Veggie Burgers at MickeyDs and Truffles

I would like to reflect on this past weekend as a beautiful blend of different facets of Genevan culture. From one corner of the cultural spectrum, Auntie Pam and I dined at the fine eating establishment of McDonald's not once but twice ( once because we were too late for anything else and once because it was sunday and everything is closed). From another, we walked around the very chic and very old ( and apparently aptly named ) 'Old town'. It really was a perfect weekend trip and honestly...I love Geneva ( I think maybe even more than Paris....!!! Don't tell! ).

So let's see.

We left from Gare de Lyon at 5:30ish which allowed for a great view of the French countryside before it got dark. The sunset was pretty cool over the corn fields and through the little towns. The train ride was about 3 and 1/2 hours to Geneva and by the time we got there is was dark. Our hotel was right across the street from the train station so we had an easy time orientating ourself to our little area of town. It was really nice and the rooms were big ( and what made me happy...they had a big shower ). It was pretty late for eating (even though dinner time is around 9 over here ) so we quick ran out trying to find a someplace that sounded appetizing. We couldn't find anyplace that was still serving food! Actually we probably could have if we had wanted some sort of Asian cuisine. I was absolutely shocked at the number of Asian restaurants - they were everywhere. We decided that Geneva must be where they run all their headquarters and business through but it was still....insane. The only other thing that really surprised me about Geneva was the number of young people. I had imagine Geneva to be a city full of old men and big corporations. Instead we ended up eating at McDonald's with what seemed like the enitre population of Genevan tweens. Back to the hotel for a good night of sleep.

We started off Saturday at the beautiful hour of 10:30 ( that may be giving us the benifit of the doubt... ). We ran downstairs to try and catch breakfast but no luck - we did happen to run into a very nice employee who let us eat croissants and drink coffee/hot chocolate at the bar instead. So I think maybe we took a hint from the fate of not setting an alarm and we took it easy. After running a couple errands we headed over to the old city to spend some time wandering through the market. It was really fun and more than once I wished I could teleport some old treasures back home. On from the market we made our way to some of the big sights of Geneva. We walked through a park that has statues of a few founders of the Protestant reformation and huge chessboards on the sidewalks. Wandering through this area was really interesting because real Geneva was easy to find. It seems to me that they love their outdoor living spaces - most apartments have balconies covered in flowers ( which is I suppose commonly european ). The people are immensely friendly, much happier than in Paris - everyone smiles and "Merci, beaucoup"s their way around town. Geneva is also surprisingly quiet and clean - their trams and buses run on cables ( electric ) and the traffic is rather light. It really is a city of character. After finding our way to a landmark piazza-like area we found our way to the Cathedral St. Pierre. This is the church where John Calvin preached and also ( as we discovered ) has a great view of the city. From the church, we found our way to the Hotel de Ville which houses the Alabama room ( where the Geneva conventions where signed ). We stopped for lunch at a cafe just across the street and had a good time. We found a chocolatier and bought some truffles ( I had forgotten how much I love those ) and I found a cute little mug in the shape of a cow ( which is apparently the symbol of Switzerland ). I think it will be fitting to drink hot chocolate out of it. After that we took a water taxi over to the other shore and took some time to hang out with the locals at one of the piers. It really was beautiful weather and everyone was out and about making the most of it! The skies were clear too so it afforded a pretty decent view of Mont-Blanc way off in the distance. Sometimes I would look around and be suprised to find mountains because the city feels like it should be a beach town. It was a nice thing to look up an see though - huge mountains faintly in the backgroun. For dinner we got a suggestion from the concierge for the best fondue. His suggestions were either 'Edelwiess' ( "Where all the Japenese men go." ) or 'Auberge Sauviese' ( "Where I go." ). Needless to say we went local. We had cheese fondue and meat...fondue ( where you cook it in oil ). In a strange twist of fate...the meat fondue was oriental fondue. It was really good though. Yummm fondue.

Today we woke up and made it to breakfast with plenty of time ( but our friend wasn't there today :( ). We decided to go find the UN and rent bikes to do it. When we realized where we were in relation to the two we decided to just walk all the way. The UN building was pretty cool although all the good stuff was pretty far back from the gated entrance. They still use it for some of their affairs and it was cool to see in person. We went back to the city and had ice cream along the docks while we did some pretty good people watching ( so many people were out either running or walking around in suits - it was so hot out though! ). We took the water taxi over to the other side ( towards the old town ) and just wandered around picking out cool apartments and window shopping ( everything was closed though because of sunday ). We found a nice little park and blended in with the locals for awhile enjoying the beautiful weather and beautiful city. I decided to take the train with Pam to Lausanne before going back to Paris so I could get a feel for the countryside. It was a good choice because it was really beautiful - I'm just amazed by the mountains! We had McDonald's for lunch because there was even less open than in Geneva. It was fun :). We got a chance to look around town for a bit and decided it nice but...doesn't do it like Geneva ( this of course was after like...20 min though so who knows... ). I left for Paris at 6:30ish and got to enjoy some really spectacular views of the sunset from up in the mountains. It was fun because I almost felt like I was taking a train through northern Minnesota - lots of lakes and pine trees and forests.

So now here I am recounting as best I can the weekend although I know I really am not doing it justice. Geneva is a absolutely beautiful city and I can't wait to go back! I'm working on putting up pictures as I write this and hopefully you will enjoy them.

http://minnesota.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2157450&l=1ddf1&id=16916077


( I also would like to dedicate this entry to Katie in hopes that my ramblings are more than enough to make up and also....that they don't make you late for your learning experiences :)!! )

Love and Swiss Cheese!
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