Au Revoir, Genève!

And finally after a week in Switzerland, today, we depart for France. And we carry back, with us memories and experiences that we will cherish for a lifetime...

"Any meeting to planify?" says the landing channel of our hotel's television...

It seems that some Swiss have atrocious English...

From our experience in Geneva, I am forced to say that the Swiss have terrible standards for hospitality. Our hotel room had cracked light fittings, soiled carpets, smelly water in the washbasin, broken bedside lamp, and worst of all - the loo was not cleaned - had excreta of some previous occupant smeared in the toilet, which was not cleaned despite reminders. This is indeed BAD for an Accor property.

The hotel's breakfast had decent spread but I was flabbergasted to see the waiter winking at a woman guest - is that professional, let alone chivalrous? 

I had enough and I was happy to check out in the afternoon. Even if I was paid a million dollars, I will never stay at this Accor property again...

The view from our hotel window - a woman enjoying the morning sun...

The Brunswick Monument on the Quai du Mont-Blanc...

This is a mausoleum built in 1879 to commemorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick, who had bequeathed his fortune to the city of Geneva in exchange for a monument to be built in his honour, specifying that it be a replica of the Scaliger Tombs in Verona, Italy...

Crossing the Pont du Mont-Blanc on foot...

A view of the Jet d'Eau from the bridge...

Returning back from Quai Gustave-Ador, after picking up some souvenirs, on the boat this time...



Thanks to the Geneva Transport card, tourists into the city can enjoy complimentary rides on the city's buses, trams and boats...

Back in the cafe at Rue de Zurich for a quick bite before leaving for Gare de Genève Cornavin...

The atmosphere of the cafe was quite uplifting and two ladies running this cafe left quite a mark on us for their friendliness and cheerful demeanor, unlike many other Swiss we had met on this trip...

Geneva Vignettes! Part III

From the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, we headed to Quai du Mont-Blanc on the opposite side of the Lake Geneva to get a view of the Jet d'Eau...

After boarding the boat, we passed under the Pont du Mont-Blanc, a bridge across the lake...

The Pont du Mont-Blanc was constructed in 1862, but was redesigned and renovated multiple times thereafter to cater to city's changing traffic patterns...

Flags of Switzerland and Geneva line the sides of the bridge making for a delightful and colourful sight...

Le Léman, as the lake is called in French, is home to many swans...

It became quite dull as clouds covered the skies...

Heading under the Pont du Mont-Blanc...

The flags would have looked magnificent had it been a bit more bright...

On the other side of the Pont du Mont-Blanc...

We finally reached the Quai du Mont-Blanc and decided to relax by Lake Geneva for a bit...

The sky started clearing up...

Reflections on the water of the lake looked amazing...

The peace of the place was incredible and the sounds of waves in the lake were calming... 

The boat marina...

Time for bed, little ducky...

What a beautiful swan...

...the swan was a bit playful too. She tried biting at the women's feet, scaring them...

And she heads towards us...

Ahem! Well, we aren't interested!

And she heads back...

The reflections look so pretty...

And we wait for the Jet d'Eau to start...

And there she goes...

This giant fountain which sends the jet of water 140 metres high has come to be recognised as a symbol of Geneva...

The first Jet d'Eau was installed in 1886 at the Usine de la Coulouvrenière, a little further downstream from its present location. In 1891, its aesthetic value was recognised and it was moved to its present location to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation...

The little ducky refuses to go to bed, but we need some grub...

So we head to a by-lane alongside the Quai du Mont-Blanc...

...and order a Swiss fondue for dinner...

...the diet be damned tonight, for we'll enjoy the rich gooey deliciousness of melted Swiss cheese simmering with wine!

And then we head to Nicola Cafe for a very strong and heady café au lait...

And we seem to have gotten addicted to this elixir, and would to have more, but no caffeine overdose tonight, as we gotta catch up on sleep...