As it was lovely this morning I visited the Creux Du Van in Canton Neuchatel which is well worth a visit.
As the weather was still good we decided to have a picnic on the lake and stopped at one of the villages.
I followed the parking signs and ended up in a very pleasant area overlooking the lake with all the boats parked up and commenced our picnic. There was nobody around only some chap fiddling with his mast. A boat sped across the lake and the guy got out. He came over and started shouting about how dare we park there. I can honestly say that I followed the signs and if I had seen the really small sign I would not have parked there.
He then proceeded to inform me that he would fine me 300 Euros , "Do you want me to do that?" he asked again & again.
My only option was to just act like I was completely stupid and even though I was with my son & daughter he went on & on.
Could he fine me in Euros? And why not Swiss francs
He did let us off but it was not a very pleasant experience

Was this guy a policeman I am sorry for what happened to you, and your family.

IF there were boats parked there then it was probably a sailing/boating club. They are normally private property and the members like to enforce that. Would have thought that there would have been a sign somewhere though.

I think that you are probably right. But it was an error on my part for which I qwn up to but he could have been a bit more polite - I did not do it on purpose.

i love creux du van ( was there last yr for FIL b-day) he is fm Neuchatel
sorry to hear of your experience. the guy told you euros probably cos he thought you were a tourist? can you tell me where this took place exactly? as FIL has many connections with this area...so maybe he can advice me....anyway, hope it didn't spoil your day too much..did you stop off for some absinthe after?

If he wasn't a policeman , you should have told him just to get lost!
Too many people with their own rules!

Not nice to get yelled at like that. Very rude and inpolite. I hope you will remember the lovely visit rather then this episode.
I must say it does get rather more and more complicated to park your car wherever one goes in this country !!!!

I'm sure that if you owned a prime piece of lakeside property then you would welcome all and sundry.....

Seems very rude...maybe it happens too often?

If it was private parking he could have gotten your car towed away and you'd have to pay towing charges.

Hold your hand up , about chin level ,face the back of your hand toward him, make fist with centre finger upwart. And don`t forget to smille Don`t worry about the children the have to learn this some day

Easy to say in hindsight, but it would have been best to apologise profusely and thank him "so much" for letting you know about the private parking situation.

He would (or should, depending on your level of charm ) melt and then you could have engaged him in civil conversation for 15 minutes and eventually you may even have got his phone number.

You could then follow this guys advice about anger management, and you would soon feel a lot better about the whole situation.

Chin up though Smacker, at the end of the day, his bad attitude is really his problem, not yours. (although I too would have been fuming)

I have used that tactic for years!! And, I had my stunning 22 year old daughter with me today, who always make men go weak at the knees - but this guy could not even crack any smile on his face - We did apologise but I do not think anything would have worked.

At least when I win the euromillions - I will not park my yacht there

... or buy the club and fine him hundreds of Pounds or bucks (depending on
your origin)... just because.

... better yet kick his a$$ out.

Don't worry about the whole thing. He had a bad day... maybe he didn't
get any the night before... who knows. One thing is, if he started
mentioning Euros, then he probably was not Swiss.

What ever the cause, he'll get over it.

Given it was a genuine mistake sounds like he didn't handle it in a very tactful way but it's hard to claim the moral high ground if it was private property. At least he let you off once he'd got it out of his system.

I have daily contact with Swiss people, and even they say that Everyone is Switzerland is a policeman. It was just on the news the other night that most Londoners wouldn't get involved if they saw a crime being committed. I guess that in a country like Switzerland, where crime is very low (something which I'm very grateful for), people don't have a problem speaking out. Sometimes the things they 'Tell you off' for are a little petty, but it's good to keep an eye on the big picture

Did I say you're welcome to park on my lawn any day you wish?