Hello everyone!

It’s about 1 a.m. Swiss time and I just wanted to write a few lines about what we’ve done today!  It’s been quite the day - we’ve had the opportunity to see quite a bit of the city (mainly Lake Geneva and the “Old Town” area). Such a pretty city to walk around! 

Our day began with a trip into the city. It wasn’t far to travel on the city tram from the dorm to Lake Geneva. One of the very first things you see when you get off the tram is the Jet d’Eau, the giant fountain in the lake that is one of Geneva’s most recognizable sites. It shoots water from the lake straight up 140 meters into the air at about 200 km/h (according to my Lonely Planet guidebook :) ). Nestled around the lake are lots of really pretty, quaint buildings - apartments, offices, shops, etc.

Jet d'Eau

We had the opportunity to walk along the lake, which was beautiful. The backdrop for the lake are the alps. Because the day was overcast, visibility was limited, but you did catch sight of quite a few snow-capped mountains. On clear days, it’s possible to see Mont Blanc in the distance (Europe’s tallest peak). We will be traveling to see it in person next week, which I’m really looking forward to!

As you stroll along the lake, another common sight are swans. You can see lots of them cruising along the lake with their babies (which, I learned, are called “cygnets”.) There were also lots of huge boats of all kinds - sailboats, paddle boats, yachts, etc. The area was full of people - sightseeing, strolling, running, and roller blading. 

Also near Lake Geneva is “Old Town,” the historical portion of the city that marks the city’s original origins. This is  a very traditional European style area of the city, with cobblestone streets and alleys and so many different types of restaurants and stores. While walking through, we happened upon Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s birthplace. As a lover of all things political science, this was a really fun find. It was on my list of to-do’s before I left!

Following our exploration of the city, we came back to the dorm and did some more grocery shopping. Stores, restaurants, office, banks (nearly everything), will be closed on Sunday. Monday is also a national holiday in Switzerland, so everything will again remain closed (for “Whit Monday”, a religious observance for Pentecost). Because we won’t have access to many things, we stocked up on some more groceries to last the next few days. Grocery shopping to me is an entertaining experience. I enjoy seeing the different kinds of foods available!

After grocery shopping, we met as a group to debrief on what we’ll be doing tomorrow and Monday. Tomorrow, we will be doing a scavenger hunt around the city to see some of the major sights and get acclimated to getting around. After our group meeting, we set out for some dinner. Another item on my list was to try some authentic Swiss fondue. A group of us went back to Old Town to a restaurant that was recommended to us. It was quite delicious - we tried three different kinds - two different cheese blends and one that was both cheese and mushroom. We were given both pieces of french bread and potatoes to dip. It was great to try!

Looking forward to the day tomorrow!

Diana