Ah, I do love a good day trip. A short jaunt and a quick change of scenery shakes me out of my routine and rutts, without shaking too many pennies out of my piggy bank. After being here for about eighteen months, we have acquired a few favorite quick escapes in the area. I thought I would share some of our favorites. You’ll notice a pattern here: good food, sipping the local brew at sidewalk cafés, window shopping, and strolling to a beautiful backdrop—all required and easily found for a leisurely day here in the Land of Cheese.
Geneva
Out of loyalty, I’ll start with our backyard—Geneva. Only twenty minutes away, Geneva is an easy escape, even for a few hours. There’s better shopping and restaurants than in our little town Nyon, and Geneva is just a charming and scenic old town with a cathedral perched up on the hill, and a beautiful English garden on Lake Geneva to take advantage of. The lake—unbeatable on a sunny day—is lined with walking trails that are heavily populated with happy families in the summer.
I must admit that we visited Geneva a couple of years ago, and well, I wasn’t all that impressed. Now, as I am becoming more familiar with its idiosyncrasies, and the quiet little city is growing on me. There are funky neighborhoods, good museums (like the Red Cross Museum), and this random “fountain” called Jet d’Eau. I use the term “fountain” loosely because the Jet d’Eau is literally just that—a jet of water. The spray reaches about 450 feet in the air. It’s so random, but the more I look at it, the more I think it’s pretty cool. Plus, Geneva has CERN (a physics research facility with its particle accelerator—so dorky, it’s cool) and the UN. How can you beat that?
I often escape to Geneva for a little taste of home—a Starbucks coffee and a scone—and sometimes just for some one-on-one time with my most recent read. I was pleasantly surprised when driving into Geneva one day, to see a lake full of sailboats with hot air balloons floating above. I had been in a little melancholy living-abroad funk that day, but the sight was so unexpected, random, and beautiful, that it lifted my spirits. Sounds cheesy, but it also opened my eyes to the exquisite beauty all around me here; in fact, I think that was the day my love affair with Geneva started.
