Switzerland
Geneva

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  • Day 53

    Genf, Ende und Anfang

    April 22, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Und dann sind wir da: mitten in Genf, der letzten Station vor Frankreich. Wir haben einige Dinge zu erledigen, kaufen Briefmarken für unsere Postkarten, besorgen Jonas seinen in Lausanne bestellten Reiseführer und mir einen neuen Pilgerpass, da mir langsam der Platz für Stempel wieder Mal ausgeht. Als wir in der Kathedrale bei der Ticketkassa anstehen um uns einen Stempel zu holen, fragen uns die beiden Frauen hinter uns plötzlich, ob wir auch Pilger sind. Stehen hinter uns tatsächlich zwei Schweizerinnen, die den Schweizer Jakobsweg soeben nach drei Jahren etappenweise abgeschlossen haben! Auf unsere Frage, ob sie denn vorhaben, den Weg zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt fortzusetzen, verneinen sie jedoch. "Das ist uns dann zu weit", sagen sie.

    Wir kommen heute wieder in einem Accueil jacquaire unter, bei einer jungen Frau, die uns ihre gemütliche kleine Wohnung zur Verfügung stellt, obwohl sie heute Nacht nicht da ist. Wir treffen sie aber noch an und sie erzählt uns von ihrer sechsmonatigen Reise nach Jerusalem letztes Jahr! Im Laufe derer war sie in so vielen Medien, dass ich mich frage, ob ich nicht doch schon von ihr gehört habe.
    Noch dazu hat sie ein Jahr lang in Wien gelebt und so hängt neben ihrem Poster von Genf auch eines von Wien.

    Abends steht dann eine schwere Entscheidung an: da Jonas nach wie vor Schmerzen hat, weiß er, dass es richtig für ihn ist, noch einen Tag völlig auszusetzen und in Genf zu bleiben. Mich zieht es aber weiter und letztendlich muss jeder von uns seinen eigenen Camino gehen. Also werden wir uns morgen Früh leider fürs erste voneinander verabschieden müssen. Aber der Weg ist noch lang und da er zufällig wie ich täglich auf FindPenguins schreibt, werden wir immer wissen, wo der andere gerade ist! 😊

    Für mich endet in Genf der zweite große Abschnitt meines Weges. Hier beginnt die Via Gebennensis. Auf der geht es morgen schon nach Frankreich!

    1282km
    53 Tage
    21 Tafeln Schokolade
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  • Day 2

    Bonne anniversaire André!

    November 30, 2019 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Vi firade ju in Anders lite redan på sena kvällen/tidiga morgonen med de glada tyskarna (vilket kändes av lite senare på morgonkvisten när det var dags att stiga upp...) - nu blev det lite mer ordnat med flagga, skönsång och paket samt utan ginochtonics!Read more

  • Day 63

    Post walk: +1 - Col du Gd St Bernard to

    June 19, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Before I left the Pass this morning, I popped over to Italy, enjoyed the amazing views, was lucky enough to see a mountain goat, and met up with another two Australian pilgrims: Cathy and Geoff. They were starting out on the first stage of the Italian leg. I took a taxi down the mountain to Orsieres, then took a bus (train replacement) and train back to Martigny, where I was able to quickly transfer to the Geneva express! I am sitting in my hotel room now relaxing and reflecting on my time in Switzerland. I like pretty much everything about Switzerland; there are services all around you. I never had to worry about a place to stay or what I would be eating. Obviously, the landscape is phenomenal, and everywhere you look, you can see something beautiful. I have included some photos of Paulette, Alison, and Matt (the Californians), and I have included some of the lovely pieces I saw in the hospice (as well as the church itself). P.S. as a reflection on my entire walk: my gear was first class - thank you to all my BMC friends for your wisdom and advice (it made all the difference). I'd also like to send a shout-out to Andrew T. Not only was he a great walking companion, but he was also a source of ongoing invaluable advice as he forged ahead of me on the Path - thank you, Andrew 😊Read more

  • Day 72

    Post walk - on the way home: Geneva

    June 28, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I've spent a relaxing week in Geneva. I've had a manicure and pedicure, a haircut, a full body massage with reflexology, and I'm very much looking forward to coming home. I've walked around the city, visited churches, archaeological sites, and museums, and took a lake cruise. Oh, and I've eaten extremely well.Read more

  • Day 10–12

    Dinner at Creperie du Mallard

    July 12, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    A further walk through Jardin, and now we begin to see the clouds gathering from the Alps' side.

    Glancing over into one of the side streets, we spot Crêperie du Molard. It appeals to me because the tables are all under big umbrellas, and the street is on the thin side

    We enjoy a beer (L) and Genache (YT) and have an outstanding meal while being entertained by some street musicians

    In a short time, the thunderstorms are indeed upon us, but we stayed until everything sort of quieted down.

    The nearest trolley stop was only 4 minutes away, and we returned back to the hotel with "mission accomplished "

    We call it a night since tomorrow's boots and saddles will sound at 4:00 am
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  • Day 11

    Somewhere over the rainbow

    March 6, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Making our way back to Geneva before heading home. Got to say I love this city! There is a calmness here and an atmosphere of acceptance. Diversity is everywhere and there is such trust and respect amongst this multicultural melting pot of people. Spent the day wondering down back alleys and parks, understanding what ordrinary life is like here. Walked along the Geneva Wall, rich in history. Children at schools, moms in groups in garden parks, cleaners everywhere taking care of the city, games of chess outside tea rooms. And after work, people really take the time to buy some vino, some cheese and a baguette.... meet up with friends and chill on the jetty all along the lake. Some dare cold water immersion in Lake Geneva which I may have mentioned before, is pristine, clean and clear!

    Invited for lunch by a new neighbour back in SA that we hadn't met before who lives mostly in Geneva. Wonderful bistro Charlotte (Fresh Cod and green risotto). What a lovely chap! Turns out he is a billionaire (ex CEO and now Co-Chairman of Macsteel) and an ex Le Mans podium raving driver (who still owns and races 3 ferraris). Karl got 'lost' at Le Caveau de Bacchus"

    One last boat ride and walk up to the famous Jet D'eau where we were bid farewell by a perfect rainbow. Drinks at the stunning Leopard bar at our hotel and room service for dinner.

    As I drag my aching body home, (have lost 1.5 kgs) and I am looking forward to going home, I can't help but reflect on this deeply transformative holiday and am so grateful that I am spoilt and loved like a queen ❤️
    How lucky am I ...
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  • Day 10

    The Cat's on the Windowsill

    September 23, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We have become so used to everything working and transport arriving when it is supposed to, that the first live update from EasyJet came as a surprise. A 40 minute delay taking off, not too bad, we would still be in Edinburgh by 11 pm. But instinctively you know that won't be the end of the matter. Hardly an hour had passed before the 40 minutes had become 1 h and 20 minutes. I think airlines try to lessen the blow of bad news by breaking it to you gently, much like the lady, having agreed to look after a holidaying friend's cat, trying to break the news that the cat had died. "Your cat was on the windowsill and wouldn't come in....." it is a good joke, worth telling (and I have done so, frequently).

    When I used to travel with work, we had a saying that when things started to go wrong they tended to go very wrong and in some small way that was how the rest of the day went. We checked out of the hotel and following the recommendation from last night's waitress, headed to Lutry, and a wine festival. There was nowhere to leave our luggage so we trundled downhill to the lake front, rolling the suitcases over cobbled streets. There were flags, tents, food and wine outlets but everyone was just setting up and nothing much was happening. So we pulled the cases back to the station (uphill and cobbles). Next stop Lausanne, where the left luggage lockers had a QR code for instructions backed up by a dreadful internet service and we only just won that battle after a frustrating 20 min. I would have put it down to us being silver surfers but the 2 twenty something girls next to us were having the same issues. Next we fruitlessly followed Google maps trying to find a café, then gave up and dived into the COOP for a sandwich and some Pringles. However after that things started to look up as we found a cheeky wee cake and coffee down by the lake.

    Booking a holiday with a late evening flight home feels like you are getting a whole extra day free added on, but there does come a point in the day when you just want to get on with it and hit the airport. I think I reached that point at about 2 pm, but common sense dictated that we stay away from the airport until at least 6 pm. Normally my restlessness to be home starts 1 to 2 days before the end of a holiday (hence the New York New York ritual), so this holiday sets a new record.

    Trying to stay away from the airport as long as possible, we stopped off at Geneva for a walk along the lakefront. Geneva's big fountain was going full blast, throwing 500 litres of water 140 meters in the air every second. Originally built as a pressure control valve, the fountain was to become the symbol of strength, ambition and vitality of the city and is one of Geneva's top tourist attractions. It is an impressive sight and one I remember from TV in the 60s as it was used in the title sequences for The Champions, a TV series about a trio of crime fighters who had received special powers from a lost civilisation. Not as entertaining as Batman and Robin but with only 3 channels on TV, beggars can't be choosers.

    We headed back to the train station around 5.30 pm, retrieved our luggage and climbed up onto the platform for the train to the airport. There was clearly something wrong, as the 4.30 train was still sitting on the platform. My SBB app confirmed all trains to the airport had been cancelled due to a 'blockage' so we headed for the airport bus. At least we have accomplished our aim to stay away from the airport until after 6 pm and further validated my previous statement about things going wrong.

    EasyJet have been sending updates back and forth all day and the takeoff time has been ever changing. The latest estimate is 23.24 (2 h and 10 min late). If this continues on trend, I may have been a bit premature with my New York New York rendition.
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  • 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!
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  • Day 63

    Day 63: Murten to Versoix.

    June 15, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Woke after a big night on the grog. Slow walk along the lake before heading to our next destination. Did a few jobs on the way in Payerne. Hit Lake Geneva and parked at Versoix. Caught the train to Geneva. Forced graham to have a barbershop visit. Looks handsome again x Spent time in “old town” and climbed St Pierre Cathedral bell tower following the route of the reformation. Graham found us a Thai massage place for two which was very needed. Once home we walked to the beach via the Marina until dark.Read more

  • 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

You might also know this place by the following names:

Genève, Geneve, Genf, Geneva, Jenwe

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