True Romeo and Juliet type romance in Nyon

The local shops in Nyon are decorated with hearts and roses ready for Valentine's day tomorrow but did you know that Nyon has a true romantic Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story of its own?

Back at the start of the 19th Century there was a jealousy between folk that lived in the upper part of Nyon and those that lived by the lake. In 1842 a girl called Catherine worked at an inn called La Couronne which was near the lake. She fell in love with a boy called Laurent who not only came from a wealthy up town family, but he was also son of the Mayor. Needless to say this relationship was frowned upon and marriage was out of the question between a wealthy "uptowner" and a poorer "downtowner".

However, enterprising Catherine had saved a bit of money and after many protracted negotiations she persuaded the authorities to sell her an old pub (now called La Croix Verte) This was in the centre of the town, so presumably neutral terrority. Unlike Romeo and Juliet there is no tragedy to this story, there were no deaths involved. The starcrossed lovers got to marry, they went on to run the pub together and lived happily ever after and the business went on to be a success as it is today. This story is a somewhat shortened version, if you want to read it in full (in French) look under "Accès et Divers" under the Croix Verte website.

Delicious Valentine gifts and chocolate for sale in the shop Chocolaté in La Combe Centre in Nyon (photos below).