And the fun keeps going!

Our good friend Jen came to visit us a few days after we got back from Munich. She arrived Wednesday afternoon and was amazingly not too jetlagged. So I got her settled in and we walked a bit around the town, and ended with a glass of wine by the river at one of our favorite bars, Riverside. We then had a delicious dinner at home, fully welcoming her to Geneva!

The next two days Jen and I spent walking up and down the paths by the lake. We walked further than I have ever gone myself and I was able to discover new parts of Geneva. It was fabulous to have a friend to go exploring with.

Thursday night we met Travers in Paquis at a bar called Lord Jim Pub, for a happy hour glass of wine, then we walked to an Irish pub/restaurant we haven't been to since we first moved here called Mr. Pickwick's. We ate some tasty burgers (although ones at the Clubhouse are better), then went to meet up with our friend Michelle, who Jen introduced me to via email when we first moved here.

There is a small area in Geneva between the left and right banks called the island. There are some businesses and lots of construction going on, but there is one area at the end called the Brasserie des Halles d'Ile. It's a restaurant/bar that has beautiful views of the Rhone river and a large open courtyard in front.  Some evenings they have live music, and wine tastings, and other nights, they have a dj playing pop music and everyone gathers in the courtyard for cocktails and dinner.  The night we took Jen, a dj was playing a lot of our favorite songs, and it was one of the best nights as everyone around us was having a good time, being social (most swiss are not very social/talkative with strangers), and enjoying themselves.

Friday, after another day of walking around Geneva and the lakeside, the three of us went to dinner at another of our favorite spots, Chez Ma Cousine, in old town (yummy chicken!), then met up with Michelle again and some of her friends at the Floor 2 Lounge at the Kimpinkski Hotel. Its a swanky bar and has great views of the lake. Michelle's friends were all very nice and hopefully will become good friends of ours as we liver here longer.

Saturday we all woke up a bit tired from the past two days activities, but we had planned a fun day of driving up to a small town called Semsales, to watch a yearly event called La Désalpe. This is where all the cows are brought down from the mountain to the pastures and fields below for winter time. We rented a car, and drove up with our friends Mike and Shelley. After one wrong turn, we made it to Semsales! The town was very cute but very small. The main road was lined with people and food and drink booths, and down the center of the road was a trail of dirt and poop from all the animals.  We knew we were in the right place.

We saw lots of animals, not just cows. Lots of donkeys and goats, and not sure what this bit white fuzzy thing is, but it was cute.

This pony was really cute and there were other larger horses that came by. And we're not sure what they were doing, but this group of men came by carrying these mini tables on their heads. They looked a bit gruff and unhappy so we didn't want to ask them what their purpose was.












There were all sorts of cows that came down the road. Sometimes the farmers dress them up with mini trees, almost like mini christmas trees on their heads. And they almost always wear bells, so you hear the clanging of the bells before you even see the cows.

 It was lots of fun but after several rounds of cows and animals, we decided it was time to leave. We decided since we had the car, we would stop through Gruyeres on our way home. Last time I went to Gruyeres was with Suzy in June, so it had been awhile, and no one else in our group had been there, so it was fun for them to see. It was also a very sunny day so we were able to see great views of the surrounding mountains.  After walking around town and getting a tasty savory crepe, we headed back home and had everyone over for taco night.  Yumm!

The next day was Jen's last day in Geneva, and thankfully it was a sunny one. She is the first guest to have come to visit and had great weather every day of her visit.  So, on Sunday, we decided we would go out to the lake and rent a paddleboat, something that Travers and I have wanted to do all summer but never got around to it.  We paid for about an hour's worth of time to be out in the lake, and it was a gorgeous day for it. We paddled around and lounged in the sun. We all swam in the lake, which is pretty cold, but refreshing, and then ended the day watching the sun set at this place called the Wakeboard club.



Jen left the next day, but the fun was not over. I met her two days later in Barcelona! And the fun keeps on going!