Yverdon, Switzerland
and
Maison d'Ailleurs - House Of Elsewhere
On our trip to Italy, we returned via
Switzerland. I wanted to visit an old friend who unknowingly was
the catalyst for my current happiness. I met Patrick because he
was wandering America. He had stopped in to our bandleader Ted's
house, and we got to know each other. We made reciprocal offers
"if you're ever in town..." so I went to see Patrick. Along the
way, I met a certain violin player who became my wife. I have
Patrick to thank for that.
Patrick now lives in
Yverdon,
Switzerland, which is on Lake Geneva and near Lausanne,
Switzerland.
Patrick is the curator for the Maison d'Ailleurs - House Of
Elsewhere. This is a museum dedicated to science fiction, utopia
and extraordinary journeys. Believed to be the only museum in the
world dedicated to Science fiction in all of its forms, literature,
movies and popular culture. The museum is more than a collection
of kitch, it houses over 40,000 volumes of science fiction writings
dating back to the 17th Century. Science Fiction is not often
appreciated as "real art" and there is a lot of schlock out there both
in print and film. However, such notables as Thomas Swift, Jules
Verne, and George Orwell stand out as science fiction. Its not
all about guys with ray guns.
The museum itself occupies a building in the town
square of Yverdon, which used to be a jail. It has several floors
of collections, a library (which you have to read on the premises) and
display rooms for their collections of artifacts, posters and related
items.
Their latest exhibit is "Dinotopia",created
by James Gurney, a
series of books and movies about a lost civilization where dinosaurs
and people live together in harmony.
The Museum is looking to relocate to a new
spot. An exhibition was built on Lake Geneva, a futuristic
building set in the lake on pillars. The exhibit is now gone and
the building is unoccupied, so it would make for a wonderful location
for the museum. If the vote goes through, then the European Space
Agency will help construct the new grounds for the museum.
Other Sights in Yverdon
Naturally, Yverdon has a church in the town square
There is also an old fortress that is now a
museum. Next time we are in town we will explore it more fully
