Back to Geneva

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Back to Geneva on an 8:30 flight. It was a beautiful day, and because I was so very exhausted from my adventures, I decided to hit the Lake Geneva beach up. It is not much, basically just a 200m long concrete slab jutting into the lake close to where the Rhone river leaves (there are nicer beaches that this, but this one is right downtown and is very close). There are a couple ‘beach’ areas which are pretty rocky, but most people just tend to sunbath. The place was absolutely jammed. The European style of beachwear is so different that Canada, and although I’ve seen it before, I feel like it is worth reiterating. First, the women. One piece bathing suits do not exist here in Europe. Everybody wears bikinis, whether young or old, trim or large (although people here rarely carry excessive soft tissue - the reasons for this I will require another day to discuss). Many women see no need for the top at all, and surprisingly, after a few moments amongst this crowd, this becomes quite natural. Another example that many of the ‘values’ that we carry are very much relative. The men, as is well known, mostly dress themselves in either Speedos or spandex briefs. Again, this only seems unnaturally for the first two minutes, after which rapidly becomes acclimatized.

I am just wrapping up a marvellous book - the best that I’ve read in a very long time - called “A Tale of Two Cities”.

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