Eurotrip stop 7: Geneva

April 12, 2011

We took a train to Geneva, passing by snow-capped mountains and villages on the way, and arrived at 4:30 pm.

View from the train.

We met up with my friend Soon at the train station. Soon had been studying abroad in Geneva and was staying with a host family in a suburban town 30 minutes outside of the city. We also met up with another friend, Madeline, who was joining us in our travels after visiting another country in Europe. We all went back to Soon’s host family’s house, where we would stay the night. Her host family spoke French, and I anticipated that this would be a good opportunity to brush up on my French speaking skills. It had been a couple of years since my last French class, but I was devastated by how little I retained of the language when her host dad greeted me with “bienvenue” (“welcome” in French) and I absent-mindedly repeated “bienvenue” in reply, thinking for a moment that we were exchanging hellos. He looked confused - understandable since I, a complete stranger, was welcoming him to his own home. Soon also had a 9-year-old host brother and a 12-year-old host sister. The mom (who I met later on) spoke some English, but since I was a guest in her house I was obliged to continue trying to converse in French. We all sat down for dinner in the kitchen. The host dad prepared pasta, which was surprisingly comparable in taste to the Italian dishes we had sampled earlier that week in Italy. As conversation resumed at the table, I made a few more poor attempts at forming sentences in French, plowing through the grammar and butchering every elegant aspect of the language. I nervously resorted to using the most common, simple words in sentences that a first year French student, or two-year-old French child, would be able to construct - some examples being “tres” “bon” and “merci.” Needless to say, it was difficult to properly express my thoughts with this limited vocabulary. The kids were very cute (I felt bad because I gave them a blank stare every time they optimistically asked me a question), and it was fun to see the family interact and joke with each other in French. Before the kids left for bed, they made their rounds around the table to kiss everyone on the cheek and personally say "bon nuit."

April 13, 2011

The next day, we went back into Geneva by train. We got loaves of bread and wedges of Gruyere for breakfast at one of the supermarkets. I felt very French.

Soon showed us all around Geneva. We passed by Lake Geneva on our way towards Old Town. It was the bluest lake I had ever seen.

There were a lot of swans.

A well fed pigeon.

Lake Geneva

We walked around the Old Town and saw St. Pierre Cathedral.

The outside of St. Pierre Cathedral.

We then headed over to La Treille park, where we sat on the longest bench in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records).

In another part of the park, we discovered these giant chess sets. Groups of older men, who appeared to be regular attendees, were gathered around the sets, knitting their brows and scratching their heads as they intently planned their next moves.

bad. ass.

Obligatory jumping photo.

We sat down by one of the free chess sets and watched as Eric and Ali played a game. While they had some passing spectators, one old fellow lingered beside the chess set for an extended period of time. He silently stood there, shaking his head and muttering words under his breath. His obvious disapproval developed as he began verbally and gesturally dictating their moves. The man eventually became so disgraced by their strategies that he stepped on to the board, took matters into his own hands, and moved their chess pieces himself. Observe the following sequence:

Ready to attack the next substandard move.

I went back with Soon to her host family’s neighborhood. We walked around the fields near the house, where she showed me the toblerone trail. These concrete monuments are actually anti-tank defenses that were built by the Swiss to impede any invasion by the Nazis during World War II.

Her host family made Fondue that night for dinner. It was sooo delicious, but I ate so much cheese that my stomach responded with weird noises and intense grumbling afterwards. The host parents advised that I drink wine to wash the cheese down, so I did as I was told.