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    • Weekend i Genève
      2
      Day 2

      Gammal vänskap rostar aldrig

      November 30, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

      Vi mötte upp Johanna och Erik på La Clemence för ett par drinkar - utanför sprangs det fortfarande men vi fokuserade på gamla minnen och på att få språken att synka då Erik inte är bäst på engelska och Anders franska är något begränsad. Det gick faktiskt ganska bra!

      Vi drog vidare till Café Bourg du Four (det sprangs än, nu med nummerlappar uppe på 47000-talet). En god middag med många skratt och ännu mer nostalgi. En liten födelsedagssång fick vi till också till Anders stora glädje!      Read more

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    • 1 Planet 1 BagEurope 2019-2020
      2
      Day 20

      Geneva

      December 27, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 41 °F

      I had a great walk about this evening. Found a winter market, nice outdoor restaurants, and the shopping area called Bel-air. Only the most expensive stores there, Rolex, Tiffany, all the major clothing brands.Read more

    • skip's retirement travelSwitzerland
      Day 13

      Geneva's Old Town

      April 21, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      As those who have followed my travels have probably realized, I have interest in the historic parts of cities. Geneva is no exception, especially given that my theology follows John Calvin who worked, preached, taught and wrote here for most of his career. The Reformation was a significant period shaping Geneva (see another post). This post looks at the historic old town.
      The 1st picture is the square with houses typical of the old town. You can see where some of the houses were extended upwards. This happened in the 15th century when Geneva was deluged with a flood of Protestant refugees seeking shelter from persecution.
      The 2nd picture is one of only 2 sections of the old bastion dating to the 15th century that witnessed the defence of the city against the Catholic Savoyards, an event still celebrated annually.
      The 3rd picture is the Tour d'Ille on an Island in the middle of the Rhone. This is where the oldest evidence of human activity in this area has been found.
      The 4th picture is the Maison Tavel, the oldest residential structure in the old town. The facade still retains it's original style. It is a museum today. One of the exhibits is a detailed scale model of Geneva as it was before "urban renewal" removed the ancient bastions. It is so detailed that even the number of bars in windows is accurate, though the 6th picture isn't detailed enough to see that.
      The 7th picture is the door into the old city hall and is a good example of the wood working skills back in the day. The 8th picture is in the city hall courtyard. Those are ramps up from the ground floor to the upper floors. I'm told it was built this way to allow the councilors access while riding a horse or mule.
      The 9th picture is what remains of an old city gate. The last picture is back in the main square. I didn't learn the story of the piece, but my reaction was the a nude girl in the square must have Calvin rolling over in his grave.      Read more

    • skip's retirement travelSwitzerland
      Day 13

      Reformation Geneva

      April 21, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      Geneva was an important place where the Protestant Reformation took hold, so much so that this city was sometimes known as the Protestant Rome. This is where John Calvin preached and taught. Reformed luminaries such as John Knox of Scotland came here to learn and then bring Reformed theology home.
      The 1st 2 picture are at the Reformation Memorial. This is a long wall of sculptures located at Bastion Park (see another post) on the campus of the University of Geneva that was founded by Calvin. The 4 taller figures in the center are William Farel who convinced Calvin he was needed in Geneva; John Calvin; Theodore Beza, Calvin s successor in Geneva and John Knox. The other statues are other protestant luminaries: I note for my Rhode island friends that Roger Williams is guy in the pilgrim hat to the right of the central grouping.
      The 3rd picture is the facade of St. Peters cathedral where Calvin was pastor. The 4th picture looks along the side of St. Peter's at the steeple and 1 of the towers. The 5th picture is in the nave of St. Peter's. This building dates to the 13th century and was built as a Catholic church. Upon taking over, the protestants removed all decoration and any hint of luxury, leaving the austere space you see in the picture. The 6th picture is John Calvin's chair where he sat during worship.
      An interesting side note: Geneva had been known for jewelry making. However, the austere vision of life with no luxuries meant the jewelers lost their livelihood. So the jewelers became watchmakers as time was not considered a luxury. Here began Geneva's reputation for clocks and watches.
      The last picture is the Maccabees Chapel on St. Peters, a later side chapel addition to the cathedral. Though it was stripped like the rest of the church in the 16th century, it has been restored to something like it would have been originally.
      There is much more in Geneva about the Reformation, but many places were closed. This period was pivotal in Geneva becoming the place it is and in the shaping of much protest theology, including mine.      Read more

    • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
      Day 30

      Geneva Day 1

      July 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Idk if i would even count this as a Geneva day because it was spent mainly in transport. I woke up to check out and then left my luggage with the hostel and went down to the beach with Amber and Nieve. And honestly, I slept for the entire 3 hours that we laid there LOL. After that, we had to share one last ice cream together- I got the classic, mango and lemon and it was scrumptious. We went back to the hostel where I got a quick munch, seeing as I probably wouldn’t end up eating again until the next day. I took the shuttle to the airport where I met Amber and Nieve who had taken a different shuttle. We spent our last moments together in the airport- which was nice bc I think we would’ve missed each other if we were around Corfu for any longer 😙. We said our goodbyes and went separate ways😞. Not just saying this just bc i know that they’re reading this, but it was honestly one of the hardest goodbyes yet because I spent pretty much every waking moment in Corfu with them, whereas so far I’ve been bouncing around different friends. But if there’s one thing that I’ve learned when solo travelling, it’s that it’s full of goodbyes, or see you laters.
      And so, off I went on the plane, first to Naples- WHICH WAS DELAYED BY AN HOUR. This stressed me out bc I only had a 2 hour layover there before catching the next flight to Geneva. Thankfully, my second flight was also delayed, so I didn’t have to worry about missing it- trust me, I was VERY worried. Something that was nice though was that I had the whole aisle to myself on the second flight, so I slept nicely. Shortly after, I landed in Geneva and made it to my hostel safely, for a much needed rest.      Read more

    • Europe 2022 - 2023
      112
      Day 75

      Geneva, Switzerland

      July 22, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Geneva was our last home base in Switzerland. It's home to the United Nations, the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the Red Cross. Its location is interesting in that it's surrounded by France on 3 sides. It's situated between the Alps, Jure mountains, and Lake Geneva. As such, we once again had to quickly adjust to a language change, where previously most of the places we had been spoke Swiss-German, Genevans primarily spoke Swiss-French. Luckily Emily had taken 1 year of French high school.

      While we were here the temperature hit a record of 39.7 °C, breaking a record previously set in 1921 (38.9). Aren't we lucky our Hostel gave us a little table fan 🙄.

      It had some interesting sights such the Jet d'Eau, and number of free Museums like the Muséum d'histoire naturelle (Natural History Museum), Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Museum of art and History), Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève (Botanical Garden) and the CERN facility tour.      Read more

    • skip's retirement travelSwitzerland
      Day 12

      Geneva International

      April 20, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      It is quite likely that Geneva is best known these days for its international presence. In fact, more international organizations have their headquarters here than in any other city in the world.
      The 1st picture looks down the entrance to the Palace of Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations., Unfortunately, it is still closed from the pandemic. The 2nd picture is part of 1 of the wall murals around the Palace of Nations property. The 3rd picture that looks like a smaller version of the UN headquarters in New York is the home of the World Intellectual Property Organization. The 4th picture is a sculpture near the UN. It is an artillery piece with the barrel twisted into a knot as a call to an end to war.
      The 5th picture is around the corner from the Palace of Nations and is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi with the Arianna Museum in the background.
      The 6th picture is the International Red Cross building, formerly the Hotel Carlton. The Red Cross was founded in Geneva. What I was surprised to learn is that the name came from the flag, not the other way around. The red cross on the white field is the reverse of the Swiss flag, white cross on red. The original Geneva convention was signed here, the original of which is in the 7th picture. Their museum is extraordinary, looking at all of what the Red Cross does, going back to the beginning of the organization. The 8th picture is an example. This room holds thank you gifts to Red Cross workers from prisoners visited, all hand made from materials at hand in the prison.
      The 9th picture is the headquarters of the World Council of Churches. The 10th picture is in the Rockefeller Chapel in the WCC building. It is a beautiful space with many expressions of Christianity from around the world.      Read more

    • TravelerLet it snow Let it snow...
      211
      Day 2

      Who's been sitting in my chair?

      February 25, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      Another beaut of a day in Geneva. Woke up to an incredible view of the lake as the water taxis opened for business.

      There were people doing Tai chi on the dock some cold water swimmers and runners all taking advantage of the weather.

      Took a trip to the Botanical gardens, the United Nations Building/entrance and found the "Broken Chair" at the Places de Nations. Standing 12 metres high on its 3 legs, the sculpture symbolizes both fragility and strength, imbalance and stability, violence and dignity. The work by renowned sculptor Daniel Berset, is made of 5.5 tins of wood and has a simple message : remember the victims of landmines & urge your government to promote a ban on landmines.

      Strolling around the lake, which by the way is as clear as Mauritian waters, we came across loads of swans .... wait..... swans on a lake ... Swan Lake?? 🤣 Visited the man-made Beach on the opposite side of the lake where parents and kids have ball every afternoon.

      And then the Viking had to try "Initiation au lancer de hache" Basically axe throwing, beacuse thats what one does when in Geneva ...

      Little bite of Pulpo (octopus) and potato salad for lunch with a chilled bottle of Rosé.

      If this is a cold, winter holiday... count me in! (she says as the weather starts to slowly change) ❄️      Read more

    • TravelerLet it snow Let it snow...
      1
      Day 1

      The Capital of Peace

      February 24, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

      First stop for 2 days before our final destination, is Geneva, the Capital of Peace, home to 200 international organisations including the UN.

      Of course this Mediterranean, being winter, packed 16 layers, puffers, beanies and gloves etc because I dont do cold, and it turned out to be the most glorious summers day! I was overdressed but Karl the Viking, walked around the entire day in a tshirt!

      What a clean, pristine, picturesque city! It's kind of like a Helsinki vibe but with a European flair. People super chilled. It's also super expensive 🤑 Youll pay 3 times more in Swiss francs for something than you would in Euros!

      Staying at the gorgeous Hotel D'Angleterre (South African owned) with a view of Lake Geneva 😍.

      Spent the day exploring areas around the lake and the main city centre where we found a great end of season sale to buy some kit for skiing ... gulp ⛷️

      This is also the home of high end watches, fondue and master chocolates. Obligatory lake Geneva boat trip, stroll through Globus department store, lunch at Café du Centre a classical old school bistro and ended the evening with dinner at a local spot called Sons of Wine for great red wine and a charcuterie board.      Read more

    • TravelerDer Weg nach Santiago
      1
      Day 53

      Mit dem Schiff nach Genf

      April 22, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Erst zu Mittag legt unser Schiff in Rolle, am Genfersee, ab. Von dort dauert die Fahrt ca. zwei Stunden. Wir kreuzen währenddessen sogar auf die andere Seite, nach Frankreich hinüber. Es regnet zeitweise in Strömen und wir sind froh, nicht zu Fuß gehen zu müssen. Außerdem ist die Schifffahrt eine spannende Abwechslung!
      Bald schon können wir die riesige Fontäne sehen, das Wahrzeichen von Genf, und wir fahren direkt daran vorbei in den Hafen ein.      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Genève, Geneve, Genf, Geneva, جنيف, Горад Жэнева, Женева, Ženeva, Ginebra, Γενέβη, Ĝenevo, Xenebra, זנבה, जिनेवा, Ժնև, GVA, Jenewa, Ginevra, ジュネーヴ, ჟენევა, 제네바, Genava, Ženēva, Genewa, 1200, Genebra, Genevra, Cenevre, Jenwe, جنیوا, 日内瓦

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