The trip to Geneva came out of the blue. My friend Prabh, who heads the Training and Development unit in Kingfisher, called to tell me about a free seat being offered for a course organised by IATA in Geneva. The course was International Strategy Planning and Implementation. It sounded interesting.........so I asked my boss for permission and lo and behold, I got the approval. Luckily I had a Schengen visa, so I just had to organise my tickets. I flew KLM from DEL to GVA and back on Air France direct to BOM. I love flying KLM as they are better than AF and I get to collect their beautiful miniature houses.
So I arrived in Geneva last Sunday morning and went straight to the NH Hotel which is quite close to the airport and the IATA training centre. Luckily for me, I have been to Geneva twice before and know my way around pretty well. I had already seen the sights and museums on my previous visits so this time I thought to just take it easy and relax.
Now Geneva is a sleepy old town and everything is shut on Sundays except for the museums (which I had seen). So I picked up a picnic lunch from the airport supermarket Migros (which by the way is one of the rare shops open on Sundays) and headed for the lake. Lac Leman is the largest natural fresh water lake in Western Europe. 60% of the lake is under the jurisdiction of Switzerland and 40% in France. Therefore it is not considered to be the largest lake in Switzerland! Lake Neuchatel is the largest. :)
So I strolled along the lake, the harbour and the Jardin Anglais (English Garden). I had my picnic admiring the beautiful scenic view of the Jet d'Eau. Never can tire of it. Then walked around the old town and took some pictures of all the famous sites.
Spent a lot of time watching people. Lots of families with small children all bundled up to keep warm (as it is always chilly by the lake). Watched the swans and ducks and took pictures of the flower clock.
That evening, my friends Martin and Hasna took me out for dinner to a typical Swiss restaurant. We had to grill the meat and eat it with whatever sauce took our fancy. Overall an exceptional day.
Places that I visited in Geneva before and which I would recommend are:
The United Nations - It is free, you just need to show your passport.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
CERN - we were very lucky to get a private tour of CERN before they shut down for enhanced activity. Quite revolutionary work.
The Phillipe Patek museum which is an absolute gem. Reminds you of the time, when a watch was not just a functional piece of jewelery but a true work of art.
So I arrived in Geneva last Sunday morning and went straight to the NH Hotel which is quite close to the airport and the IATA training centre. Luckily for me, I have been to Geneva twice before and know my way around pretty well. I had already seen the sights and museums on my previous visits so this time I thought to just take it easy and relax.
Now Geneva is a sleepy old town and everything is shut on Sundays except for the museums (which I had seen). So I picked up a picnic lunch from the airport supermarket Migros (which by the way is one of the rare shops open on Sundays) and headed for the lake. Lac Leman is the largest natural fresh water lake in Western Europe. 60% of the lake is under the jurisdiction of Switzerland and 40% in France. Therefore it is not considered to be the largest lake in Switzerland! Lake Neuchatel is the largest. :)
So I strolled along the lake, the harbour and the Jardin Anglais (English Garden). I had my picnic admiring the beautiful scenic view of the Jet d'Eau. Never can tire of it. Then walked around the old town and took some pictures of all the famous sites.
Spent a lot of time watching people. Lots of families with small children all bundled up to keep warm (as it is always chilly by the lake). Watched the swans and ducks and took pictures of the flower clock.
That evening, my friends Martin and Hasna took me out for dinner to a typical Swiss restaurant. We had to grill the meat and eat it with whatever sauce took our fancy. Overall an exceptional day.
The aircraft model at the Geneva Airport railway station.
The water is so clear and the swans are so cute.
The famous Jet d'Eau at Lac Leman.
The beautiful and serene Jardin Anglais
The famous flower clock.
The funny trees all over Geneva.
The beautiful carved sculpture in the Jardin Anglais.
The murals near the City Hall depicting important historic scenes .
City Hall
The chess players in the garden near Place Neuve.
The International Monument to the Reformation
Geneva was Catholic till the Protestant Reformation which took place in 1532. The Catholic Bishop was forced to leave and the city was influenced by John Calvin.
Hasna and Martin
The traditional grilled meat
Places that I visited in Geneva before and which I would recommend are:
The United Nations - It is free, you just need to show your passport.
The Broken Chair
A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi
The General Assembly
CERN - we were very lucky to get a private tour of CERN before they shut down for enhanced activity. Quite revolutionary work.
The Phillipe Patek museum which is an absolute gem. Reminds you of the time, when a watch was not just a functional piece of jewelery but a true work of art.
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