We had a wonderful 3 hour boat ride on Lac Leman (Geneva lake). We made 4 stops going up the lake, then returned in a circuit. It was very relaxing to just ride and look at the view. David and I looked at all the houses along the shoreline and pretended to pick out our retirement home :)
The boat was the Savoie, a double paddle wheeler celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It was in immaculate condition! We rode up on the bow the whole way up the lake and back. With a breeze and the sun, it was a perfect day to be on the lake.
One of the coolest parts of the boat was that part of the engine works were exposed - the connecting rods - that connect the paddle wheels to the steam engine. The engineer maintained them throughout the entire ride, adding lubricant and wiping surfaces clean.
On the sides of the boat there were port holes to see the turning paddle wheels (they were hidden behind casings from the exterior). When the boat was moving, it was kind of like looking in a washing machine.
The captain had two side controls that he used as he approached a dock. You can see him on the upper level.
He was quite skilled at getting the boat to dock. He would glide right past the dock, then throw the wheels into reverse and back up into position.
The reverse wheels kicked up quite a bit of turbulance.
Lighthouse on the end of the Geneva harbor.
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