Switzerland swelter in the south
Monday, June 6, 2016
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Vladimir Petković and his Switzerland players have arrived in Juvignac, a commune in Herault dubbed the 'green town' but which is now turning red because of the Swiss influx.
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The Switzerland national team were greeted by temperatures over 30C as they touched down at Montpellier Méditerranée airport on Monday afternoon.
Vladimir Petković and his 23-man ensemble appeared relaxed as they disembarked from their plane just after 15:00CET, although several players had to shield their eyes from the unforgiving Mediterranean sun as they headed down the steps and onto the tarmac.
After shaking hands with local dignitaries, the players posed briefly for photographers before boarding the bus to their team hotel in Juvignac, a small township west of Montpellier. At 18:00CET, the squad took part in an open training session at Montpellier HSC's Stade de la Mosson, with hundreds of young fans in attendance.
Known locally as 'la ville verte' (the green town) because of its serene location between the Mediterranean and the southern reaches of the Massif Central mountain range, Juvignac is undergoing a gradual transformation from green to red as the number of Switzerland shirts around town increases by the day.
The Vichy Spa Hotel, the Switzerland team's base for the next two weeks at least, has pulled out all the stops to make their guests feel welcome: two large Swiss flags fly proudly outside the main entrance, accompanied – somewhat curiously – by a dozen or so carved wooden cows painted red and white.
The hotel is also equipped with indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, a sauna and 27 treatment booths.
