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| Neuchatel Suisse |
After I completed my studies at Alexander College, Dublin, my ardent desire was to study history at Trinity College Dublin. But my parents were adamant, three more years was out of the question, especially with the Korean war being, then, at its most crucial point, possibly with horrific consequences. So, instead, I went to my second choice Irena, at Peseux, Neuchatel.
Switzerland was then renowned for its finishing schools. Almost ten years after I left more women went to university than ever before. Naturally, parents preferred paying fees for a degree than sending their daughters to expensive finishing schools. So from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s "Pensionnats der Jeunes Filles" started closing down, one after the other and with the exception of one or two they became institutions of the past.
I thoroughly enjoyed my year at Irena. We were taught French, literature, music, history of art and cooking. We went to the theatre, to concerts, art galleries and fashion shows. We gathered grapes in vineyards and visited the Suchard chocolate factory where we were given packets of Toblerone. We skated, skied, played tennis and went to dances. After years of hard work, my stay in Switzerland was a wonderful holiday, which I always fondly remember.
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| Neuchatel by Kesh Weal |
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