Escalade in Geneva or...

 

Scaling the walls and running for fun.

 

Last year due to the pandemic neither the race (the largest one in Switzerland) nor the parade took place. This year they were able to run the race, over two days and with half the participants of normal years, ie “only” 26’000 instead of the 43’000 of 2019!

There are categories from the 4 and 5 year-olds who run with a parent, through all the ages and up to the Elite.

This year I did watch part of it on Sunday, the atmosphere is such fun that one forgot that we were wearing masks even outside. The children were so enthusiastic and even I found myself cheering them on, I who had no one running!

 

The Elite saw mostly Kenyans winning, but even they, although happy to win, were in it more for the pleasure than anything.

 

This is the 43^rd edition of the run, the celebrations about Escalade having been going on much longer.

 

But what is “Escalade”?

In1602, Geneva, a rich and prosperous republic, attracted the attention and jealousy of the Savoyards. Charles-Emmanuel 1er, wanted to make Geneva his capitol to the North of the Alps and intended to combat Calvinism with the support of Pope Clement VIII, in spite of a “peace, sworn to and re-sworn to”.  So during the night of the 11^th to the 12^th of December (the longest night) 1602 a troop of 2000 soldiers tried to take the town by surprise. They came from the plains and mercenaries started climbing the walls, which surrounded the city (thus the name Escalade). The alarm was sounded, the cathedral’s bells (never mind that it was now a protestant church, we still call it the cathedral), in particular the Clémence (still exists), were rung. Citizens armed with whatever they found to hand and their courage joined the fray and come morning 54 of the enemy had died and only 18 of the Genevans and the Savoyards gave up. One figure of note was the Mère Royaume who was known to have killed one climbing soldier by pouring her hot vegetable soup on him. Still today we have chocolate cauldrons filled with marzipan vegetables to celebrate this fact!

 

In any case always good fun, great hot wine, chocolates and the like.

 

spectators of the race in Old Town Geneva

Runners, probably the 9-year olds

Hot wine... best part of the day!