Discover the Lake Neuchâtel region with Mobility

André Vallana stumbled upon the book series in a bookstore in Lausanne by chance: “I was at Payot in Lausanne when Marc Voltenauer and Benjamin Amiguet presented 111 must-see places in the Vaud Alps. I found the book extremely appealing and noticed that there was nothing about Neuchâtel in the series yet. So I suggested that the editor illustrate 111 places around Lake Neuchâtel.”

As André Vallana does not own a car, he decided to use the vehicles in the Mobility fleet for his visits and contributions. “I only had my own car for a very short time. I live not far from Lausanne railway station and have not had my own car for many years. In order to write my book, I always got a rental car from Mobility. The quality of the pictures was particularly important to me, which is why I always carried several lenses in my bag. So I travelled by train and covered the last few kilometres in a rental car.” Sometimes the vehicle was unavoidable due to the fixed schedule. For example, when he was fishing by the lake early in the morning with Claude Delley.

André Vallana is passionate about history. He has already made several documentaries on historical themes relating to the canton of Neuchâtel. In his works, he describes, for example, the birthplace of Marat, the house of Queen Bertha, the medieval frescoes of Engollon and a border marking between the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud in Delley-Portalban, half dipped into the lake… “From the outset, I knew that history and cultural heritage would play an important role in my work. Over the course of the months, however, natural topics became just as important.”

He was particularly impressed by the La Grande Cariçaie nature reserve as the largest lakeside wetland in Switzerland and home to a quarter of Switzerland’s flora and fauna: “This is a unique area in Europe. I was in close contact with the ornithologist from Grande Cariçaie.” Among other things, he also visited the observation station at Champ-Pittet to photograph the kingfishers from there. They became the “landmark” of his book. Also on display are the train crossing the nature reserve and the crested divers that live here … His recommendations also include the Champ-Pittet and La Sauge conservation centres. He defines them as “wonderful gateways to discovering the treasures of the Lake Neuchâtel region.”

Due to his passion for the BirdLife La Sauge nature centre, he had to rely on Mobility’s services time and again. “The early hours of the morning and the evening are excellent windows for photographing birds. The bus timetable wasn’t always compatible with my needs.” He also reports on his encounter with a Norwegian biologist who, like him, had problems with bus schedules. So he simply took him in his car and took him to the destination, where they finally spent the afternoon together.

For the author, the current book is a kind of return to his roots. In his youth, he fought for La Grande Cariçaie to be placed under conservation.

The plant also focuses on craftsmanship and living traditions around Lake Neuchâtel. André Vallana was involved in the production of the Vully cake, the salt cake and the handmade braid; he takes his readers on a visit to the world of bees, the garden of pleasures and the fishermen’s huts converted into small bars … “To write this book, I had personal conversations with 60 people and also talked to many others. Through them, I have experienced fantastic things that I share with my readers.”

Two signing sessions will take place in June:
Payot Neuchâtel: Saturday, 15 June, 2.30 p.m. – 4 p.m. (Before that, there will be a city walk through Neuchâtel (registration required)). 
FNAC Neuchâtel, La Maladière shopping centre: Saturday, 22 June 2024, 2.30 p.m. – 5 p.m.