The McMills Invade Geneva

I knew that I had been having a great time here in Geneva, when my sister was finally coming to visit. We had been talking about her visiting from the moment we decided to move here last winter basically. I couldn't believe that time flew so fast and she was on her way to see me!

Her husband, Ben, and his parents, Marie and Corey came along too. It was a McMills invasion of Geneva!  Marie and Corey stayed at The Ambassador Hotel, which is just across the bridge from our apartment. And Bryna and Ben cozied up in our 2nd bedroom.

They arrived on Thursday night and after getting Ben & Bryna (from here on known as B&B) settled, the four of us went to dinner at one of our favorite places, Demi Lune. Marie and Corey decided to go straight to bed even though it was only 7pm. But that's what jetlag will do to you.  Ben zonked out on the couch as soon as we got home from dinner and Bryna, handling it a bit better, stayed awake so we could catch up with each other.

Their first day in Geneva was unfortunately one of the worst days for weather. It was overcast and cloudy and pretty cold. They toughed it out though and spent the day walking around the city, while I tried to do my best at playing tour guide. I have actually picked up a bunch of random facts about the city since I've been here, that it was suggested during this trip that I become an actual tour guide of Geneva.....we'll see.  After meeting up with Marie & Corey and walking them through parts of Old Town, we decided to get a delicious lunch at Mortimer's since it served steaks for the guys, and was nearby our apartment.

After a delicious meal, we continued our walk down the left border of the lake and eventually cutting back through the Parc La Grange, and walking through Eaux-Vives down streets that I had never been down before. Eventually making it back to our apartment and successfully directing Marie & Corey back to their hotel, we all rested and relaxed and made our plans for the evening.


We decided to have a cocktail and appetizer party at our apartment and really welcome everyone to Geneva. Then we walked to Paquis to a restaurant called Le Scandale, which is by the same owner as Le Cinq Portes, which was one of the first restaurants Travers and I went to when we first arrived. Le Scandale was a hit. Good italian food and good service. We then went to a bar down the street called The Grand Duke Pub, for an after dinner drink.  After a drink or two, Marie & Corey went home (Ben had gone home after dinner), so Bryna, Travers and I met up with our friends Michelle, Nathalie, and Flavia at the Floor 2 Lounge at the Kimpinski Hotel, and eventually ended the night downstairs at the Java Club dancing!

Saturday we took them to the Plainpalais Flea Market. Travers and I had gone by this maybe once or twice before, but never really walked through it, so it was a great opportunity to see it for ourselves.  We strolled a bit through the markets and while there was a lot of junk, there were also a few nice looking things that were actually interesting.  Bryna ended up buying some really old vintage fashion magazines, and Marie almost bought a painting, but the seller was not in the mood for haggling and gave her the cold shoulder.

B&B, Travers and I then rented some free bikes and we took them out to Carouge to see that part of the town.  After a few scary moments trying to outpedal the tram that was following us, we made it to Carouge, and took a break at one of the cafes that Travers and I had been to during our first visit to Geneva, Cinema Bio.  We then peddled our way back to Eaux-Vives to meet Marie & Corey at the wakeboard club. Much to our dismay, it had closed for the season, so we backtracked to a little cafe right near the Baby Plage, where we got some drinks and snacks to tide us over until dinner.

That night, we decided to go get some traditional swiss fondue! We took them to a restaurant in Old Town called Restaurant Les Antiquaires "Chez Angelo". We had taken Katy here when she visited and knew it was going to be delicious. We tried not to order too much cheese as the last time we ate here, we walked away feeling quite uncomfortably full. This time, we ordered perfectly, getting some cheese fondue and some meat fondue. Delish!

After dinner, Marie and Corey called it a night, so the rest of us walked to a Glocals party we had heard of in plainpalais at a club called The Carlton Club. This was an event put on by Glocals (expats typically) who live in Geneva, so that people can meet others in their same situation (living abroad in a foreign country).  So when we got there it was the 'mix and mingle' crowd, but after awhile it filled up and the DJ came on and started playing some music.  So of course, we danced. We then headed to Le Sip, a club we had gone to on my birthday.  After a couple drinks, the fondue was starting to settle in, so we decided to call it a night.













Sunday we hosted brunch at our place, followed by the McMills (all 4 of them) going on a long walk to Carouge, to the junction (where the Arve river and Rhone river meet), and all around, really getting to know the city.  We ended their visit with dinner at Brasserie Lipp, which is just below our apartment building. It was a delicious dinner and the perfect way to end their visit.

















We all ate a bit too much, including dessert, and then came back to our place to watch the rest of the 49er game that was on.

Watching the game after dinner - cozy.

Monday, everyone packed up their things, did one last walk around the town to get some lunch, then I walked them to the train station and said goodbye.  The McMills clan has invaded Bologna for the past few days, and are now flying to Paris to do the same. We will meet them in Paris tomorrow and continue our fun there!