Reset search
CH & IT RoadtripCH & IT Roadtrip
Edit route

CH & IT Roadtrip

July – August 2025
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun
Current
A month-long road trip exploring Switzerland ... with a dip into Northern Italy ... Geneva-to-Geneva Roundtrip. Read more
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun
Currently traveling

List of countries

  • Switzerland Switzerland
  • Turkey Turkey
Categories
None
  • 1.9kmiles traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight1,247kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 16footprints
  • 22days
  • 213photos
  • 187likes
FollowCalendarShareBucket list
Oldest first
  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    Mui makes a friend in Geneva!
    La Grande Roue is Geneva's 110-foot tall ferris wheel.View from La Grande Roue — Geneva.View of the flower clock from La Grande Roue — Geneva.Italia ... one of the ferries that one can ride on Lake Geneva ... from La Grande Roue — Geneva.Pont du Mont-Blanc with Geneva Harbor (Lake Geneva) on the right — Geneva.Peruvian Lilies in one of the fountains in Old Town Geneva.Carrousel @ Place de la Madeleine and a drinking fountain in Old Town GenevaDrinking fountain near Place de la Madeleine in Old Town ... decorated with reliefs of cherubs.One of the three stone mosaics at the top of the stairs leading up to a terrace in Old Town Geneva.Old Town Geneva.Old Town Geneva.Tower of the Temple of the Madeleine in Old Town Geneva.An elaborate door knocker in Old Town Geneva.A quaint passageway in Old Town Geneva.Church bell a-ringing in Old Town Geneva.I love that the fountains are all decorated with flowers.The Old Arsenal with mosaic murals depicting two of the big moments in the history of Geneva.Mural at the Old Arsenal depicting the arrival of Julius Caesar in 58BC.Old Town Geneva.Fountain at the Promenade de la Treille in Old Town Geneva.Le Jet d'Eau ... with a rainbow — Geneva.

    Geneva: Day 1 … Old Town Meanderings

    July 12 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    After lunch with Didier, we walked along the lakefront together. Our steps eventually took us back to the hotel to rest for a couple of hours during the hottest part of the day. Around 5:30p, we resumed exploring Geneva. Our destination this time was Vieille Ville … the historic Old Town.

    Once again, we crossed Lake Geneva via Pont du Mont-Blanc. Before entering Old Town, however, we stopped to ride the ferris wheel near Jardin Anglais first … fun … all the more so since neither one of us had ridden one since we were children. Great views, too.

    Old Town Geneva is the largest of its kind in all of Switzerland. It consists of a maze of narrow cobblestone streets and alleys; charming squares and fountains decorated with flowers; secret passages; parks, terraces and promenades; and several museums and landmarks … though none of these were on our agenda today since they were all closed by the time we arrived for our early-evening stroll. No matter … we enjoyed the ambiance anyway … perhaps all the more so because at one point all the church bells joined the ringing bells of the cathedral.

    It was just past 8:00p — and still light outside — when we retraced our steps back to the hotel via the Pont du Mont-Blanc. Our reward along the way … a rainbow in the plume of water coming out of Le Jet d’Eau!    Read more

  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    A photo op at the park next to the restaurant where we had lunch with Didier — Geneva.
    Restaurant La Perle du Lac Genève ... our lunch spot — Geneva.That's Mont-Blanc above my head — Geneva.Lac Léman with Mont-Blanc in the background — Geneva.2This little bird has a discerning taste in dessert 😊 — Geneva.

    Geneva: Day 1 … Lunch w/Didier

    July 12 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We met Didier on an Antarctic expedition that took us from the tip of Argentina to the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island … by way of the Ross Sea. When we bid Didier farewell in February 2015, we promised to visit him in Geneva … ‘his city’. Well, it took us 10 years to do so, but we kept our promise today.

    When we contacted Didier to see if he was going to be home during our short visit to Geneva, he not only said yes, but also promised that he had a very nice, special restaurant in mind for lunch. He kept his promise.

    A 10-minute walk through the city brought us to Restaurant La Perle du Lac Genève … overlooking the lake … with France’s Mont-Blanc a hazy silhouette beyond. The food was fantastic … the ambiance was great … the camaraderie was perhaps the best part of our all-too brief reunion. Hopefully, we’ll get together again someday … without letting another 10 years pass.    Read more

  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    Breakfast in our room at Hotel Suisse — Geneva.
    Notre Dame Basilica — Geneva.On the Rhône side of Pont du Mont-Blanc — Geneva.One of the water taxis that ply the river and the lake — Geneva.Grebes and swans a-swimmin' on the Rhône River — Geneva.Mateo generously shared pieces of his bread so Mui could feed the swans — Geneva.Le Jet d’Eau de Genève ... an iconic symbol of the city since 1891.Le Jet d’Eau de Genève and Lac Léman — Geneva.Le Jet d’Eau de Genève and Lac Léman — Geneva.Four Seasons Fountain ... Jardin Anglais — Geneva.Four Seasons Fountain ... Jardin Anglais — Geneva."The Key is in the Tree" sculpted by R. Schultz out of a 120-year-old sequoia — Jardin Anglais.The flower clock is actually operational — Geneva.National monument commemorating Geneva joining the Confederation of Switzerland — Geneva.Mausoleum at Jardin des Alpes that commemorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick — Geneva.Brunswick Monument at Jardin des Alpes — Geneva.Brunswick Monument and Le Jet D'Eau — Geneva.

    Geneva: Day 1 … Morning Stroll

    July 12 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Breakfast in the room … having a kitchenette made it easy; then a stroll down to Lac Léman … known to Americans as Lake Geneva. But before we got that far, we detoured to the Notre Dame Basilica when we noticed the doors were open.

    Our stroll down to the waterfront was a pleasant one … comfy temps, a light breeze, and sunshine galore. Our route took us to Pont du Mont Blanc … the bridge that marks the transition between Lac Lêman and the Rhône River. We slowly made our way across the Rhône side of the bridge, stopping frequently to take photos of the scenery … and the swans, grebes, and mallards swimming about as they eagerly grabbed any handouts that might come their way.

    Using the path under the bridge, we crossed over to the lake side for a closer look at Le Jet d’Eau de Genève … an iconic symbol of the city since 1891 that technically is a pressure relief valve for a hydraulic plant. The jet shoots water up to a maximum height of 460 feet (140 m) … at a speed of 125 mph (200 mph) where the water exits the system.

    After a detour to Jardin Anglais to check out the Four Seasons Fountain, we walked along the lake side of the bridge and returned to our hotel … this time taking a route that found us at the Jardin des Alpes, where we stopped for a few photos of the Brunswick Monument.

    Noting that the clock was ticking down towards our lunch date with Didier, we hastened our steps to complete our morning stroll in Geneva.    Read more

  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    A nice bonus on our ADB-GVA flight ... plenty of legroom and elbow room.
    Bye bye İzmir ... we'll see you again in September.Peek-a-boo view of the Alps.Peek-a-boo view of the Alps.If the iPhone location tag is to be believed, this is Matterhorn.So many receding glaciers in the Alps.On the train from GVA to the Geneva City Center.Our quiet room with a kitchenette — Hotel Suisse.View of the train station from our room ... the Coop grocery store is in the shopping center below.

    Hello Geneva!

    July 11 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    An on-time departure from ADB … a smooth flight with no one sharing the exit row seats with us (not only more legroom, but more elbow room as it turns out) … views of the Alps (and perhaps even Matterhorn) … an on-time landing at GVA.

    What more could we ask for from a travel day?

    Well, it would have been nice if passport control at GVA had lived up to the efficiency for which the Swiss are known. It took us 1.5 hours to get from our arrival gate to the baggage carousel … and all but 10 minutes of that time was spent inching along the immigration queue, waiting for our turn to have our passports stamped by one of only four immigration agents on duty!!! With so many flights arriving at the same time, no idea why more of the 14 or so kiosks weren’t staffed this afternoon.

    The good news? Everything went smoothly once the formalities were completed. Our bags were waiting on the carousel when we arrived to collect them; we had no trouble finding the train platforms for the one-stop ride from the airport to the Geneva city center … no tickets needed thanks to the transport passes provided by our hotel … and no wait to get on a train either.

    A short walk from the train station put us at Hotel Suisse, where we will be staying for three nights … its convenient location being one of the reasons why we opted for this hotel. Check-in was quick and soon we were settling into our room on the second floor … a quiet one as requested. Then, off to Coop for groceries … just steps away from the hotel … this convenience being another reason why we opted for this hotel. Our room has a kitchenette that will come in handy for breakfast … maybe even light dinners since we plan to make lunch our main meal of the day on this trip.

    Now to get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll explore Geneva a bit … and also meet a friend for lunch.    Read more

  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    Looks like we are set for an on time departure.

    Our Air Chariot Awaits!

    July 11 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Or so we hope!

    Instead of boarding from a jetway, we are going to be shuttled to the aircraft by bus. That means we can’t see the plane from the terminal. Have to trust that not only is our aircraft parked on the tarmac, but that the A/C is on when we get there!Read more

  • CH & IT Roadtrip
    A glimpse into our plans for this roadtrip.

    Off Again!

    July 11 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Actually, we’ve been ‘off’ since 4 May … that’s when we left Colorado.

    Since then, we’ve been in İzmir, Türkiye. Our primary purpose here is to help mom as she continues her struggle with Parkinson’s.

    We don’t normally come during the summer months as it gets oppressively hot. This summer thus far has been no exception. We are trying to survive the summer heat that settled over us like an unwanted cloak almost as soon as the calendar turned from May to June. Thanks to the wall A/C unit we had installed at Mui’s sister’s apartment — our base of operations when we are in İzmir — we are surviving. Being outdoors is definitely a challenge … one that we are hoping will change later today.

    Mui and I are waiting for a taxi to pick us up momentarily to begin the ‘travel chapter’ of this trip that will see us exploring Switzerland … with a dip into Northern Italy. In other words, we’re off to seek cooler temps as we explore new-to-us places. Considering the recent heatwave in Europe, however … well, we shall see if the ‘cool quest’ bears fruit.

    Another ‘travel chapter’ will follow our CH & IT [Switzerland & Italy] roadtrip before we return to İzmir in mid-September. But that’s for a separate FindPenguins adventure, so I won’t get into it here.

    For now, I will leave you with a rough map of our planned bases of operation. Will we stick to the plan? I guess we’ll find out eventually!    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice