I know, I know, it has been far too long since I have written here…
The basic truth of the matter is that since summer ended I have not been travelling quite so much and by default haven’t had to much to write about.
Of course I did get myself to Geneva last week…
I had decided not to go away again following a quick weekend in Barcelona for the sole purpose of catching the last of the summer sun and a long weekend in Ireland.
However… the prospect of some 12 weeks in London before heading back to Australia for a month in December turned out to be too long, so I found some cheap air-fares and sorted a weekend in Switzerland. Geneva probably would not have been my first choice, maybe Zurich or Lucern, but the price was right and it offered the benefit of Lake Geneva and the nearby town of Lausanne.
A couple of weeks before I left, my workmate Claudia decided she too would like to see Geneva so I had a travel buddy!
We flew out of London City airport, which is definitely London’s most convenient airport, and just over an hour later landed in Geneva. A quick bus ride and we were at our accommodation.
It is a very pretty place… a bit of a cross between the lakes of New Zealand’s south Island and the North Shore of Sydney Harbour and we were lucky enough to strike two sunny days. The first dawned hazy, so we couldn’t fully appreciate the views during the train trip around the lake to Lausanne.
Lausanne apparently started life as a Roman garrison town about the same time as London… The town sits on a long steep slope that rises away from the Lake and, as any good garrison should be, the old town is located at the top of the slope. That however, leaves you with the challenges of hiking up the cobbled streets from the train station. Well worth the struggle though. We gathered a map from the tourist office at the station and followed the marked trail through ancient markets, past the Cathedral, the Bishop’s Chateau and up and down narrow winding streets and stairs. Lausanne is not a huge town and an hour’s walk saw us back where we started, at the train station, and starting the walk down toward the lake in search of lunch (and maybe someone who could speak English! or even German - that being Claudia’s native language).
The lake shore in Lausanne is dominated by the yacht harbour and we settled into a cafe overlooking it to eat food we had ordered via sign language. Claudia ended up with a sweet crepe and I with a burger and fries (which was generally, if not exactly, what we had wanted). Thankfully the food was very good… must be the French influence!
Walking along the lake shore after lunch is a breathtaking experience… the view, even on a misty day was sensation, the water is crystal clear and the chateaux dotting the hills around the lake are picturesque.
Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic museum, sitting in a garden full of sculpture dedicated to Olympic sports, overlooks the lake.
Not really having time to go through the entire museum, we perused the gift shop, chatted to the group of Australians we met in the court yard (you can’t escape them!) and then wandered through the sculpture garden.
Despite having planned only a morning in Lausanne, it was 3pm by the time we got back to Geneva. Knowing the town would be pretty much closed on a Sunday, we took advantage of our remaining Saturday afternoon and headed into the city. The main shopping street was a hive of activity, but as it was like main streets everywhere (except, perhaps, more expensive) we walked up into the old town. Its streets are narrow, cobbled and lined with art galleries selling paintings you would only expect to see in a nation’s art collection… old master paintings, priced beyond comprehension, peered out from shops staffed by very stiff looking people, seated at baroque desks, talking on mobile phones… the galleries were interspersed with antique shops selling astronomically priced furniture and objets d’art, and decorator shops selling upholstery, fabrics and wallpapers. Basically the old town of Geneva is a ‘Home Base’ for the ultra-rich… well, I guess they have to shop somewhere…
Passing all of these shops without opening the wallet we wandered into a square, found a table outside and enjoyed the passing parade as we drank out pricey coffees… day 1 in Geneva was just about over and we had not been bankrupted yet!
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Sunday dawned better than Sunday… sunny and less hazy – by the end of the day the air had cleared enough to see Mont Blanc across the Lake.
We had planed to do a tour of the United Nations, however, a slight lack of prior research and an inability to actually find the entrance, meant we missed the 10am tour. The next was at 2pm and was 2 hours long, finishing too late for flights back to London. We commiserated with a magnificent brunch at Perle du Lac on the lakefront in Parc Mon Repos, a ferry trip across to Port Noir and then a walk in the sun along the lake front back into the city. All-in-all a rather nice way to spend a sunny day! So sunny that I actually felt a little burnt by the end of the day… clearly I have been away from Australia too long if I can get sunburnt by the sun in Europe in October!!! I will blame the altitude…
Claudia’s flight left an 2 hours before mine, so we parted company at the train station at 3pm and I wandered along Quai du Mont Blanc, enjoyed the views of the Lake and yachts, and watched as the mist gradually cleared from the distant Mont Blanc. By 8pm I was back in London, waiting for the Docklands Light Rail at London City Airport and wondering where my weekend had gone!
The basic truth of the matter is that since summer ended I have not been travelling quite so much and by default haven’t had to much to write about.
Of course I did get myself to Geneva last week…
I had decided not to go away again following a quick weekend in Barcelona for the sole purpose of catching the last of the summer sun and a long weekend in Ireland.
However… the prospect of some 12 weeks in London before heading back to Australia for a month in December turned out to be too long, so I found some cheap air-fares and sorted a weekend in Switzerland. Geneva probably would not have been my first choice, maybe Zurich or Lucern, but the price was right and it offered the benefit of Lake Geneva and the nearby town of Lausanne.
A couple of weeks before I left, my workmate Claudia decided she too would like to see Geneva so I had a travel buddy!
We flew out of London City airport, which is definitely London’s most convenient airport, and just over an hour later landed in Geneva. A quick bus ride and we were at our accommodation.
It is a very pretty place… a bit of a cross between the lakes of New Zealand’s south Island and the North Shore of Sydney Harbour and we were lucky enough to strike two sunny days. The first dawned hazy, so we couldn’t fully appreciate the views during the train trip around the lake to Lausanne.
Lausanne apparently started life as a Roman garrison town about the same time as London… The town sits on a long steep slope that rises away from the Lake and, as any good garrison should be, the old town is located at the top of the slope. That however, leaves you with the challenges of hiking up the cobbled streets from the train station. Well worth the struggle though. We gathered a map from the tourist office at the station and followed the marked trail through ancient markets, past the Cathedral, the Bishop’s Chateau and up and down narrow winding streets and stairs. Lausanne is not a huge town and an hour’s walk saw us back where we started, at the train station, and starting the walk down toward the lake in search of lunch (and maybe someone who could speak English! or even German - that being Claudia’s native language).The lake shore in Lausanne is dominated by the yacht harbour and we settled into a cafe overlooking it to eat food we had ordered via sign language. Claudia ended up with a sweet crepe and I with a burger and fries (which was generally, if not exactly, what we had wanted). Thankfully the food was very good… must be the French influence!
Walking along the lake shore after lunch is a breathtaking experience… the view, even on a misty day was sensation, the water is crystal clear and the chateaux dotting the hills around the lake are picturesque.
Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic museum, sitting in a garden full of sculpture dedicated to Olympic sports, overlooks the lake.Not really having time to go through the entire museum, we perused the gift shop, chatted to the group of Australians we met in the court yard (you can’t escape them!) and then wandered through the sculpture garden.
Despite having planned only a morning in Lausanne, it was 3pm by the time we got back to Geneva. Knowing the town would be pretty much closed on a Sunday, we took advantage of our remaining Saturday afternoon and headed into the city. The main shopping street was a hive of activity, but as it was like main streets everywhere (except, perhaps, more expensive) we walked up into the old town. Its streets are narrow, cobbled and lined with art galleries selling paintings you would only expect to see in a nation’s art collection… old master paintings, priced beyond comprehension, peered out from shops staffed by very stiff looking people, seated at baroque desks, talking on mobile phones… the galleries were interspersed with antique shops selling astronomically priced furniture and objets d’art, and decorator shops selling upholstery, fabrics and wallpapers. Basically the old town of Geneva is a ‘Home Base’ for the ultra-rich… well, I guess they have to shop somewhere…
Passing all of these shops without opening the wallet we wandered into a square, found a table outside and enjoyed the passing parade as we drank out pricey coffees… day 1 in Geneva was just about over and we had not been bankrupted yet!
.JPG)
Sunday dawned better than Sunday… sunny and less hazy – by the end of the day the air had cleared enough to see Mont Blanc across the Lake.We had planed to do a tour of the United Nations, however, a slight lack of prior research and an inability to actually find the entrance, meant we missed the 10am tour. The next was at 2pm and was 2 hours long, finishing too late for flights back to London. We commiserated with a magnificent brunch at Perle du Lac on the lakefront in Parc Mon Repos, a ferry trip across to Port Noir and then a walk in the sun along the lake front back into the city. All-in-all a rather nice way to spend a sunny day! So sunny that I actually felt a little burnt by the end of the day… clearly I have been away from Australia too long if I can get sunburnt by the sun in Europe in October!!! I will blame the altitude…
Claudia’s flight left an 2 hours before mine, so we parted company at the train station at 3pm and I wandered along Quai du Mont Blanc, enjoyed the views of the Lake and yachts, and watched as the mist gradually cleared from the distant Mont Blanc. By 8pm I was back in London, waiting for the Docklands Light Rail at London City Airport and wondering where my weekend had gone!
