Switzerland
Meyrin

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 30

      Geneva for a couple of hours

      October 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

      We fly home tomorrow. We arrived at our airport hotel around 4 and jumped on the free bus toward the Old Town, did a brisk walk to see the beautiful Saint-Pierre Cathedral and grab a quick bite. I’m behind on photos and stories from the past few days but I’ve been hiking to the Edge of The World and more… so I have a good excuse. I wanted to get some of these photos up before I close my eyes.

      Geneva is a lovely city. It does not feel crowded and I saw virtually no graffiti. It seemed clean with no trash in the streets. People are dressed so nice with gorgeous coats. They drive like madmen and between the cars, motorcycles and bikes you have to really watch crossing the street. This mom was at a busy intersection with her very tired looking child. I can’t imagine transporting my child in this traffic!
      Read more

    • Day 72

      CERN Large Hadron Collider

      July 19, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Today we got to see the CERN Large Hadron Collider. By "see it" we actually didn't see anything that cool. The LHC is actually 100 meters underground and has restricted access. It is underground because the radiation it produces needs proper insulation, and that was the most cost effective alternative to building a large concrete structure around the experiment. So needless to say, no one is often "down" there observing anything. At least not during the experiments. All the data is collected by sensors and computers

      The goal of CERN and the LHC is to reproduce hard to naturally observe scenarios regarding particle collision and to observe, and accumulate anti-matter. Its most famous recent discovery was the Higgs boson.

      The equipment used to accelerate particles was actually built little by little as the LHC is only the most recent addition. Previous accelerators such as the Protons Synchrotron and the Super Protons Synchrotron (SPS) are smaller and work in series with the LHC. The smaller accelerators speed up hydrogen particles before releasing them to larger accelerators. The LHC is the final step (before collision) and can get the particles up to top speed.

      Here's a 5 min video that explains this better than I probably can.
      https://youtu.be/oWpy0SAAI6E
      Read more

    • Day 8

      Day 7 Geneva to Genoa!

      September 1, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Well, there is a lesson in doing your homework! The Mont Blanc tunnel is a €54 toll EACH WAY….. total tolls for the last two day almost €200 🤬 sadly no place to stop on the roads today so you’ll have to take my word for it that driving through the Alps is incredible. Snow (and thick) on the highest peaks. Mint Blanc is about but one of the tunnels on this road and almost 12 kilometers on its own. The Hotel is adequate and parking is a nightmare (more home work next time) but achieved. I really think time for a shower and an early nightRead more

    • Day 11

      Geneva

      April 19, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Geneva is located in the southwest of Switzerland where the Rhone River exits Lake Geneva (Lac Leman, in French). Geneva is a global city, hosting a lot of international activity ( see another post).
      Historically, Geneva was a border town with all the trading that goes with it. The Rhone was for many years the northern border of the Roman empire, and the city's location is likely due to an ancient bridge located here.
      The 1st picture looks out to Lake Geneva from near where the Rhone flows out. To the right is the Jet d'Eau, the water jet that shoots 120 meters high and has become a symbol of the city. The 2nd picture looks down the Rhone from under the bridge at the point where the river begins. The old town (see another post) is on the hill to the left of the the river.
      The 3rd picture is the floral clock in the English Garden along the lake shore.
      The 4th picture is the opera house, and the 5th picture is in the Bastion Park. During the Reformation (see another post), Geneva was one of the most heavily fortified towns in Europe: a staunchly Protestant town surrounded by largely Catholic regions. Most of that has been dismantled, but this park is in one of those areas, in between the inner bastion and the 2nd wall.
      The last 2 pictures are for the science geeks: Geneva's other famous resident, CERN. The particle physics lab is world renown. The 2 pictures are at the Atlas site, the only one of the 4 observation sites in Switzerland. 1 is of the outer wall. The other is the control room.
      Read more

    • Day 24

      From croissant to kaiser

      July 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

      An early morning walk to The Salzach, the river that flows out of the Kitzbuhl Alps through and dividing Salzburg between the old town and the folks who live (and work) there…or so it seems.
      If that wasn't enough we decided to venture to the lovely gardens of the Maribel Palace to contrast yesterday’s pictures with morning's light.
      The itinerary for today was to hop on the train headed for Zurich. To get there was a treat, traveling into the area that has many high mountain ski resorts…Boxer is feeling right at home…(This trip is morphing from a summer journey to a winter destination fact finding adventure.)
      Joe Dawkins's good friend Andy once shared with Boxer that Austria is shaped like a ‘frying pan’, as we get closer to the handle (in western Austria) the landscape changes to rolling hills of green and houses adorned with window boxes filled with color.
      In Zurich Mimi and Boxer are forced to our Google Maps app to find our hotel for the evening. We did not need an app to locate a restaurant exclusively serving fondue…now Boxer is sure that he is at home…
      Read more

    • Day 25

      40 years…nearly…dearly…sincerely

      July 19, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

      On 22July1983 Boxer + Mimi, then Chris and Michelle committed to a life together. It provided them with an abundance of memorable moments, two wonderful children and children of children.
      On the last full day Mimi and Boxer will be together until early August we celebrated our 40th…albeit three days early!!
      The early morning ritual of a walk continued in Zurich, our train does not leave for Geneva until midday, thus we can take a longer look at this cosmopolitan city with the aldstadt (Old Town) ranging to pre-medieval times.
      At breakfast we met a couple from New Jersey, after finding a common denominator (in pumping gas) Mimi found out that the gal was a school psychologist (and the husband retired) we went for the quinella with skiing. Unfortunately we didn’t get the answer, but they we’re headed to Zermatt, if Boxer were betting, they are skiers headed to do some hiking…
      The train ride to Geneva was filled with views of the Alps to the south, then Lake Geneva with the small towns and vineyards dotting the shores.
      The last stop on our three hour journey was the Geneva International Airport and a shuttle to our hotel.
      Fairly sure that 40 years ago we did not know that we would celebrate our ‘ruby’ anniversary in Geneva, Switzerland.
      Read more

    • Day 5

      Carouge entdecken

      August 3, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      Last but not least habe ich mir meine Nachbarschaft angeschaut. Carouge wird auch als Greenwich Village von Genf bezeichnet. Kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber das Viertel ist schön und am Marktplatz kann man gepflegt sein Feierabendbierchen genießen. Ich habe ein Genfer Craft Bier namens Calvinus probiert und fand es überaus lecker. Danach bin ich zum Genfer See gelaufen, habe die Füße ins kalte Wasser getaucht, meinen Salat verspeist und gelesen. Irgendwann trieb mich die unbändige Lust auf eine kalte Dusche ins Hotel. Mit 37 Grad war es wirklich sehr heiß heute. Außerdem wollte ich packen, morgen früh geht's nämlich wieder nach Hause.Read more

    • Day 5

      Altstadtbummel

      August 3, 2022 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      Nach einem kleinen Nickerchen im Jardin Botanique bin ich mit dem Ziel in die Altstadt, ein Eis zu essen, denn es war soooo heiß. Im Gelatamania bin ich fündig geworden. Es war lecker und nicht teurer als in Annecy. Danach bin ich durch die Gassen geschlendert und an der Promenade de la Treille gelandet. Dort befindet sich die längste Bank der Welt und man hat einen schönen Blick auf Berge und Stadt. Nur wenige Minuten entfernt fließt die Rhône aus dem Genfer See, ich habe ihr kurz hallo gesagt, wir kennen uns ja noch nicht. Im September in Lyon widme ich ihr etwas mehr Aufmerksamkeit.Read more

    • Day 15

      CERN the LHC and the UN

      July 10, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Geneva is only a quick stop for us on our way to Italy. We have today to see as much as we can. First stop CERN. It is very difficult to get on a guided tour at CERN. They only have groups up to 24 people with 12 pre-booked 15 days before the tour and the remaining 12 just 3 days before. The booking site opens at 8.30am Geneva time and books very fast. One of the times I tried, it was booked in less than a minute. It would almost be easier to develop the Grand Unified Theory of Partical Physics, seriously. So just the static tours for us, which as it turned out were more than enough for our non physicist minds to deal with. Once you ramp up the grey matter a notch or two, you start to appreciate this place and all that you are looking at. In a sentence, this place is cool to visit. The engineering let alone the science is amazing. Completely the opposite approach to understanding, well everything compared to religion. Also provides perspective on why most adopt religion over science because the science is oh so complicated. Anyway a couple of hours flew here and I could have stayed a couple more.

      Another tram ride to the opposite end of the city but still only about a 30 min. ride to visit the UN. This wasn't part of our original plans but worth the visit just the same. We got a brief history of how the UN was created after the failure of the League of Nations with the start of WW2. a tour of the building and various UN conference halls and the process of how they work. I did learn some things and got a more appreciable view of just what the UN does and achieves. Most have a perspective that it is a toothless tiger but its charter is not about a strong arm but a diplomatic one. Lots of good and goodwill from all over the world happens here.

      We also visited Lake Geneva and got caught in the rain. Ate at a couple of traditional Swiss restaurants and realised I have been trying different beers as we have been traveling. I am taking pics of the ones I like. Thought about buying a watch here. Watches everywhere in Geneva, even a watch museum. Too many options though and a little research informs you, probably about the worst and most expensive place to buy a watch. Time to move on.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Meyrin

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android