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Rue du Rhône in Geneva is one of the most covered with ice. The glacier receded dra-
upmarket places in the city and is known to matically, and now can be seen only from
everyone here. Its name reminds us of the the Furka heights. Over the last years it has
nearby river, which many people seem to receded still further, making a growing lake
think comes from Lake Leman. The river from the “milk of the glacier” white water.
Rhône is a major artery of transportation, The Rhône has therefore lengthened, as it
380 km long, crossing France to the Medi- no longer starts at the tongue in the Gletsch;
terranean. Not many people know, however, now it is measured from the centre of the
that before so slowly “arriving” to Geneva it middle of the “milk of the glacier” lake.
runs, often turbulently, for almost 300 km
more. It starts up in the high mountains in Glacier du Rhône is not the largest glacier,
the Glacier du Rhône, which is near the fa- but it is spectacular. It has another histor-
mous Furka Pass. I visited this hidden source ic landmark - Hotel Belvedere, featured in
to give you a more detailed account. the James Bond movie Goldfinger. In 1964,
Sean Connery was James Bond, chasing
Glacier du Rhône is situated in Oberhoms over the Furka in his Aston Martin DB5.
near Oberwald, above the picturesque town The hotel Belvedere is a historical and cul-
of Gletsch: the Swiss German word for gla- tural landmark, with historical rooms and
cier. Gletsch got its name because in the paintings, and is where Connery stayed
past it was next to a spectacular fall of the while the movie was shooting.
Glacier du Rhône; it looked like a huge mass
of ice falling to the town. There is historic Today the hotel has been closed for eight
“Hotel du Glacier”, which has paintings and years, leaving only the historical glory of
the photos from times when visitors en- the Furka Pass, its steep bends and ser-
joyed the beauty of the huge “falling” gla- pentine road. This last is considered one of
cier. Sadly, today it is no longer there, and the steepest and most beautiful in Europe,
only a ravine reminds us that once it was bringing adventurous racers on motorbikes

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