Jul 16, 2011 - Annecy

Another slow morning and then we get in the car and drive to Annecy. It’s a beautiful French village set amongst huge mountains with a lake in the middle. We hired a pedalo and had lots of fun swimming out in the middle of the lake and jumping off the pedalo. Lunch was a baguette and a gelato. We walked around the village and then back to Geneva for a salad dinner!!!!! Switzerland is an incredible country. It is soo beautiful and the people are friendly and so well educated. The country is very wealthy – luckily for them as the prices here...

Jul 15, 2011 - Geneva

Another relaxed morning and then a walk into Geneva to look at the old town with our own tour guide. We found the Laudree shop with the best Macarons in the world – man they were good! The flavours were licorice, chocolate, raspberry, green apple, rose, caramel, Madagascar chocolate, coconut and lemon & thyme – we can still imagine the taste in our mouths they were soo good. The old town is very pretty, with stone buildings and church bells ringing. It was back to the Swatch Watch Shop as Nicola couldn’t stop thinking about a watch she had...

Jul 14, 2011 - Geneva

We walked into Geneva (Aline’s house is only 2 km from the city centre). First we went to the huge fountain in the middle of the lake and stood underneath it, walked around the lake and watched a man playing a Swiss horn, saw the huge clock made out of flowers and then the kids headed straight for the Swatch Watch Shop. They had already decided that this was to be their birthday presents this year. It took a while but they both came away with great watches. Nicola nearly did but not quite! We came back to Aline’s for a pasta lunch and then...

Jul 13, 2011 - Geneva

Geneva Aline had organised a lovely breakfast of fresh breads, croissants, homemade apricot jam, eggs, etc and we had a very relaxing morning which we all really enjoyed. It was raining but very warm and after all the stinking hot weather we have had over the last 7 weeks it was actually very refreshing to see the rain and be a little bit cooler. In the afternoon we had a fabulous lunch of French and Swiss cheese, fresh breads, European meats, etc and then an apple tart tatin for dessert. Jonathan and Mitchell went to the Natural History...

Jul 12, 2011 - Lake Lucerne

We had a fab breakfast, packed the car and started our drive. The GPS told us of another road closure and we weren’t going to sit in traffic like yesterday so we found out about a car ferry that crossed Lake Constance and took you almost directly into Switzerland. We headed for that. It was brilliant, straight on, only a few euro and a great trip across the lake and there we were. Stopped at a café for our last German meal and ate far too much again before driving the 5km into Switzerland. Just as we passed the first off ramp inside...

May 23, 2011 - Strasbourg - Kayserbourg - Geneva

Well now our holiday starts! Fist hurdle - get hire car. Not as easy as it seems when your wallet has been stolen, the new credit card doesn't work and you have no license! After 3/4 of an hour on the phone at the hire company (they were really great about it all) and your lovely wife having the international license (which is 2 years out of date) we are all good to go - well nearly! 1) how do you unlock the doors? 2) where is the hand break? And yes we are not even out the drive. So now we are on the road! with a 'you're getting to close...

Mar 3, 2011 - Geneva Auto Salon

While our chateau/hotel was back in France for the last two nights of this trip, a main purpose for being in this region was to go to the auto show. So we headed 20 minutes back north to Geneva to check out the auto show. What a huge show. There were many brands we don't see in Canada (Peugeot, Renault, Tata, Alfa etc) and many more after market tuners with wild cars. We were there to check out cars for our eventual return to Canada, and maybe to consider European delivery. We have some ideas now, but the new Mercedes Benz C Class coupe...

Feb 28, 2011 - Geneva - UN and Red Cross

We drove up to Geneva and enjoyed walking around this very affluent city. For the first night, we stayed right downtown and could easily get around on the free transit pass that each hotel gives each guest. We started with a visit to the Red Cross museum. The kids were definitely engaged seeing the movies and hearing stories about the many wars and many years that the Red Cross has been providing assistance to parts of the world in need. After a quick lunch, we headed across the street to the UN. It was a busy day, as Hillary Clinton was...

Jan 31, 2011 - Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva was a whirlwind of a trip. Since I had class on Friday afternoon and wouldn't be done until 6:30 pm, Kelly and I decided that we would leave first thing Saturday morning. It was Gobii's birthday on Sunday though, so we thought incase we didn't end up coming home until late on Sunday we should have a little party for him Friday. Kelly and I got him a cake, Ginnie picked up pizza and we had a little surprise birthday party for Gobii. Then we rounded up all of our friends and took him out to a bar. The night went by so fast and before...

Oct 13, 2010 - The arrival

Last night the train got me into Geneve around 10:22pm (right on time, gotta love the Swiss and their timepieces) and I had my mind set on a massive cleanup, body and soul (but mostly body, let’s be honest). I frenched it up to as a guy if, since we were in a major international train station/airport, there might be a douche available in which to shower. Of course there was not but when I went into the bathroom, I found a system that ended up being just as good. The faucet had bathtub size knobs and a head that released a high volume stream...

Jan 25, 2010 - Geneva, Switzerland

Day 1 - We are here! The flight was interesting because we have never used budget airlines. The gate number for our flight was announced 30 minutes before it was closed. Be ready to sprint or you'll miss the flight. This is very European. Shaleena picked us up from the airport and we then went to CERN to meet Ryan and everyone that went to dinner with us. Real Italian pizza was very good. Forty dollars good. Grappa [liquor] was served, which can unmistakably be nail polish's evil sibling. Back to Ryan and Shaleena's and a few scotch whiskey...

Oct 11, 2009 - In Geneva: And I finally had contact with my loved ones!!!

Took the train from Zurich to Geneva today. Nice trip, very scenic. Arrived about 10:15 AM and walked to my hotel from the train station. They did not have my reservation but had a room available. Great place: next to a sex store and near the train station...sounds great ha? Nothing like the palaces that my Bear is staying in from Austria to Belgium! Went on a tour today. Started out by bus through some of the famous areas, then got on a little mini-train and visited additional places and finally had a boat ride on Lake Geneva for 1 1/2...