A WEEKEND IN GENEVA

For a long time I have been dreaming about visiting Switzerland and Geneva in particular, so when I travelled to Spain I saw an opportunity to make that dream come true. It was only an hour and a half flight away. I went there on a Friday afternoon and spent an amazing week end in this beautiful city. It was a cold and chilly night when I arrived, but thank God it did not snow although Geneva is located at the foot hills of the Alps (I am not so keen about snow). I enjoyed my ride into the city through a street lined with all the luxury shops you can imagine – fitting for a city famous for its rich banking sector and its vibrant diamond trade. Touring the city by foot would be my first activity the following morning.In central Geneva, everything is within easy walking distance and my Saturday morning walk took me straight to the shops of my favourite brands where even window-shopping was a mouth watering experience. Although an icy wind was blowing, I made my way down to Lake Geneva to watch the famous fountain in its center. Such a calming and beautiful location, which I could imagine, would be wonderful to enjoy on a warm summer day. St. Peter’s Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in the city and a truly impressive structure.  Not only the inside of the majestic church itself but in equal measure its very tall bell tower. The view of the whole city from the top was stunning and well worth the steep climb. Safely back on the ground I discovered street stalls selling steaming hot mulled wine, which was just what I needed to keep me warm. It was a new discovery for me which I really appreciated. I have now come to love mulled wine so much!

Geneva is not really a very touristic city, but it has a lot of charm including several small parks and green areas, which looked lovely even now during the winter.  One particular attraction I really appreciated was the anthropological museum showing exhibits from selected cultures around the world. I was particularly fascinated my the Chinese room, where they showed specimens of the really tiny shoes which beautiful women were made to wear even from early childhood to make their feet look more attractive.

All in all it was a weekend well spent, and before I left the clouds lifted, allowing me a glimpse of the not too distant snow covered peaks of the alps, which surely will be on my agenda for my next visit.