Genève
i'm going to make this quick, because the Swiss keyboard scares me.
but i am in Geneva, i made it one piece. explored the city last night when i got here, coming in as it got dark. as a woman on my own in a foreign country, i thought this was good. i speak more French here than i did in France, surprisingly, but that's likely because i mostly spoke to Dave and Brits while i was there. (i did have a really lovely time, yes, but no time to update here at the moment.)
Swiss Francs are the opposite of cool. i have no idea what their value is (more than CDN less than GBP??) so i probably spend unwisely. not to mention, all the coins are silver, size has nothing to do with value, and while they have "20" and "10" pieces, they have "1/2" instead of "50".
had a hellish night last night. am rooming with a Boston American, a German, and a random who're all nice enough. but this older Italian woman's snores could be heard in Belgium. also figured out i might need an adaptor. anybody know if the Swiss follow standard European plugs? because it doesn't look like it and i need charged mobile and camera batteries.
today, being Dimanche means that most things were closed. i got up early, waited in line for breakfast for ages, then left to explore some more. the Jet d'Eau was on today, which was nice, and the temperatures got quite warm. i only picked up a map late this afternoon, and realized that this morning i did far more walking than is normal. all in search of random stuff, haha. i went into the Musée d'Arts et d'Histoire, through the Jardin Anglais et de Bon Repos (on opposite ends of the city), saw the UN buildings, the Notre Dame basilica, all sorts of monuments, and and and. lots of other touristy stuff. i also saw all the watches and cuckoo clocks, haha. they're mad here. along one side of the lake you can see the lit up names of everz renowned Swiss watchmaker in the world, all their buildings are nearly lakefront. French is the most commonly spoken, but there's enough German and Italian to around. of course, because they're European, lots of people are fluent in English too. haven't bought any souvenirs yet (got none at all in France, can you believe it? guess i'll be going back) but i would actually love a little cuckoo clock. and a watch, ahaha, but that ain't happening. i will definitely be buying some Swiss chocolate to bring back to Chris's for Easter.
i've seen most of what i've planned to in the city, so i think on Tuesday i'll just visit the Museum of Horology, the Museum of Swiss Cutlery, and... do lots of shopping, ahaha. we'll see. the Rue de la Croix d'Or had some interesting looking shops. for tomorrow though, i've booked a spot on a tour up to Mont Blanc and Chamonix, including the Aigulle de Midi. should provide some fascinating views. the skies are still generally grey here on the continent, but i'm hoping to get some great photos tomorrow regardless.
talking to Chris at the moment on MSN. (give me a break, i'm dead tired, haven't spoken to him in days, and i've done all the free stuff in Geneva.) waiting to go find some dinner. likely to be a kebab or panini, but i'm okay with that. as long as it has yummy cheese, haha. anyway, point being - as much as i'm loving Switzerland, i'm really looking forward to going back to England. (isn't that always the way?) especially to Devon. Chris is actually upset at the moment because a ladder (don't ask) fell on his guitar and he's not sure how quickly it can be fixed, or if at all. he's totally gutted and i just want to give him a big hug.
time for dinner!
but i am in Geneva, i made it one piece. explored the city last night when i got here, coming in as it got dark. as a woman on my own in a foreign country, i thought this was good. i speak more French here than i did in France, surprisingly, but that's likely because i mostly spoke to Dave and Brits while i was there. (i did have a really lovely time, yes, but no time to update here at the moment.)
Swiss Francs are the opposite of cool. i have no idea what their value is (more than CDN less than GBP??) so i probably spend unwisely. not to mention, all the coins are silver, size has nothing to do with value, and while they have "20" and "10" pieces, they have "1/2" instead of "50".
had a hellish night last night. am rooming with a Boston American, a German, and a random who're all nice enough. but this older Italian woman's snores could be heard in Belgium. also figured out i might need an adaptor. anybody know if the Swiss follow standard European plugs? because it doesn't look like it and i need charged mobile and camera batteries.
today, being Dimanche means that most things were closed. i got up early, waited in line for breakfast for ages, then left to explore some more. the Jet d'Eau was on today, which was nice, and the temperatures got quite warm. i only picked up a map late this afternoon, and realized that this morning i did far more walking than is normal. all in search of random stuff, haha. i went into the Musée d'Arts et d'Histoire, through the Jardin Anglais et de Bon Repos (on opposite ends of the city), saw the UN buildings, the Notre Dame basilica, all sorts of monuments, and and and. lots of other touristy stuff. i also saw all the watches and cuckoo clocks, haha. they're mad here. along one side of the lake you can see the lit up names of everz renowned Swiss watchmaker in the world, all their buildings are nearly lakefront. French is the most commonly spoken, but there's enough German and Italian to around. of course, because they're European, lots of people are fluent in English too. haven't bought any souvenirs yet (got none at all in France, can you believe it? guess i'll be going back) but i would actually love a little cuckoo clock. and a watch, ahaha, but that ain't happening. i will definitely be buying some Swiss chocolate to bring back to Chris's for Easter.
i've seen most of what i've planned to in the city, so i think on Tuesday i'll just visit the Museum of Horology, the Museum of Swiss Cutlery, and... do lots of shopping, ahaha. we'll see. the Rue de la Croix d'Or had some interesting looking shops. for tomorrow though, i've booked a spot on a tour up to Mont Blanc and Chamonix, including the Aigulle de Midi. should provide some fascinating views. the skies are still generally grey here on the continent, but i'm hoping to get some great photos tomorrow regardless.
talking to Chris at the moment on MSN. (give me a break, i'm dead tired, haven't spoken to him in days, and i've done all the free stuff in Geneva.) waiting to go find some dinner. likely to be a kebab or panini, but i'm okay with that. as long as it has yummy cheese, haha. anyway, point being - as much as i'm loving Switzerland, i'm really looking forward to going back to England. (isn't that always the way?) especially to Devon. Chris is actually upset at the moment because a ladder (don't ask) fell on his guitar and he's not sure how quickly it can be fixed, or if at all. he's totally gutted and i just want to give him a big hug.
time for dinner!