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Chêne-Bougeries

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    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 10

      Geneva Day 10

      May 4, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

      A beautiful sunny day in Geneva. High of 74 today, Kay’s idea of perfect weather. A major change from Amsterdam! Decided to spend the day on the Old Town of Geneva. It is the area at the foot (South end) of Lake Geneva with the iconic symbol - Le Jet d’eau. Even with my rudimentary understanding of French - Jet of Water. And the English Garden with the Flower clock is at the entrance. And a Ferris wheel for a higher view of all. A very pretty area and not near as many tourists as in Amsterdam; a welcome break. Lake Geneva is 45 miles long and up to 8-9 miles wide, the largest lake in the Alps. The lake is amazingly clear, you can see to the bottom all along the shore. Lots of waterfowl, swans and ducks, all with their new babies. The Lake also spreads across 2 countries, is divided down the middle between Switzerland and France. I also found out tonight that I am ally 4 tram stops away from France! Lots of people here do their grocery shopping in France as it is less expensive than Switzerland.
      I wandered from the lake front to the heart of the old town, up and down cobblestone streets lined with lots of upscale shops and outdoor cafe eateries all over. All open and busy today with the warm, sunny weather. I headed for St. Peter’s church, the oldest church in Geneva dates back to. Church on this site in the 1100s. St. Peter’s is know as the Church of the Reformation as John Calvin was the preacher there for 25 years, after fleeing persecution in France. As was the style of Calvinist churches, there are has no adornments on the walls (art work or symbols) with the exception of the stained glass windows. Needless to say the interior is very dark.
      Next door to the church is a relatively new small museum dedicated to the history of the Reformation. The museum was very well done with interesting audio and covered Protests up to the current day.
      A wonderful late lunch on one of the Cafes watching the people strolling by. Tired today so quit “touristing” early and, after a quick grocery stop, home for the evening.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      2
      Day 9

      Amsterdam to Geneva Day 9

      May 3, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

      A travel day so not much in the way of pictures. Uneventful trip to Amsterdam airport and flight to Geneva. Great views of the Alps, my favorite mountains, on descent to Geneva. A bit of a problem finding the right tram to take to my new abode for the next week. Finally found my way from downtown Geneva and my new place is lovely! Beautifully decorated and every modern convince. Tram stop right across the street, about a 15 minute ride to downtown Geneva. And its warmer! In the mid 60’s with sun. A real difference from Amsterdam, no “breeze” from the North Sea. Low 70’s expected for the next few days.

      Got settled, and then out to find groceries. This, too, is a residential area, large condo/apartment buildings line the busy street. A 15 minute walk to a market for the essentials. Took the tram back as my grocery bag was breaking. 😂.

      Will spend the rest of the evening relaxing and planning for tomorrow. Pics are of the different architecture here and a park in downtown where I was waiting for the tram.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      1
      Day 11

      Geneva Day 11

      May 5, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

      Up and out today, good night’s sleep and feel much better! Chose 2 spots on the other side of the lake (the newer side) as they were both on my To Do list and close together. First stop: The United Nations Geneva. Geneva is the headquarters for the EU United Nations. (Like NYC is for North America). This was also the site of the “original United Nations” - the League of Nations founded after WWI. I had tried to get tour tickets when in Amsterdam but they were booked into July! Their tours are limited right now due to renovation inside the building. So saw what I could from the outside. Impressive buildings and huge plaza for big events. The Broken Chair sculpture (see pic below) symbolizes both fragility and strength, imbalance and stability, violence, and dignity. More specifically, it symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs as a reminder to the politicians and diplomats visiting Geneva UN. The sculpture is 39 feet tall and was commissioned by Humanity and Inclusion (previously known as Handicap International). It shows that even wounded victims of war are still standing tall, with dignity.

      Just a short walk away, was the entrance to the Botanical Gardens of Geneva. Any garden in Europe in May is a treat. A wonderful, peaceful several hours roaming the grounds and greenhouses. A beautiful place. Will let the pics do the explaining. Late lunch at the Cafe in the gardens with wonderful views in all directions.

      Wended my way back home, with several “detours”. The Geneva App for public transport is not nearly as good as Amsterdam! Feet up, as I am going out tonight!

      Classical music in Europe always seems special. I look for some anywhere I travel and usually not too hard to find. The Venus in Geneva is Victoria Hall, one of those beautiful old neoclassical style concert halls. (See last pic below). The concert was great and featured Michael Barenboim, violinist, the son of Daniel Barenboim, the well-known conductor. A very enjoyable evening.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 14

      Geneva Day 14

      May 8, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

      A beautiful, sunny day after yesterday’s gray. Decided to walk some new areas today. Have restaurant recommendations from the gal who owns the condo where I am staying. Walked the “other” side of the lake today, so glad I did as it is a beautiful promenade the goes for a long ways. On my way to have lunch at one of her recommendations - a restaurant at Bains de Paquis. (Baths at Paquis, on the “beach”). Turns out that I was not the only one looking to eat there today! 😂. I was able to enjoy the walk out to the baths and see all the people enjoying the beautiful weather - even some swimming in the lake. However, the lines were very long and I passed on lunch there due to the crowds.

      I took the “long way” home, wandering thru parks, the European cities have so many of these nice spots around every turn. They almost always have some interesting sculptures and, of course, flowers. The monument below (2nd pic) is actually a mausoleum, built in honor of Charles II the Duke of Brunswick. He left 24 million francs to the City of Geneva upon his death in the late 1800’s and requested his mausoleum be built in a place of honor in Geneva. They picked a great spot with beautiful views of the Lake and the Jet de Eau.

      Wandered some more and then home for a nap. Out early evening to get some final things that I am running out of and sushi for dinner. Home to CNN and a catch up evening. Leaving here Wednesday.

      .      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 12

      Geneva Day 12

      May 6, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

      A minimal tourism day. I leave Geneva on Wednesday and do not yet have any plans for what I am doing or where I am staying for a week before I pick up Carol in Milan. Spent some of the morning giving that some research and thought. Will work on it more tonight.

      Off to the other side of town to take in the home of the International Red Cross. Actually it is right across the street from the United Nations where I was yesterday. You can see the impressive building from the street. (Cover pic). Had a fascinating several hours exploring the very well-organized and interesting museum. As some of you may know, the International Red Cross (IRC) is a product of the Geneva Convention following WWI. The official name is the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is the International oversight for world wars, famines, major weather responses, etc. our American Red Cross is the National Red Cross and first responders to US disasters. Other countries are called Red Cross agencies and some are called Red Crescent Societies. I do not think there is a tie into the National and International organizations. Still trying to figure that out.

      The museum is divided into 3 sections which are the mission of the IRC: Defending Human Dignity, Restoring Family Links, and Reducing Natural Risks. I really learned a lot about the work of the organization. I tended to think of them as responses to an emergencies and natural disasters. They do that work but MUCH more. Prevention work for disasters, reuniting families during and after wars, enabling communications for unite relatives during a disaster of any sort. The picts below are only a few representative samples of communications, (see the photos) pictures of children separated from parent in the Rwanda war. The file one is the files that still exist on missing people during WWI and are still used for research today! All hand written cards. An enjoyable couple hours.

      Wandered back into town, a busy Saturday with lots of people out shopping. The downtown area has any store you want from H & M to Prada. For the “girls” reading this, fashion has been interesting. Lots of dresses - more mid length to maxi (still some mini but nor as many as I used to see) and lot’s of wide leg pants, especially the Asian girls - who are all skinny and they look great on them.

      Late lunch was an aubergine panini from a street vendor cart - very good. A stop for a bottle of wine and a poke bowl for dinner. Home to watch the post coronation broadcast (Found CNN in English on the TV 😂👍) , figure out the washing machine and planning next week.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 13

      Geneva Day 13

      May 7, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

      A gray, rain in the air, morning, Rain expected this afternoon. Off to see how close I can get to see the finish of the marathon in downtown Geneva. The half marathon went off at 8A and the full marathon at 9A. Nice for the runners to have the overcast skies and not too warm. The runners were finishing up the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 km).when I got there. Got a spot by the rail about 100 yds from the finish line. Lots of fun to watch the later finishers with the determination on their faces to finish. My favorite was a gal who finished wearing 3” pink high heels! In the pics below here is a video of the men’s winner on 2:09:40 - Emmanuel Gisamoda a Tanzanian. Also a pic of the women’s winner, Meseret Dinke from Ethiopia. Hard work for little remuneration.

      On to the museum for the day Musee Ariana: a museum to glass and ceramics. A lovely showcase of old ceramics mostly from Europe. A feature temporary exhibit was a Japanese fellow - spectacular pieces of modern fused glass. The setting was also exceptional; a previous home of the founder. The beautiful starry vaulted ceiling, pale pink columns around the upper level and spacious rooms were perfect for galleries. Quite the setting.

      I walked from downtown to the museum,again going past the UN. On the plaza people were setting up a small stage with audio. I asked a gal at the information booth what was going on. She told me that they were getting ready for a March for Life (a protest against antisemitism) later in the afternoon. After the museum, I walked back that way and a increasingly large group was forming with flags and waiting for the speakers to start. I listened for awhile, all in French, so not long. And it was raining. They were going to march downtown after the speeches. Appropriate place to address a world wide issue.

      Home finish up the planning for the next week of travel. Plan is to tram/train to Annecy, France (only 25 miles away), and pick up car for the remainder of the trip. Spend 2 nights in Annecy and then to an area NE of Lausanne. Found an Airbnb in Val de Charmey - near Gruyeres. All of this thanks to the gal who owns the condo I am staying in. She is a traveler and has given me all kinds of information about this area - and I have never been there, so happy for some new territory to explore.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 15

      Geneva Day 15

      May 9, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

      A busy last day in Geneva. The good news is that I successfully completed a 2 day project and mailed some clothes home! I will not bore you with the details, however from getting a box, hours on line trying to complete forms I could not print, dealing with Swiss post, FedEx and UPS (UPS is “opus” in French should you ever need to know) and after a 2 tram and a bus jaunt across town this morning, and a VERY wonderful Swiss UPS fellow who did all the forms for me, I mailed the package!!! (for $93). 😂😂😂. My suitcase is now more manageable and all the colder weather clothes are on their way to Bodega Bay, I hope.

      Feeling very proud of myself, I headed back to town and the last museum that was on my list - The Art and History Museum. Agin the museum was in a beautiful old building however a museum that needs technology updating. They had a lot of wonderful art but the displays were lacking. A lot of old post Renaissance painting, which are way pretty dark, we’re in ill-lit rooms, making them darker. Very little English except for a panel in each room explaining contents. No audio, which to me any more, is essential. However their collection of Impressionists was impressive - Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, Cezanne filled one entire gallery. An array of Swiss artists over the same period and lots os art of the mountains in the area, especially Mount Blanc. They say on the website they are soon renovating, will take awhile, but the building as beautiful.

      Off then to explore another area of the City I had not yet been to the Carouge. An upscale restaurant and shop district. My condo owner had given me several restaurant recommendations there. Found a great outdoor cafe and had the MOST WONDERFUL lunch. Carpaccio with terrific French bread and salad. Best carpaccio I have ever had!

      Off to get my condo owner some Swiss chocolate that she said she loves and home to wind down and pack for leaving tomorrow. And to beat the rain home.

      PS. The last pic below I’d the Jet de Eau on a, not so sunny, day.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Chêne-Bougeries, Chene-Bougeries, Châno-Bugeries, シェヌ＝ブジュリー, CHCBS, 谢讷布日里

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