Devoted Francophiles are people who usually travel to France, and sometimes also to Belgium and the province of Quebec in Canada. For Francophiles who are tired of Paris, or who have already had an Arab rob them on the metro, I recommend Geneva, the largest French-speaking city in Switzerland. Geneva is rightly called “the smallest big city in the world.” Despite the city’s modest size, and the possibility of exploring the entire city center on foot, it is a famous city, rich in every way, with much to offer to all types of tourists.
For those who visit Geneva, it is worth arriving in the city around the city's municipal holiday, L'Escalade. What do they celebrate in Switzerland, a country that has not known war for centuries? Yes, old military victories. L'Escalade is the scaling of the walls, and this holiday marks the failure of the attempt to conquer Geneva by the nearby Duchy of Savoy. Let's go back to history: on the night of December 11-12, 1602, the Duchy of Savoy (in French, Savoie) launched a surprise attack on Geneva, then an independent city-state. The attacking forces camped in Plainpalais, in front of the walls of the old city, where most of the city celebrations are held today. Thanks to the vigilance of the city guards, the city militia, and even the citizens, who had mobilized to defend their city, the attack failed. About a dozen Savoyard prisoners were executed with great ceremony the next day, as bandits, since the attack was a violation of previous peace agreements. The bodies remained hanging for about a year. Indeed, the Geneva Convention had not yet come into effect at that time…
Don't you understand? That's right, it's in the local Provençal dialect of the early 17th century, very different from modern French. At the weekend of L'Escalade there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter the old city council buildings, a place that served as the "government" of the medieval Republic of Geneva. The walls are still decorated with centuries-old illustrations of the city's mayors and judges, painted without palms, as a sign and testimony that they would not take bribes. In the council hall is the Tixi scepter that symbolized the power of the rulers of Geneva, and was treated as an object of holiness, like the scepter of Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther. And an act of officialdom that was caught touching the city scepter, and was hanged on the same day; Swiss people of centuries ago did not really live up to the civilized image of the Swiss of today../
It is also possible and recommended to climb the cathedral tower for a view of the city and the famous fountain, Jet d'eau, probably the tallest phallic object in Europe.
There is no celebration without cake, and there is no Escalade without marmite and other holiday foods. The “marmite” is a chocolate filled with marzipan and decorated with the colors of the canton of Geneva. Those celebrating in the streets can enjoy more local dishes, and due to the weather, it is also worth enjoying a glass of mulled wine suitable for European December. In German-speaking areas it is called Gluhwein, and in Geneva it is simply called vin chaud – hot wine. Visitors to Geneva can enjoy the rest of the city’s attractions – in the old town there is an excellent municipal museum (admission is always free), and several dozen other museums are located throughout the city. Near the city is the famous particle accelerator CERN, the most expensive scientific project in the world (except for the space program). In this place, apart from the well-known achievements in the study of subatomic particles and the proof of the existence of the “God particle”, something else was invented quite by chance – the Internet. The WWW protocol was invented for the purpose of preparing the website of the research center at CERN.
Dr. Shariel Birnbaum is an Orientalist specializing in Egyptian cinema. His book “Back to the Past – Filmed Histories in Egyptian Cinema” will soon be published by Magnes.