Geneva, Switzerland

The day after I came back from Prague, Shelly and I were discussing where we wanted to go on our next adventure.  We have been wanting to go to Berlin for some time now, but flights were too expensive.  Shelly's been dying to go to Switzerland since she came and I never had a huge interest, but after some research, I decided, why not?! Probably 3 or 4 hours later, we had a flight booked and had found a place to stay.

What's not to love about water and sailboats and lights of the city

About the place to stay...Geneva is quite, no, really, expensive! I tried to find a hotel, but they were all 200+ euros/night and not even in an ideal location. I had once heard about a website called airbnb.com. I decided to check it out for this trip and see what I could find. What I found was a lovely apartment in the center of Geneva, near the lake, for a great price.  I was a bit skeptical and had 1,000 thoughts running in my head as to what could go wrong. It turned out to be the best decision i've ever made. We met Alex, the owner of the apartment when we arrived that Saturday morning.  She had baked us cupcakes, set out maps of the city and gave us a rundown of the best things to do before handing us over the keys and leaving us to her apartment for the weekend. She had a beautiful balcony off the bedroom with a view of the mountains...perfect for a glass of wine and some appetizers before dinner, of course.

Shelly and I in Quai du Mont Blanc

We had less than 48-hours in Geneva and I believe we made the best of it. The apartment was around the corner from Mont Blanc Square. We walked along the river and saw the famous Jet d'Eau fountain. First things first though, we stopped at Starbuck's to feed our addiction.

The famous Jet d'Eau fountain 

There were watch stores EVERYWHERE.  The security at some of the places was very intense.  Prices of these watches ranged from 100-100,000 swiss francs!! Throughout the city, I saw cars such as a Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls Royce, etc. It became quite clear, fast, that Geneva is a very wealthy city.  We were a little surprised to see a very low number of homeless people.

watches, watches, everywhere

We dined at a restaurant, Bains des Paquis on a small island in the Paquis quarter, where we stayed.  We shared a pot of swiss-cheese fondue and bread...to.die.for!

say, "CHEESE"

Sunday was a full day.  We walked in the Quai du Mont Blanc, a lakeside promenade with statues, flower gardens and views of Mont Blanc, although it was a bit foggy so not terribly clear to see.

The best I could do of Mont Blanc...not great 

We saw Maison Tavel, the oldest house in Geneva, dating back to the 14th century, as well as St. Pierre's Cathedral and the Parc des Bastions.

Parc des Bastions 

Of course we had to see the famous flower clock.  It's really interesting to see how they built a giant clock and planted all of the flowers around it.

Flower Clock

We took a walk through the Jardin Anglais and toured the Botanical Gardens.

Shelly and I under a weeping willow

Everywhere we go, we feel truly blessed for this adventure that we're on, but Geneva really struck a cord with us as to just how blessed we are.  Switzerland is an absolutely beautiful country.  This short trip was not spent in museums or learning a lot of history, but spent in nature and thanking God for his many blessings in our lives.

One of my favorites 

I love the reflection of the lights on the water