Blogs from Geneva, South-West, Switzerland, Europe - page 27

Hello Reader. I called Claude from Pascal's house in Lausanne to let him know I would be arriving by train, (a forty-five minute trip). I got to the train station, bought my ticket, checked the platform and walked on over. The train was there so I hopped on. After stuffing my gorilla-of-a-pack on to the overhead shelf, I sat down, looked around at the crowded train, and began to read. After about thirty minutes or so, the train was really beginning to thin out. I had thought most of these people were headed for Geneva. I was checking the stops through the windows to make sure I didn't miss Geneva, but as the last person got off at a station that was NOT Geneva, I got worried. The train didn't look like it was going anywhere ... read more

We awakened to thick fog over the lake today. Only had the morning to explore before catching the train to Zermatt, so we walked over to the Old Town area to look around. We found a creperie for breakfast with a fantastic menu, however the proprietor explained they don’t actually serve crepes until after noon so we settled for crossaints and tea instead. A note on the crossaints: French crossaints taste like butter flavored air. They are so light that when you take a bite, the dough expands back to its original shape instead of sinking in like the knock-offs in the States! The cathedral was nearby so we stepped in to check it out; it was built in the 1300s! The Chapel of Macabees off to the side is amazingly beautiful. As a bonus, you ... read more

Here are a few pics of my regular visits to Switzerland. ... read more

Veni, Vidi, Venezia, Roma and Firenze (I came, I saw Venice, Rome and Florence) Hi Everyone, How's things? Hope you're fine and/or dandy. Another entry ensues as I am motivated once more to sit in front of the pc after some much needed rest after Italy. I've just spend around ten days in Italy and it's an amazing place. It really has 2 great things that you hope all destinations will provide: - things to see and do, and - great things to eat I took the overnight train from Austria into Venice, which was ridiculously cheap (a mere 5 euros), but also ridiculously uncomfortable (a night spent 'sleeping' in one of those 6 person compartments when it was full). The bad night's sleep meant that my initial impression of Venice was a little unfair. It ... read more

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 ... read more