Geneva

After leaving Cassis, we drove to Avignon to stay overnight in a no tell Motel before training to Geneva.  On the way to Avignon, we had a short stopover in L’Isle sur le Sorgue, one of our favourite towns in Provence.  We will return in September.

The trip from Avignon to Geneva was arduous.  We had to change trains in Lyon, but our connecting train was cancelled.  This resulted in there being double the number of people crammed on to the next train 2 hours later, on a very hot day, without effective air conditioning.  We managed to get seats, but the aisles were stuffed with people, sitting and standing.  We were all feeling utterly wiped-out by the time we arrived in Geneva.

All was forgotten later that evening as we sat lakeside, admiring the 140m high Jet d’Eau, eating ice cream and drinking an aperol spritz.

Tuesday, we walked around the old town and visited Maison Tavel, the Geneva City Museum.  It was fascinating to learn about the geographical features of the town and Lake Geneva, and how they have changed over time, and how the town adapted its defences to maintain its independence .  There was also a most intricate model of Geneva as it was in 1840-1850 prior to a massive expansion in the town boundaries.  They level of detail and the scale of the model were awe-inspiring. 

 Geneva only joined the Swiss Confederacy in 1815, shortly after Napoleon was defeated.

Geneva coat of arms (painted wood)

Geneva coat of arms (stone)

In the afternoon we wandered past the (protestant) Reformers Wall.

Then we went to the Musee Patek Phillipe.  We were able to look at soooo many watches, some of which were many hundreds of years old.  No pictures were allowed.  There were some beautiful pieces, but the ordering of the collection was haphazard. After an hour and a half, we were in near catatonic states.  It was overwhelming to look at so many beautiful and delicate watches but without an overarching narrative.

Did I mention that the day we arrived was Swiss Day?  We saw so many flags about, and we are not sure whether this is a Swiss Day hangover, or they just like a lot of flags.

More museums were on the agenda the following day.  First up was the Musee Ariana and its extensive collection of ceramics.  We looove ceramics – so many beautiful things to look at.  So enjoyable to spend time learning about the influence of China and Japan on western tastes – and then western tastes influencing eastern ceramic design.

Gorgeously detailed interior

I noticed people taking pictures of this vase in particular.  One for our American friends.

We wandered past the United Nations.

After that we had a lovely lunch in the Botanical Gardens and whipped through the history of science museum so that we could go back outside to the Bar and enjoy an aperol spritz. We wandered all the way back to our apartment, alongside the lake, enjoying the spectacular views. 

In the far distance, a lovely clear view of Mont Blanc

More flags

We had a lovely final day.  We spent the morning wandering over to, and around, La Carouge, which is a suburb south of the city with a strong Italian influence that has apparently become the place to be.  In the afternoon we went for a swim in Lake Geneva, which was very refreshing, and finished off the day with aperol spritzes and glasses of rose, by the lake, getting our final fill of the Jet d’Eau.