wanderkats-blog

[wanderkats-blog]

Prochain arrêt, Genève!

Summer.

And I'm stuck here in the city, finishing some project we have to present in September.

One more day in Milan and I probably would've lost it but thanks to my friend Eli, we managed to escape for two days and get out-of-town.

So, how did I end up on a train to Switzerland in the first place?

Long story short, my friend was able to buy tickets that were on sale to Genève. She was supposed to go with her family but because of a call from work, her parents couldn't come anymore and that's where I entered the scene. Eli messaged me and asked me if I was free on the 22nd and 23rd, she explained to me the situation and asked if I wanted to go with her... and of course what do you think my answer was?

And that's how I found myself on a train to Switzerland.

We took the 08.23 am train from Milan Central Station and took our seats by the window of the Euro City train. The ride took 4 hours but it was fun. We were distracted by the beauty of the surrounding mountains to notice the time and in the last two hours, we decided to watch a movie. We watched 10 things I hate about you because I've never seen it.

(I know you're probably thinking - where have you been all this time? Under some rock? - but in my defense, I've always heard about the movie! I just forgot to watch it every time.)

P.S. The movie was really gooooood and Heath was soooooo handsome! And don't even start me on Joseph-Gordon, he was such a cutie!

Okay, now back on the main track! We arrived in Genève at around 12.20 I think, if I remember correctly. The station was packed with people, everyone was speaking different languages but of course there was a lot of french going on and I loved it.

As soon as we arrived we looked for a money changer to get some francs and afterwards we hopped on a tram to get to our hotel.

At first we thought that the hotel was going to be a bit far from the city center because that's how it looked on the map but we were wrong. The city is pretty small itself, so it was still pretty close to everything we wanted to visit.

The hotel was nice, the woman at the reception was very sweet and kind to us and she even gave us a 24-hrs pass for all the transportations in Genève for free.

Eli had booked a room for three. The room was on the third floor and it was very clean and spacious with large windows. We loved it! The beds were so soft too and I kept jumping on it like a kid.

After putting our things in order, we sat for a while and prepared our itinerary  and once we were done, we went to grab a sandwich at Subway.

The first thing we noticed about this place, it's the people. They're very quiet! In Milan, people are always talking loudly and shouting everywhere. The calmness, I have to say though, was very relaxing and refreshing. You could probably hear what Eli and I were talking about even if you were at the back of the tram because nobody else was speaking.

Anyway, the first place we headed to was the Mur de la Reformation, situated in one of the most important parks of the city, Parc des Bastions, in which you can also find Uni Bastion (University of Genève).

The park is beautiful, it's full of attractions and activities to bring people together, like for example, the ones that I liked the most are the giant chess boards drawn on the ground. You could see people of different ages, from kids to elders, playing chess together. It was very fun to watch! A brilliant idea for public spaces (you can see it from the last picture above).

The Reformation Wall is very beautiful to visit. It's made of white marble and it celebrates the main people involved, as seen from the sculptures, and events during the Protestant Reformation.

After that, we made a quick visit at Uni Bastions where we pretended to be giving speeches in one of the empty auditoriums by taking pictures of ourselves standing behind the podium. And by the way let me tell you: we thought it was empty... when we went on the upper level we found a girl sitting at the back, she tried not to laugh when she saw us, so embarrassing! But still funny when I think about it.

Next stop, Saint-Pierre's Cathedral! This is one of my favorites.

Finally we walked to Old Genève, which is the historical center of the city. I think everyone knows that historical centers of European cities are just magical, it's like traveling through time and falling in love with every aspect of the old town.

So we reached the cathedral and its façade is a must-see for every architecture lover out there! It's huge and its tall columns leaves you in awe as you climb up the steps to go inside.

The reason this is my favorite one is because we went on top of the two towers that are situated at the back of the cathedral. So if you ever go to Genève, do visit Saint-Pierre and climb to the top. The view you have from up there is totally worth it! The price is very cheap too for the towers, it's only 5 CHF for adults and 2 CHF for children!

After this beautiful visit we continued our tour of the old town till we reached the touristic area, filled with shops and restaurants everywhere. This is where the city gets lively. You'll see people from everywhere and everyone is so nice and approachable. So if you get lost, don't worry and just ask! They'll gladly help you.

We made a stop at Starbucks to rest for a while. We ordered some frappucinos and just chilled on the sofas. After that we walked through some shops and we even ended up doing some shopping at H&M!

Finally we reached the lakeside and we decided to hop on the Ferris Wheel (tickets to ride the ferris is 9 CHF). Here's a picture I took from the top!

We ended the first day by going to the lakeside and just lay there and watch the sunset. After that we ate at McDonald's (very healthy choice, I know) and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, we woke up at around 8. We took showers and got ready by wearing our newest outfits from Genève, took our things with us and checked out from the hotel. We decided to visit the United Nations Headquarters in the morning, visit the Musèum d'Histoire Naturelle and go to the Jet d'eau by the lake in the afternoon.

So first things first, we jumped on the tram and headed to the UN Headquarters.

As soon as we got off the tram, we saw the Broken Chair. The name says it all, it's a giant red chair with a broken leg that stands in this very large square, across the Palace of Nations, full of fountains shooting water in the air.

The monumental sculpture was built by Swiss artist Daniel Berset and it symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.

After taking pictures we finally proceeded to the Palace of Nations.

There was a long line when we arrived. There were groups and a lot of visitors waiting in line, everyone from different countries. An assistant came to sort us by the languages to divide us for the guided tours.

To enter the Headquarters, you have to go through a checking process like the one they usually have at airports. They'll tell you to put your bags in a basket and remove all your metallic possessions before walking through a metal detector. Once you're all done and set, they'll ask you to prepare your passport (so if you're planning a visit, don't forget to bring your passport with you at the United Nations) and register for the visitors' badge.

Then you'll have to walk to the main building where you can buy the tickets (10 CHF for students with official school ID and 12 CHF for regular admission).

So we bought our tickets and joined the english group. The tour guide was a very nice lady who was from Germany and decided to move to Genève to pursue her job at the United Nations. She was very smart and tried to create some sort of discussion between her and us, by trying to make us participants and asking questions from time to time about the history of the UN and the issues around the world, especially about the refugees crisis which is very actual in our world today.

The building is just a jewel of architecture. Massive. Beautiful. Monumental.

Great architecture is for great purposes.

It's also a treasure, full of pieces of arts donated by numerous countries around the world.

The conference halls were very spacious and well equipped for conferences and meetings. They provide seats for all representatives from all 193 countries (that are part of the UN), language interpreters and press.

Of course, most of the halls have been modernised but they still kept its original aspects from the 70s in most of the building.

But why did they build it in Genève?

They chose Genève because back in the days, in this city there was the League of Nations which is what the United Nations used to be before the World War II.

There are more than 2,000 workers in Genève's offices, but still the main conferences and meetings take place at the headquarters in New York.

After this very productive tour, where we learned about their work and missions, we decided to go back to the city center and have lunch.

We chose to go to Migros, I think it's a local grocery store, where we bought some sandwiches and some drinks. We sat by the steps of a church, where there were also a lot of other people (workers and tourists) eating their lunches while watching the people walking through the square and the kids chasing the pigeons.

Finally after regaining our energies, we headed to the Musèum d'Histoire Naturelle.

It's free admission!

We saw a two headed turtle (the only animal alive inside) and then we went around to see all the different species of animals that have existed and still exist on earth.

It was very interesting! The sculptures looked very real, especially the ones in the Jungle section: you don't wanna see those spiders, trust me!

The Ocean Section was very cool as well, until we reached the part where it showed the different types of creatures that live in the abyss. It totally reminded me of why I'm scared of the ocean.

Once we finished there, we made another stop at Starbucks for some frappucinos and then we walked to the Jet d'eau.

The Jet d'eau is probably the most visited place by tourists and for that it became the symbol of Genève. It's situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône and it is visible throughout the city and from the air. It's a place full of fun, where people walk on the long pier to reach the fountain and get all wet by the pouring water from the air. It's like showering under the rain!

And it's funny because there are some people, like Eli and I and many others, who don't want to get completely wet. So we all sit by the pier enjoying both sun and those small drops of water that reach us when suddenly the wind comes and completely changes the direction of the jet and you'll find yourself completely wet without a warning!

It's a fun place to hang out and laugh.

We stayed there till 5 in the afternoon and after that we went to buy some souvenirs and food to eat on the ride back before finally heading to the station to take the last train to Milano Centrale.

I think two days aren't enough to visit Genève. Especially if you're someone who likes to explore and discover places. It might be a small metropolis but it has a lot to offer! There were still many places we wanted to visit like the Contemporary Museum of Art, the Red Cross Center, the Cern, the Botanical Gardens, etc. I suggest three full days. That might work but no worries! Not visiting everything at once, definitely gives you an additional reasons to go back!

What can I say? I really had a great time even if it was a very short visit. I loved everything! The city, the people, the surroundings... everything! I will definitely visit again and I hope you will, too.

Here's a picture of a happy me inside one of the towers of Saint-Pierre's!

That's everything for now! I hope you enjoyed reading my adventure.

Till next time, bye!