Water of Life--at a Price Dear International Living Reader, Sapphire blue bottles of Blue Keld and Lynx…ruby red bottles of Ty Nant from Wales, plain glass bottles of Apollinaris from Greece, and Tipperary Spring from Ireland. Can't find your favorite mineral water? Chances are you will in Vital'Eau. This unusual shop is in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a small town in Neuchatel canton. It's the only shop in Switzerland that's entirely devoted to selling bottled water. Run by Floriane and Jose Barroca, Vital'Eau has been in business for 2 years now. Obviously there's a market for brand-name water, even though I can't tell the difference between a San Pellegrino and a Ballygowan. Jose told me he stocks over 200 varieties from all over Europe. The most expensive--and it's kept in a special glass case like some precious objet d'art--is Voss water from Norway. This sells for a staggering 12 Swiss francs--that's around $8.65--per bottle. For water! You'll find the shop at 72 Avenue Leopold-Robert, but it's not the only reason to visit La Chaux-de-Fonds. The architect Le Corbusier was born here and the tourist office has a booklet guiding you around his local projects. The town is also on the Route de l'Horlogerie--Switzerland's watch-making route. Steenie Harvey
Roving Euro-editor, International Living P.S. The boat trip from Lausanne across Lac Leman to Evian in France takes just 30 minutes. As my Swiss Rail pass covers boat trips too, my day out in France cost nothing. Otherwise it's 21.80 Swiss francs (approx $15.70) for the return trip. Along Avenue des Sources, dozens of locals were standing in line to fill up their bottles with Evian water for free. Back in Switzerland, some restaurants charge as much as 6 Swiss francs ($4.38) for a half-liter bottle of Evian water. | 
