Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.
As some of you know, I got back from Switzerland last night.
The 5 hours of tram/train between Geneva and Reims are quite demanding, so it's no surprise to me that I slept around 11 hours.
My 3-day trip to Switzerland, aka Schweiz, Svizzeria, or la Suisse, was quite interesting. It is important to note that between the time I left Reims (13h00 Wednesday) and the time I got back to Reims (19h00 Friday), I actually only spent 36 / 54 hours in Switzerland. This is due to both the train ride and the fact that I spent most of Thursday on the French side of the Alps.
On Wednesday I arrived in Geneva fairly late, so I checked in to my hotel, put away my things, and went for a stroll to find a restaurant. Not hard to do, so I stopped at a small café for some Roesti (glorifed hash browns stuck together with onions and bacon). Then I returned to my hotel to rest before a big trip the next day. Interesting sidenote about my hotel: it is located on a side street off the main road leading to Lake something-or-other from the train station. This particular side street was home to a restaurant, a gay bar/club, a regular (strip) club, and 2 sex shops. This reminded me of my trip to Augsburg, where my hostel was one block from a Wal-Mart sized erotic store. What is it with Germans and this stuff?
Anyway, Thursday was the shining part of my trip. It was raining a bit in the morning, but that was ok because I was off to France (didn't I just come from there?). I had signed up for a tour of the Alps, and got exactly what I'd asked for. The bus ride from Geneva to Chamonix, the small town near Mont Blanc, is about 1h30m long. The landscape is absolutely beautiful. Once I got there, I went by cable car up the the Aiguille du midi (top of one of the larger mountains). The view wasn't great on account of the weather, but it is still quite impressive. We returned to Chamonix for lunch in a restaurant. I had traditional French Onion soup, a risotto (which actually wasn't bad), and a crème brûlée that reminded me of... well, really good crème brûlée.
After the restaurant, I had the opportunity to visit the ice caves inside Mont Blanc. The sky had cleared up, and that afternoon was generally fantastic (so much so, I've included pics below).
We went home, in time for me to change out of my makeshift snowsuit and into something more appropriate for the 7 degree weather. I went out for fondue and a chocolate dessert that were quite good, albeit ridiculously expensive. That, folks, is my major complaint about Switzerland: the cost. But anyway. That night I watched the Canada vs. Switzerland Hockey game, on the only channel that would show it: the Italian one. The announcers did a very good job describing something I could see for myself, which is good since other than the names, I had no idea what they were talking about. I finally got to bed around 04h15.
Friday, I woke up with barely enough time to shower, pack, and get breakfast at the hotel. I had planned to visit as much of Geneva as I could in the 2-hour span before I had to catch my train. So I went to the UN. On the way, I saw the Ferrari dealership so I jumped off the tram and took a few pictures there. I got back on the next tram and made it to the UN. It was raining, so already it was great being outdoors wandering, but that building is not what you would expect.
Disappointed, I walked around to the slightly richer area of Geneva, seeing a few fancy hotels and a metric assload of jewelry stores, then headed back to the hotel to get my stuff.
The train ride home felt ridiculously long. I finally got back to my apartment at 8pm, exhausted and slightly disappointed. My overall verdict: if you're thinking of going to Geneva, don't. Zurich has the financial stuff. Bern has CERN. The mountains are best seen from Italy and France (like Chamonix). The UN isn't a big deal. The lake is the "biggest in Switzerland", a country the size of Lake Superior. So really, go around it. You'll avoid the whole Swiss Franc thing, save money and time, and might even enjoy a greater portion of your vacation.
Up next for me is a class on Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances. Should be fun. After that I get to go to Voisins, for a small reunion with friends, to Paris for the Peter Gabriel concert, then the trip I've been waiting for: Turkey!
March is going to be awesome.
Hope you all enjoy your weekend. Here are the pics:
(sorry but blogger is being a pain. If the link doesn't work, let me know)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=196113&id=508069103&l=47002230cd
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