Geneva, Switzerland

18 November 2012

Buying the tickets just yesterday, Paige, Natasha, Jimmy and I made a last-minute trip to Geneva Switzerland this weekend! Being a last minute trip and having to wake up at 6 AM for the train, practically all of us almost missed it. We all launched ourselves off of our respective trams, giving each other "you're late too?!" looks, and we rushed to the train and jumped on, and fortunately there wasn't a lot of people and we were able to find two couches in a car where we were all able to sit together. We were on the train for about two hours, some of us reading, some of us napping, switching roles every now and then. Before we knew it, we arrived in Geneva, Switzerland - stepping outside of France for the first time of my study abroad journey! =) We all bought some day passes that would let us take the trams and the boats on the lake, and we started our journey on foot, exploring the city. Unfortunately, since we came to Geneva on a Sunday, everything was closed. No, seriously, everything was closed, including each and every chocolate store. We all stood outside of the windows, staring at all of the collections of delicious Swiss chocolate, day dreaming about it and screaming "Why, WHY?!" in our heads. And out loud… We made the best of our day anyway, strolling across bridges and watching little kids feeding bread to the ducks and the swans in the crystal clear waters. We also walked through a small park that was right on the edge of the water, full of small statues and patches of gorgeous yellow flowers here and there. After enjoying the sights and taking a few pictures, we jumped on a tram and made our way towards the United Nations. We got off the tram at some stop that we thought was near the UN, but it wasn't as close as we thought, so…we started our adventure on foot again! Fortunately for us though, we stumbled upon a gorgeous and miraculous botanical garden! This place was gorgeous, there were plants, trees, and flowers from all over the world, growing tall in the grass, sprouting from between rocks in fountains, or steaming up greenhouses that were located all around. We decided that this place would be the perfect spot to set up camp and enjoy our sandwich lunches that we packed, and that's exactly what we did. I enjoyed my chicken sandwich and little nutella dessert while glancing all around me, taking in nature's beauty from all around the world, conveniently located in one quaint garden. After exploring through the gardens, we made our way back to the nearest main road, and followed that for a little bit, and before we knew it, much to our surprise, we arrived at the UN! Well, at least the rear entrance where there were enough security gates to make a Lady Gaga concert jealous. And for some reason, there were sheep scattered all around the rear lawn of the UN building…my guess is that each one of those sheep represented a nation, but one can only hope. After taking a few pictures, we walked a bit further and made our way to the front of the UN, which was pretty impressive. It was awesome getting to see all of the nations' flags line up, one after another, fluttering in the wind. And to imagine that so many important government figures have walked this road before…I really felt like I was somewhere important and meaningful, it was really cool! After admiring the UN, we hopped on another tram and made our way back into town, where we explored through some parks where we played human-size chess, watched families ice-skate, and admired some nice little gazebos and flowerbeds full of dozens of brilliant colors. Eventually we made our way to the Jardin Anglais, and from there we walked to a nearby harbor and we jumped on a small boat that took us across the lake to the other side. That was really fun, especially considering it was only the four of us on this little boat. We all took pictures and enjoyed this special and magical moment together, sailing across the water, taking in the sights of Geneva that surrounded us on three sides, the fourth side an endless field of water that stretched out into the horizon. Before we knew it we were on the other side (thankfully, too, because the early-winter wind was starting to become a little too much for us to handle), and we walked down that harbor and made our way to a small lighthouse in the water. It was a rather small lighthouse, nothing too impressive, but just the fact that it was a tiny white lighthouse in Geneva, Switzerland, made it so much better! On our way back to the "mainland", we passed by something truly European - a little something called a nude sauna. Not a nude sauna with towels, oh no. A nude sauna with *****es and ******s. And there were some ******s and ****s too. Oh, and ****s. And a few ****s that were a little too *****. However, it was really cold outside, and we didn't want to even imagine putting naked and cold into the same thought process, so we hurried our merry way back to old-town Geneva, where we found a nice little café where we sat down to enjoy some hot chocolates and coffees. I fancied myself to a Swiss hot chocolate, a REAL Swiss hot chocolate, and oh my god I kid you not, I almost flipped over the table and screamed it was so good. It was literally sipping heaven out of a mug. I swear a tear fell from my eye when I finished it off. It was too good, I didn't want to say goodbye. =( Unfortunately, I had to, and after enjoying all of our drinks, we made our way to a chapel on top of a hill in old-town Geneva, and we went inside and found some seats because there was going to be a small concert with a choir singing religious songs from across the world. I wasn't able to see the choir because I was seated behind a column, but I was almost lucky in a sort of way. Since I wasn't able to see them, I was only able to hear their angelic voices echoing off of the grand walls and high ceilings of the church, and it was magical. I closed my eyes and I was taken to a truly magical place, serenaded by such soothing and melodic voices. It was also a great opportunity to do some self-reflection, too, and I will gladly take any opportunity to do that. =) After behind serenaded by the voices of the angels, we left the chapel and made our way back to the train station, since our arrival time was sneaking up on us. On our way back, we passed a Starbucks, and we dared to step inside…and we were welcomed by so many too-familiar scents. I was reminded of home, of friends, of Christmas…I had to leave before I either started crying or before I spent all of my money. Besides, I'm glad I saved that money, because when we arrived back at the station, we came across a small shop that was open and they sold Swiss chocolate - VICTORY. Well all pulled a tourist and shoveled chocolate bars off of every shelf, and the cashiers must have thought we were either crazy or…well, American. But I don't care. I am bringing this Swiss chocolate home, because without it, my mother would not let me back in the house! =)