My first weekend in Geneva

This is the first picture I took in Geneva. How cute is it? It really is an amalgam of every cliché you have ever seen in a movie and I am loving it.

The trip over was of mixed blessings. Claire took me to the airport and we browsed around a bit and had lunch and of course had to finish it off with Krispy Kreme before the flight. I got a bit teary at the customs bit but then embraced my adventure, held my head high and made my way through customs. The first leg of the trip is from Sydney to Kuala Lumpa. I was fortunate in that I had 3 seats to myself so could, well and truly, stretch out and try and catch up on the sleep I had so sorely not been able to achieve this last week.

We hit KL about midnight and had to hang around the airport while they cleaned the plane. The second leg was from KL to Austria (Vienna). That was not so good. Apparantly all the flights from all over Australia land in KL at midnight and then they all get on the one flight. So, needless to say it was crowded, there were children, the movies still sucked and the woman sitting next to me had the weakest bladder in the world.

We hit Vienna about 5.30am to a pretty empty airport and then I had to hang around for over an hour until the flight to Geneva. It was a turbo prop plane (which I hate) but there were no children, no movies and nothing to distract me so by that time I happily fell into an exhausted coma for the next hour and a half.

Angela and Julia met me at the airport. Can I begin to say how amazed I was at customs? I can understand why so many people try to import stuff. I saw a police officer who looked at my passport and that was it!! I then went through a barrier which said “Nothing to declare” and there was Ang!! Truly amazing. Angela lives about 5 minutes away from the airport in THE most amazing house. I was to be in the attic but am now in the dungeon… hehe The house is on 4 levels. I am in the basement which isn’t as bad as it sounds…. This is the view from my double doors.

The girls are in the attic. Speaking of which, this is them. The one on the left is Ava and the one on the right is Julia. They are the cutest little girls and have both got lovely natures.

Julia goes to school every day and for half a day on Wednesday and Ava goes to Crache (or however you spell it) on Thursday and Friday for half a day.

They are very sweet little girls. Those photos were taken on one of those touristy train thingies which was good fun. Angela and Paul are on the second floor, the family, dining, kitchen and sitting room are all on the ground floor and the laundry, my bedroom, another sitting room and a store room are on the ground floor. Hey! I only have to cope with one flight of stairs. YAY!

So, where was I? Oh yes, I got to Ang’s, had a shower and a cuppa tea and then we headed into Geneva for a little look see. The architecture is amazing. Just the sense of history is extraordinary. We had lunch next to a building that was built in the 15th century!!

While we were having lunch a swiss wedding was doing the rounds. After the ceremony the happy couple have to parade themselves around town so that well wishers may bless them. They make a lot of noise but it was all good fun.

Lunch was interesting. It’s amazing exactly how much French I remember but not enough that I didn’t embarrass myself a little. I am a great believer in trying all things local so when I saw that the local delicacy was Pork (and what I thought translated as) balls…. I ordered it to be told that it contained heart, liver, tongue, and all the good stuff butchers keep out the back. A quick “oopsy” and I’ll just have the local sausage sil vous plait? That was interesting. It was served with chard which isn’t readily available in Australia, I Don’t think because I haven’t really seen it. It’s a rather boring vegetable that looks like a cross between rhubarb and celery. But then they serve it baked with a rather fabulous, artery clogging cheese and butter melt all over it that you forget just how boring the vegetable is!! HAHA The bread is on tap but Angela is very much missing her ordinary bread that you can wack in the toaster. They just don’t sell it here. Lots of that yummy crusty European roll bread that you get in the delis which I love so I am in heaven!! HAHA

I am doing this today, Sunday because everything is shut in Switzerland on Sunday. We are going to go to France today. We had a quick little journey there yesterday to check it out but by that stage I was completely knackered and didn’t really have the ability to take in what they were showing me. I also didn’t have my passport with me. I am told it should be wherever I am so now it lives in my handbag. I am feeling so much better today. The family have gone to mass and I have the house to myself for an hour or so.