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Yverdon-les-Bains

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There wasn't much to see in Yverdon-les-Bains (E-vah-doh le bain) , but we went there nevertheless to check out some ancient Stonehenge kinda thing... that I read about on the net. The one in England is pretty fascinating... what stories those stones must have witnessed, if only they could talk...
When you get down in Yverdon, this is what you see... some geometric fountain, which was intriguing. 
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi is quite famous here... he was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German and French speaking regions of Switzerland and wrote many works explaining his revolutionary modern principles of education. His motto was 'Learning by head, hand and heart'. Thanks to Pestalozzi, illiteracy in 18th century Switzerland was overcome almost completely by 1830. 
The church at the the town square...
A very simple and pleasing church... 
After walking for a while, we reach the Stonehenge part of the glen.... 
Of course, it's not as majestic as the one in England... but it's still pretty cool. 
Best part about being here was, we were all by ourselves... no visitors or tourists around. Me and Nam, took a lot of pictures dancing and doing crazy stuff here... as a tribute to the ancient folks who probably did the same at this historic site. 
It was a lovely place with tiny daisies smiling up at you...
How are these wristbands that I picked up in Venice, the blue one is from Yvoire... something about these braided interlacing strands spoke to me.  
The castle of Yverdon and the moat surrounding it. The castle now holds a number of exhibits dating back to neolithic age, all interesting relics of an ancient era... we walked in, bought the tickets and they handed out these audio guides. So me and my sister are strolling around in the courtyard, checking out the sights when a familiar tune starts playing... we turn to each other with a huge smile on our faces. The soundtrack to Bombay by A. R. Rahman was playing on the background while the narrator was narrating about the ancient past. It was a nice effect, the haunting melody of Rahman set to the lives of these prehistoric people....  
This mummy is so delicately preserved... you could see his nails and hair and the wrinkled flesh. 
This X-Ray image of him shows some amulets embedded in his body to ward off evil spirits... 
This upright thing to the side is the cover of his coffin... 
And here you can read all the details about this mummy... it is quite interesting. 
Right opposite the castle is the museum of Science Fiction....
Museum of Science Fiction, Utopia and Extraordinary  Journeys...
This is how it looks inside with vintage comic books and other books lining the walls... 
There are music exhibits of a decaying world or an apocalyptic world, there are viewing rooms like this... to relax and catch up on science fiction movies. 
Pretty neat huh... I guess this place would hold special appeal to the science fiction fans, but I got kinda bored until I entered the...
Beautiful library overflowing with every sort of unusual books... and stories. Jules Verne is quite famous here... there were vintage books of his lining a wall and they were barricaded. I love his 20,000 leagues under the sea... a fascinating book. 
So after a lovely time, walking around and exploring the museums... we bid Yverdon farewell...


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mahesh said…
The Science Fiction Museum is a fascinating idea and Jules Verne is indeed a great inspiration to the many greats that followed him.
4:22 PM
Rajiv Sankarapillai said…
Cool post :)
9:52 PM
Karen Xavier said…
Mahesh, I knew you would like the museum... most guys seem to do. Jules is awesome...

Rajiv, thank you...
1:09 PM
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