Day 11 - Geneva

Connor played tour guide today, and we must have walked 20 miles around the city.  It’s beautiful here, the city sitting right on Lake Geneva.  There is a market called Ferney Marche  where we went first.  Clothing, purses (I got one) jewelry, leather goods, meat, produce, tapestries, yarn, so many things in small booths, and everything produced locally.  It probably encompassed four blocks or so.

We bought an all-day bus pass and headed to Paquis to find a place for a kebab for lunch.  One of the favorites of the guys, a kebab is shaved meat (lamb or chicken) lettuce, tomato, cabbage, onion and sauces stuffed into a pita-like pocket. It was very good, but ‘way too much food! I couldn’t finish mine, though Connor did.

We walked down to the lake, and wandered along the shore admiring the sail boats and watching the people.  It was again a beautiful day, and there were so many families out.  Watching little kids is delightful!  There were swings for them – ropes hanging off huge trees, climbing nets.  Many had their own little scooters or bikes, and some were playing in the sand.  Great place to people-watch.

In the center of the lake is the jet d’eau (which means jet of water).  Many years ago, when they were building the sewer and water system under the streets of Geneva, a pipe was laid that let out steam from the system and shot water straight into the air.  When they upgraded the system they eliminated the steam vent, but the people complained so much that they built the jet d’eau in the lake that shoots 250 meters into the air.  We could see it from all over the city, and it was quite a site.

We took a bus to the other side of the lake: Old Town, where the buildings were much older than the side we were on.  We walked around for hours just taking it all in.  We went into one church that was amazingly beautiful, and just sat and enjoyed the silence.  I took lots of pictures there: the stained glass windows, carvings, painted ceilings. It was amazing.

We got on the bus again and rode to the end of the jetty.  We walked out to where the jetd’eau was spouting, and up close it was even more awesome.  We walked along beside the lake until we reached the International Bridge.  We walked across and back through the streets again, looking for somewhere to have a fondue for dinner.  I had been wanting one since we had arrived, and Amy and Amber and I had never found one.  Connor and I couldn’t find one either, so we decided we’d make our own.   We headed back toward the train station to catch a bus home, and waited, and waited, and waited.  The bus never came.  We started walking again, but we had walked around so much that we were a bit tired, so we sat for a while, hoping the bus would come, but when a taxi pulled up on the corner, we decided to grab it and give up on the bus.  New York City’s got nothing on Geneva taxi drivers!  But we made it home, made a grocery store run, and whipped up our own version of cheese fondue.  Neither of us had made one before, and none of the guys were much help, but it turned out really well.  We ate it with bread chunks and it didn’t take long for it to be gone completely.  Everyone liked it.

Exhausted, I fell into bed around 10:30.  Can’t wait for tomorrow!  Stay tuned. . .