28-Jan-2001 -- The first time we heard about "The Degree Confluence Project" was when Pierre
(http://club.ib.be/pierre.cao), Dominique’s cousin from Belgium,
saw the picture (5) of the Neuchâtel lakeside. We decided then, to embark on the adventure.
This view was taken on 5th October 2000 from the "Tour de Chaumont" situated above Neuchatel
(http://www.ne.ch) at an altitude of 1200 m. We can see the lake of Neuchatel,
the villages of Saint-Blaise (http://www.ne.ch/saint-blaise) and Marin
(http://www.surface.ch/ne/neuchatel/marin-epagnier)
(from right to left), the southern shore, the lake of Morat (http://www.mediatime.ch/stadt/murten/indmur.html)
in the background and the Alps in the backdrop.
Pierre came to Switzerland (http://www.swissgeo.ch) to spend the Christmas and
New Year holidays and we took advantage of it to mark out the place, on 5th January 2001. Unfortunately, we had to note
that the precise point was on the lake, around 600 m from the shore.
It’s only a few weeks later, on 22nd January, that we were able to go to the precise place (off Marin), thanks to
Jean-Pierre’s (http://www.kuntzer.ch/) kindness (a friend, winegrower and sometimes
seaman) who took us on his boat from the harbour of Saint-Blaise (http://www.saint-blaise.net).
Jean-Pierre at the tiller, Babar and Magali with the GPS, Claude in an additional little boat and Dominique with the
camera, the whole staff managed to immortalise the 47°N 7°E confluence point, at 1.35 p.m. on a beautiful winter
afternoon.
Picture 1: The Mount Chasseral (http://www.zorro.ch) snow-covered
above 1300 m and La Ramée an ornithological reserve.
Picture 6: The Mount Vully (http://www.vully.ch/vully-fr.htm)
and the Alps.