A chance encounter with Chaplin at the Modern Times Hotel in Vevey, Switzerland.

On this trip to Switzerland, I stayed for two nights in Vevey, a picturesque town on the shores of Lake Geneva. I felt incredibly relaxed and happy. When I found out that this was where the comedy master Charlie Chaplin had lived for the last 25 years of his life, I felt a sense of awe and a touch of emotion. This time, Trip.com arranged for me to stay in a place with a story, a themed hotel called "Modern Times". In addition to enjoying the rare beauty, I felt as if I was accompanied by the master every morning and evening, which made my heart ripple. When the bus stopped at the hotel entrance, there was an old man in his signature outfit sitting on a bench in the circular driveway: "Looking for me? I live here, in Vevey"❶❻. There are Chaplin idols and photos everywhere in the hotel building❺⓬⓴, and many props related to his life and work are displayed❾⓫. At the end of each corridor, there are different long drama photos. The comedy master seems to be waiting for you or playing hide and seek with you❹❽⓲⓳. There is an old movie machine on the bar table. The sign next to the stairs is also pointing the way⓱. Even the head of the bed in the guest room is a big photo of the master proposing in the film⓭. His overly handsome face, black hair and black eyes, clear and delicate contours, bright and spiritual eyes, and overly exaggerated expressions always touch every guest❷. The legendary comedy superstar Charlie Chaplin's left-leaning color made him a thorn in the eyes of the FBI. After 1952, the US government took the opportunity of his return to his hometown to cancel his entry qualification. Chaplin was determined not to return to the United States to live. So he chose to settle in Vevey, Switzerland, continued his film career, spent a peaceful old age, and died in 1977. Thanks to Vevey, in order to commemorate this most famous foreign population, not only set up a bronze statue on the shores of Lake Geneva❸ (below), surrounded by flowers every day, but also converted Chaplin's old house into a museum. These two days, I often sit in the guest room under the new wind system, facing the window that can't be opened, I still use the camera to record the scenery outside❸❼❿⓰. That piece seems to be the vineyard where Chaplin and his wife were buried together. It seems that the master is still looking at Lake Geneva with the sun without any distractions. At breakfast in this hotel, I saw that the shelves in the restaurant were all books about Chaplin in multiple versions around the world⓯. I also impulsively bought a book "Chaplin Autobiography" online. When I came back and took a look, it said on the cover: A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, I want to live a romantic life.