The Geneva Convention

September 5, 2010

I had a difficult time finding accomodation in Geneva. Luckily, my sister's friend Simona lived in Geneva and she was able to host me for a couple of days. Arriving from Lyon to Geneva, I met Simona's brother Cornel at the main train station. After dropping off my luggage and settled in, Cornel took me sight seeing. We went through the university grounds and saw the founding fathers of protestant movement. The giant chessboards at the end of the park provided locals some leisure mental exercise.

We visited the old town and onto the high end fashion streets before reaching Lac Leman, commonly referred to as Lake Geneva. I could sense the wealth around with all the major labels and corporations elbowing for a place on the waterfront. The most prominant were insurance/financial companies and the most popular swiss watch makers. Unfortunately, the jet haute was not on that day, the highest water fountain in the world. However, I did witness the majestic sprout the next day.

We took a cruise around Lake Geneva in the afternoon and peeked through the fences of the United Nations before heading home to meet up with Simona after her day at work. When we arrived back at the apartment, Simona was already cooking away in the kitchen and preparing a feast for the night. We had a great time chatting and getting to know one another over dinner and wine.

Cornel and I went on a day trip by train around Lake Geneva. Lausanne's old town was a bit of an uphill climb but the waterfront at the bottom was beautiful and picturesque. We next visited the Olympics Museum and I participated in the Olympic physical test to determine what type of an athlete I would be. Unfortunately, beer drinking was not an official recognized event yet, hence they were not able to place me in any of the categories. We spent a bit longer in the museum than expected and we left Lausanne to Montreux.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly at this quaint little town at the tip of the lake. The promenade along the water was another photo moment. We left Montreux around 7 and got back to Geneva about an hour later. We then met up with Simona and went out for dinner and dessert.

On Saturday, Simona and I went to the market and bakery to pick up some breakfast and grocery. We next visited the Carrouges area where there was an open market and plenty of shops and restaurants around. We next checked out Les Paques, the ethnic and funkier passed the train station. We finished off walking along the beautiful park on the west side of the lake people watching everyone at the park sunbathing, picnicking, playing soccer, riding their bikes, or just taking a leisure stroll. That evening, Simona prepared another feast that could feed a village. Afterwards, we got on Skype and chatted with my sister. All good things must come to an end, and I would like to thank Simona and Cornel for their great hospitality.