Geneva Switzerland

This is the place where the story begins and also where it began for Mary Shelley, the birthplace and inspiration for the novel.  Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva, almost surreal to the modern eye, but to Mary Shelley the epoch of her writing career.

 

A colour image from a painting of the house on the lake

Neufchatel, France

Now called Neufchâtel-en-Bray (name changed in 1962), our trio of explorers travelled 6 days to get here.  In this town, they realized they had nearly exhausted their money and decided to return to England.

Neufchâtel is a former fortress town.  Between the 1100s and 1500s, the town was sieged and destroyed numerous times.  This town is known widely as the origin of Neufchâtel cream cheese, which contains about 1/3 less fat than other cream cheeses, making it softer and milder.  Below is a picture of Neufchâtel's Eglise Notre Dame church.

Charenton, France

Mary, Percy, and Claire arrived here around 10pm.  In History of a Six Weeks' Tour, Mary highlights the landscape, saying it's "prettily situated in a valley, through which the Seine flows, winding among banks with variegated trees."  Claire exclaimed about its beauty and wanted to live there, though she said that about many places they travelled.

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