Môtiers is a sweet little town in the Val-de-Travers district, in the canton of Neuchâtel, in the country of Switzerland. Val-de-Travers, besides having some magnificent hiking trails, is a region famous for being the birthplace of absinthe. Interestingly enough, the drink was banned in the country in 1908 after a factory worker killed his wife and children in an hallucinatory frenzy said to have been caused by the “green fairy.” The prohibition was not lifted until 2005. Fortunately, I moved to Switzerland in 2006. During the ban it was prohibited to sell or produce absinthe (although apparently 15,000 litres were still illegally distilled every year in Val-de-Travers) but it wasn’t illegal to transport or to possess it.

Having said all this… this distillery in Môtiers specializes in sparkling white wine, which is what were tasting here.

The song is Lies from the soundtrack to Once, an amazing Irish film. The stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová recorded a beautiful soundtrack and their ballade Falling Slowly won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2007. Since the film the pair have formed a band, my favourite band, called The Swell Season. Listen to the whole track, it sneaks up on you.

“Lies” by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová