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Monday, December 15, 2008
Geneva, Switzerland and travel to Lyon, France

Well today the big plan was to get to Lyon France to meet up with some family friends (I have apparently met them but have only small memories of that but they are very, very good friends of mom and dad so that makes them family really) but first I had a few things to see in Geneva.

First thing was to dump my pack at the train station. Not sure if my pack is getting heavier or if I am getting tired but the honeymoon period is certainly over and I will be happy when I don’t have to live out of it anymore.

Anyway, once that was done I had to find a tram that would take me to the UN. I had to go check it out since I was in Geneva and Switzerland is so neutral. Eventually I did find the correct tram, found the correct ticket and took the 15 minute ride out. I was originally going to take a tour but I changed my mind and just checked things out from the outside. There was a bit of a protest out front that I watched for a while (something to do with Iran…i am sure this is a pretty normal scene).

I also found the Broken Chair which was built as a monument to those injured by landmines. You'll notice that one leg is missing.

I then attempted to find the Canadian consulate…...just because I like to know where I can find Canadian soil. I didn’t find it right away, but I did find the American consulate. The very nice Swiss soldiers front gave me great directions and I eventually found it, (you guessed it I turned a 5 minute walk into a 30 minute walk, but nice Swiss soldiers make everything better).

From there I headed back down to the city centre, found the tourist information centre, found a map of Geneva (yeah I had been sans map until this moment.....it would have be helpful) and headed towards Old Town to check some things out. Today was relatively warm (and I better say that with the temperatures being what they are back in Canada) so it was kind of nice to walk around a bit.

The first thing I noticed can’t really be missed…the Jet d’eau. It is out in the harbour and shoots water about 140 metres (450 feet) into the air. If you walk out on the board walk you apparently get wet but it was a little cold for that today.

This is as close as I was getting. I could see it just fine from here.

From there I headed up the street to the Cathedral of Saint Pierre. Ok so I stopped to do some shopping first but then it was on to the Cathedral. I of course had to make my way up the tower. When was the last time I passed up a chance to climb a few hundred stairs.

See, I am always happy after walking up a bunch of stairs.

I did not have much time as there was a funeral at the Cathedral that afternoon and I had to leave but got a great view of the city none the less. The Cathedral itself is interesting to look at. It was built between 1160 and 1232 and was originally in the Romanesque style (which you can clearly see) but it was later extended in the gothic style (which you can also clearly see). Very neat anyways.

Looking down on Geneva. You can see th Jet d'eau very well from here.

I then spent some time wandering through Old Town Geneva. Lots of old buildings(obviously) but very well restored and very well preserved at this point in time. I have certainly been in other “Old Towns” that look a lot older than this one.

This is the Grand Theatre.

I then grabbed some lunch…at a Thai place, hit up Starbucks and bought some chocolate (trust me those are all very Swiss things to do….or at least my few days in the country have made it seem that way). By that time it was time for me to get on a train to France….my final stop on this 9 country tour.

A random statue I found in Old Town. Don't ask me where it is, I probably could not find it again if I tried.

This was one of the last things I saw before heading out of the train station. Apparently there are a lot of Santa's trying to get into this hotel.

So the train ride was very relaxing and I was not too worried about finding where I was going as I had very good directions. I have the pleasure these next couple of nights of staying with great friends of mom and dad’s, Zach and Bette. Dad and Zach went through Depot together (that's RCMP training for those who weren't quite sure). I think I met them on our trip across Canada back in 1990 but have a very small memory of that meeting. Anyway, I have been in contact with Bette for the last little while and she gave me perfect directions to their place including where to find the bus stop, what bus number to take, what bus stop to get off at and even how far their front gate was from the bus stop. I can honestly say I had no problem finding it and did not get lost even for a second.

So some wine, a wonderful home cooked meal and a lot of catching up later it is time for me to sleep. I am apparently the first one to break in Zach and Bette’s new spare bed and their guest bathroom for that matter….and I know it will be just fine. They live in the kind of place I imagine you should if you are living in France. Unfortunately I will not get to see much more of Zach. He is off to Brussels tomorrow for work and won’t be back until after I head to Paris but it was nice to see him tonight anyways. I guess Bette and I will just have to entertain ourselves. I am sure that won’t be a problem.

Julie