GVA ⌚🇨🇭
- Jul 22, 2014
- 5 min read
When a friend of mine who works in Geneva suggested that I visit, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to city-hop. I thought back to a moment a year before. I pinned something onto my Wanderlust board🤔. It was an article, a Forbes' list of the most expensive cities in Europe. I looked back at the article. The article had Zurich and Geneva as the second and third ranked.
I adored the shutters & flower boxes, and the flat, rustic, and sometimes colorful finishes of the buildings. Most of the buildings are boutique styled with some sort of cafe, lingerie store, restaurant, or some sort of shoppe.
I was happy when the taxi took less than fifteen minutes to get to city center. It was around 9 PM. My AirBnB was in the building on the corner of Rue Henri Christine and Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve. The wrought iron adoring Juliet balconies are so beautiful and detailed. The Mansard roofs, colorful flower boxes in every window, even the more beaux styled buildings made you think you were on a Parisian street. I stayed in an apartment with high ceilings, ceiling to floor windows that open up inward into the flat. It makes it feel so bright, airy, and open. The interior of the apartment felt like the older building in the boroughs back in NYC: real hardwood floors, crown and other types of molding, weird keyholes on doors...
Mansard roof + Juliet balconies, residential architecture? maybe Beaux-Arts 🤔
I showered and began organizing my clothes in the space provided in the bedroom. I powered up my laptop and decided to look for a bar/restaurant to grab a bite. I noticed nothing was open. Not a bar, not a restaurant, not a convenience store, not even a grocery or pharmacy. It was 9 PM on a Friday night in Geneva & the entire city was shut down: Welcome to Europe ladies & gentleman. I made a cup of tea, ate an orange i picked up in the airport, and had a slice of unbuttered toast. There was no way I was using refined vegetable oil as butter. I made the mistake of flying in so late on a Sunday. The tickets were so cheap, I just purchased without even thinking. I ate my very, very sad dinner and relieve myself with thoughts that at least the next day was Saturday.
The next day, the first thing I did was stock up on my essentials. Oh, course there was nothing in the house. I needed my essentials: food, water, wine... in that order. I roamed until I couldnt roam anymore & then I decided to head to a market I looked up back at the flat.
My fresh fruit haul 💪🏾
Fresh fruit, bread, butter, half dozen eggs and eggs, PG tips, real honey, yogurt, and locally farmed meat. It was Saturday which gave me good options. The largest market is Plainpalais Farmers Market. It is the biggest. However, I didn't want to get caught up. I went to the Halle de Rive. It was a 17/18 minute walk from the falt. I picked up my necessary crisp, sweets, and wine from random convenience store on the way back. At the apartment, I put everything away and made a decent breakfast. Now, I was caffinated and full, ready to explore the city.
Geneva has a part of the city called Old Towne, which is exactly what it sounds like. They were these five or six storied buildings. They were old, and yellowed with age. Some of the building adored colorful shutters and flower boxes to match. Also, a lot of churches, curved and narrow cobblestone streets, Swiss flags strung up high.
Pink skies over Old Town/Vieille Ville 💖✨
Have you ever walked by a dog that you did not want to pet? Not me 🌭❤️
Another attraction, the infamous Jet d'eau. Characterized by many tourist, swans & other birds alike, and this merry-go-round. Yes, I got on it.
There are also a free free museums in Genéve: The Art & History Museum is not open on Mondays, but is open 10AM-6AM. It is located at 2 Location: Rue Ch.-Galland. The Botanical Garden was where I chose to go. You can find it at 1292 Chambesy. The operation hours vary with the season. Since this is the Spring/Summer, it opens at 8AM and closes at 7:30. If Im ever here again, I am totally planning a selfie photoshoop. Unfortunately, I went alone so these are what I got.
You can go from a lush jungle to desert biome. 🌿🌼🌵
Of course, I always have to locate the best sushi house & I found it. Chez Uchino on Versoix. I don't know what I ordered besides salmon, I let my beau do the rest & sipped my Sapporo. Notice the mayo on the side? No thanks.
Then there's also Cafe Cuba, where the next photo was taken. It was a good place to go to if you like Latin cuisine and tapas styled dining. I went two nights in a row.
Ravishing, darling. 💋💁🏾
Another great spot to eat at was Restaurant L'Envers du Décor. It can be found at Rue de la Chapelle 10, 1207. I orded a 1/2 lobster at market price and a stacked appetizer of crab, guacamole, grapefruit, and a bit of parmesean cheese.
Restaurant L'Esquisse (Rue du Lac 7, 1207) was great as well. It has & great appetizers (please get the tuna tartar) and a perfect sea bass/lank rack entree. A great place for drinks was Cafe Cuba as mentioned above, but also Bistrot 23. I stummbled upon this place at Rue de la Coulouvrenière 23, 1204. Upon realizing my French was not as great as I thought I decided to just try random cocktails instead of eating there. I ended up going back. Also, the bar across the street from my flat, La Salle was also pretty decent.
Overall, I loved Geneva. The people were nice. The city seemed to be a professional bunch.. I did not see many children or elders. It was like no one was under 20 or over 50 years of age. The food and wine was A H - M A Z I N G. Everything I ate and drank was perfection: fresh, thought-out, delicious, and creative. The fact that you can catch a glance at the Swiss Alps just by walking around the city is also worth the trip: breath taking. The museums are mostly free, a lot were below 8 CHF, affordable. They range from history to art to plants. The age of the city showed in its beautiful architecture and was worth the digest. They say Swiss watches are where it's at. I didn't end up buying a fancy Swiss watch, but I was grateful for the trip & my Kate Spade Gramercy watch my lovely beau gifted me.
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