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| Jeremy and I were determined to go somewhere for New Years and when the price was right for Geneva, we didn't hesitate. The train ride through the Alps was amazingly dramatic and despite the cold, Geneva was incredible. It's a really interesting town---very cosmopolitan and multilingual seeing as to how it is home to the United Nations. Our hostel was spotless which is always a huge bonus (and not necessarily a given). We had a great time exploring the city which is set up on both sides of a huge lake with bridges connecting both sides and mountains in the distance. (Those bridges were cold!!) New Years eve itself was pretty chill. We had a glamorous dinner at Burger King---something you do not find in France and was a tasty reminder of home---and moved on to one of the wierdest bars we have ever been to. It was advertised as an "Oldies night" but apparently that has something to do with vampires because the place was packed with people dressed in black cloaks that kept biting each other on the necks and making out. Hmm. . .don't ask, we don't understand either. We ended up at the edge of the lake at midnight with a bunch of other people and when the new year arrived, everyone started screaming and honking which was pretty cool. All in all, Geneva was a nice getaway to bring in 2004. |
| A few views of the lake and Alps. It was cloudy during our stay so the mountains look a lot stumpier than they actually are. It was pretty with the clouds clinging to them but the effect is kind of lost in the pictures. Below you can see the famous "Jet d'Eau" which is exactly what it looks like---a huge water fountain that squirts out of the lake and into the sky. |
| These pictures kind of give you a sense of the architecture and set-up of Geneva. The picture above shows a view from one side of the lake to another and directly above you see one of the really cold bridges that cross over the lake and connect the town. The picture below left gives you an idea of what a typical street in Geneva looks like and then to the right you can see just how proud the Swiss are of their flag! |
| This clock is apparently a main attraction in Geneva. They decorate it with different flowers and colors based on the season and it's fully operational. . .or at least we thought it was until we went to watch it turn midnight on New Year's eve and it was an hour off. |
| Here are some pics we took on a nice walk we took around the lake on the 1st. Above left is a picture of a boat that Jeremy insists is something historical and below is a nice view of the docks. Above right is something that we thought was kind of strange---there are swans everywhere in Geneva! Some places have seagulls or pigeons but Geneva has swans as their sophisticated sky rats. |
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| These are some pretty sweet views of the surrounding Alps with the proud Switzerland and Geneva flags getting whipped like we were by the wind. |
| Geneva, Switzerland |
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