neuchatel railway station was the next fun experience, as this two car tram is operated by a push pull mechanism, with no driver and no fuel used to propel it. 

As we wheeled our overnight bags to the Hotel des Arts along the lake of Neuchatel, we looked around at the quaint Swiss city. Obviously wealthy, the little town was also the home of chocolate, we had been told.

All along the route as our train glided from Geneva to Neuchatel, we passed vineyards on the hill slopes, so obviously, this was wine country as well. “Yes! We are famous for our wines too, especially Reisling,” said Marie Phillip, an old resident of Neuchatel who comes back every year from Toronto to spend three weeks in the home of her birth.

  So the next morning we walked down to the tourist office and collected a free map and some directions. With spring in the air, there was no need for even a jacket and with yellow and purple pansies blooming along the pavements, their deliciously pungent perfume was everywhere. “Just walk,” said Marlene Maurius, our hostess for the week. “The best way to see Neuchatel is on foot.” Infact the tourist office has a brochure called ‘Neuchatel- A Pied Zu Fuss’ which we decided to use.

Chocolate craving
So we went in search of lakes of milk and mountains of chocolate that Switzerland is famous for and all we found were fountains. The whole of Neuchatel has quaint fountains dating back to the 14th century and all kept in perfect condition. Sparkling potable water flowed out of taps day and night and we topped our bottles with this elixir of life.

The first fountain we came to was at the Place de l’Hotel Communal which is in the Louis XVI style with a large central basin hewn out of a single block of stone. It was a little difficult for us from Asia to just fill up our bottles with water from a ‘roadside tap,’ so we just splashed our faces and walked on.

Wealthy town
All the buildings in  Neuchatel tower over the narrow roads and are ornamented with huge winged statues and gargoyles. In typical European style, cafes spilled out onto the roads and holidayers sat in the hot midday sun trying to combine a sun tan with a gourmet meal.  It was too early for us to eat, so we walked on and arrived at the Fontaine de La Justice which was another fountain dating back to 1545.

Carved by Perroud the octagonal basin had a representation of Justice holding the scales with a pope, a magistrate and emperor and a sultan at her feet.

Aqua pure
There was a rush for pictures which were difficult, as the sun was against us. Here we were thirsty, so some of us filled our water bottles to find the water was sweet and sparklingly clear. “The water is from springs from the Jura mountains,” explained Marie Phillips later when we questioned her about them. “Just drink a lot of it, it is really good to flush out the system.”

“Let’s have a snack now,” said Bonnie Conan the Chinese girl in the group. We were at Croix du Marche or the cross roads of the old town and right in front of us was the Banneret Restaurant built in the renaissance style.
We enjoyed the ambience as we ordered a Fondue with our white Reisling wine. There was the backdrop of the Jura mountains their peaks stained with pink from the sun and the tinkling sound of the Fontaine du Banneret.   
Yes! here was another fountain which according to the waitress in the restaurant was originally just a small watering hole for livestock. Later in 1581, when the town expanded Perroud again embellished the fountain with a soldier brandishing a sword.

Around this fountain was a bed of flowering pansies and a pair of lovers leaning against the basin totally engrossed in one another. So typically European, lovers entwined oblivious of their surroundings whether it’s Copenhagen or Amsterdam or here in Switzerland. Wonder what our politicians would say to such a public display of affections!  

We climbed up the Escaliers du Chateau or the stairs to the Castle to revel in Le Chateau whose origins date back to the 12th century, the highlight of the walk. There is a free tour but we did not want to see the interiors. Instead we walked into the church and admired its beautiful rose window and stained glass, wondering at the wealth of the family to afford a church of their own.

Legend says...
As we walked down the Rue du Pommier (Apple Tree street) we came upon the ugly Fontaine du Griffon which was my favourite. Glinting dully in the evening sunshine the Griffon Fountain was meant to supply the surplus water from the castle to the city. Legend has it that the brothers Charles-Paris d'Orleans had wine flow from the fountain during their visit in 1688.

By now we were hot and looking for ice-cream - particularly chocolate double scoops. So we wandered into the Place des Halles or the quaint market square which is framed by 18th century mansions.

Originally built as a grain and cloth market also by Perroud in the late 14th century, we found a small tobacconist open and all he had was Walls icecream. There was no way we were going to eat Walls in Switzerland, so we walked on to a little restaurant called Le Baron. There in the rays of the setting sun we ordered enormous chocolate ice creams while I settled for a delicious Apple Strudle. You can sit as long as you like in a café and chat.

But where was the chocolate? We wanted Swiss chocolate to take home and we stumbled on an unpretentious confiserie from the famous house of Suchard. There every conceivable variety of chocolate was on sale. There was even a ‘post card’ of one of the views in the town made of chocolate.

No one wanted to go back to the hotel, so we sauntered down the Esplanade du Mont Blanc, which has a number of statues by international artists on display.

This led us to the Quai Osytervald Ostervald Quay, along the banks of the Neuchatel lake. A big plate of Frites or French Fries dunked in mayonnaise kept us busy. There amidst the flowering tulips we sat on a bench, till the sun went down with the spectacular view of the Jura mountains in the distance.