Here are some pictures and words from a weekend trip to Geneva, about as far west as you can go in Switzerland (and surrounded on 3 and a half sides by France).
The former Collège de Genève, founded in 1559, and now Calvin Middle School.
Atop Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Genève. November 2019.
Geneva is a beautiful city, and one of the most expensive places I’ve ever been. When people tell you that Switzerland is expensive, that is not a joke at all. But the distant mountains are striking, and the water is crystal clear. We spent a Saturday wandering around the city (as usual). The landmark that really stands out is the St Pierre Cathedral. Since it’s up on a hill, you can see it from almost anywhere in the city. So of course I had to check it out.
St Pierre’s is easily one of the most accessible cathedrals I’ve visited. Not only can you tour the interior, but you can go up into the belfry, the “attic” and both towers. The views from the top were incredible. Even cooler, there is a rather extensive museum underneath the building. You can see tombs and the foundations of the various buildings that have existed in the same spot for almost two thousand years. It’s a “can’t miss” attraction.
View of Geneva to the South.
Dusk. Lake Geneva. November 2019.
All of this walking around obviously makes you hungry. Especially because Switzerland actually has hills (unlike a certain mostly-below-sea-level country we had flown in from…) Across the lake from the hotel Google led us to a fantastic Italian restaurant called “Da Paolo”. You should eat there. We ate at Da Paolo again the following day because there were so many things I wanted to try. Then we watched the sun dip below the buildings.
Guide Light in Lake Geneva.
Lake Geneva at Sunset, November 2019.
Day Two consisted of another walkabout. Morning coffee came from the insanely charming Cottage Cafe, right beside the Monument Brunswick. Literally placed in a tiny cottage in a peaceful park, this place turned out to be a great find. There weren’t very many cafes on the northeast shore of the lake and we almost settled for Starbuck’s (please no.) but walked up to the Cottage just before serious caffeine withdrawals set in and things got ugly. It’s been notoriously hard for me to find a big American-sized cup of coffee in Europe, but this place helped me out (and served with Swiss chocolate!).
I had two.
Other highlights included a walk down the Rhône River, visiting a beautiful ancient cemetery, checking out bridges and lochs, and a floating shopping center in the middle of the river (Da Paolo for lunch of course. Also, cemetery has too many “e’s”. One of them should definitely be an “a”.) On the southeast bank of Lake Geneva there was a playground made of bouncy recycled tire remnants. Swings made of tires, climbing rubber tire strands, and a tire swing held up by other strips of tire rubber. Kids be damned, swinging on bouncing swings on the shore of a clear lake is just as fun for adults. Also noteworthy was the nearby Villa la Grange, an extensive open park area with a central villa and an amphitheater.
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Genève
Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). November 2019.
If you’re ever in eastern France and want to check out Switzerland, you could do far worse than Geneva. Coffee, Chocolate, Cathedrals. And Coffee.