The Geneva Journals -- Arrival in Hermance

Looking outside the window of our room at l'Auberge Hermance, coldest winter in Geneva since 1957

Interior of our room, the Christine de France XVI suite

We land at 7:36 a.m. and Captain “Bubba” Ransom drawls over the PA system on our 767 aircraft, “Folks, get on your coats, it's 10 degrees here in Geneva with a 30 mph north wind. Oh, and, you're gonna have to climb down the stairs onto the tarmac and run to the waiting buses to get to the terminal.” Captain Ransom's Texas accent is homey and reassuring; the howling wind and the crawl down the stairs is not. We packed our heavy coats in our checked bags, as did all of the others on the airplane, except the Geneva residents. They know about this unusually cold winter in Europe. We are here to work with a client, document historic residential architecture, and be test subjects for Whole Earth Provisions' latest cold weather gear.

We claim our bags, spot our driver waiting with our name on his card, and load up the car for the drive through Geneva and up the east side of Lac Leman, as the lake is known en français. The city looks frozen in the piles of snow, the locals running to work in fur-trimmed anoraks and knee-high boots. The wind whips awnings, trees, and stylish scarves.

We reach Hermance in about 30 minutes and are enchanted with the village. The town contrasts strongly with the bustling commerce of Geneva. Quaint folk cottages, churches, and retail shops line the winding streets. Our driver asks several locals, "ou est l'Auberge Hermance?" We had been circling it for 10 minutes, it was always "a droit la (right there)." The simple masonry exterior gives no hint of the character within. There are but seven rooms at the inn. The hostess greets us at the door, "Bonjour, get out of the cold! Your room is not ready but we can cook a breakfast for you." Cafe au lait, croissant, ham, eggs scrambled with chives, baked pears, and cheeses quickly appear at a table on the enclosed patio near the fireplace. The shed roof above where we are seated was once the small barn attached to the main house, where the animals were housed in the winter. We find a home and a warm and embracing welcome.

Once settled in our room, we bundle up for a brisk walk. Our photos reveal our four-block walk around the inn. While we were well protected elsewhere, our faces give in quickly to the below-zero wind chill. It's time for a nap under down covers and a brandy close to the fire...

Photography credit: Stephanie Chambers. For a larger gallery of photos of Hermance, the area surrounding Lake Geneva, and more about architecture and design, go to this link: chambersarchitects.com