First Day In Geneva

The from the plane from Zurich to Geneva

SOOOO... we arrive in Zurich after leaving Montreal EXHAUSTED--8 hours on a plane isn't so bad by itself, but combined with people their seats ALL the way back into your lap the WHOLE (save takeoff and landing), it becomes fairly tiring. And then we find that we made a big whoops--Mom's flight Geneva is 3 hours after mine, and the airports don't have convenient seating, forcing me to spend the three hours in a highly uncomfortable chair. Combined with jet lag, it's a wonder we even got to our hotel. But get to it we did! The Hotel Edelweiss, a quaint little number with accompanying fondue restaurant, is in a quiet part of Paquis, and has everything we need--beds, a shower, and a door to lock at night. After arriving, and our room not being ready, we drop our bags and head out for a walk along Bains de Paquis, the promenade along Lac Leman, or Lake Geneva. And find a small park that is heralded at the entrance by a mausoleum, and a cute cottage cafe (whose name is literally Cottage Cafe) where we get much needed sustenance in the form of fruit (did I mention there's no food in baggage claim of the airport? Well, there isn't.) and a little coffee. And then, blessedly, our room is ready so we take the required jet lag nap. And a glorious nap it was. And then. We do things.

Along Bains de Paquis

 We decided to take a little boat excursion around the lake--get to see some sights, get to not walk that much, and it only takes 1 hour and 45 minutes, which in our exhausted state is a blessing.

The boat for the trip

We saw the Jet d'eau--a tall jet of water that apparently came into being by necessity: the city's newly pressurized water fountains, seen everywhere, couldn't handle the pressure, and so they just opened a valve, and viola. Fountain. It got taller and was moved to a more tourist-friendly place (See: place where easiest to take pretty pictures), but that was about it. That's the story.

The Jet

The Jetty at the other side of the Jet--you can run through it to this side. 

The Prince's Chateau and the Siren staring at it.

We saw some lake mansions, some ancient Chateau's and Chalet's, one of which, of course, belongs to a prince. And the statue of the siren, which if you can't tell, is looking towards the steps from the water that lead to the Chateau/Chalet of the prince. Which I found amusing and very well done.

I confess--I really don't remember much of this boat ride other than the Jet d'eau, and the Siren. The boat was rocking--and so soothing. And...I was jet lagged. Sue me.

And after this, well, it was time for dinner. And oh, was it time for dinner. As I mentioned, our hotel has it's own little restaurant, famous for its fondue, and yodeling. Yes. Yodeling. It was glorious. Hot melting cheese covering bread. I'll say it again. Hot cheese. And bread. That's literally what fondue is. And it is amazing. I love the Swiss who decided this could be a meal/food group. They are geniuses. And for dessert? A meringue with almonds floating in an orange cream sauce. Yum. Accompanied by the sounds of the accordion and various other instruments (one guy plays accordion, the other horns, spoons, and the famous Alphorn, well known from it's stint in Ricola commercials) well, our first day was fairly productive given all. And more would happen the next....