If you haven't been to Hong Kong before, or never thought about going there, you should change your mind. Hong Kong was one of the greatest places Travers and I have been. We had such a great time seeing the sights, visiting family, and eating and drinking our way through the island. While it was extremely humid, we faced the weather and made sure we did as much as we possibly could.
We arrived on a Saturday evening at The Fleming Hotel, which is a wonderful boutique hotel in the Wanchai area. We walked to Causeway Bay for dinner and got noodle bowls with pork and veggies. Yummm. Then we walked back to Wanchai for margaritas at the Coyote Bar & Grill, where we started chatting with the table next to us. With our new friends, we went to a bar called Mes Amis and then ended up at Dusk Till Dawn where we danced and sang along to the live band that was playing until we poured ourselves into bed around 4:30am!!
Sunday morning, my Auntie Ronnie and Cousin Rachel picked us up and took us to Dim Sum at the Jockey Club. Coming from Geneva, where chinese food, not to mention dim sum, is very rare, we were extremely excited about eating delicious dim sum!! And it did not fail us. We enjoyed everything, even the pig trotters that Travers tried!
The next couple of days we spent touring around Hong Kong and Kowloon. Monday, we took a tram up to The Peak to see spectacular views of Hong Kong, walked around Central for a late lunch in one of the many air conditioned shopping centers, and took The Aqua Luna that night, which is a traditional Chinese junk, and watched all the lights from the buildings on either side of the bay perform a light show! Tuesday was spent in Kowloon, going to the park and then to the Temple Street night market. We didn't buy anything there but it was really fun to walk through stall after stall of shops.
Wednesday we took an hour bus ride through Hong Kong past Repulse Bay on our way to the Stanley Street Market. I bought a dress for my cousin's wedding, and we met my Auntie Ronnie and got a beer at The Smugglers Inn. That night my cousins took us to the Jockey Club again, but this time it was to the race track. We got a spot right along the rail and watched and betted on several horse races. Both Travers and I won one race each and walked away with a 40HKD profit (that's a little over 5USD)!!!
By Thursday, we were exhausted from all the touring, so we took it easy, got some foot massages at Happy Foot, and waited for my family to arrive. Once they got there, we took Ben and Bryna out for a couple drinks at Mes Amis to welcome them to Hong Kong. Friday was spent catching up with the family, and walking around Wanchai. We had a wonderful welcome dinner that night at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then all the cousins took cabs to Lan Kwai Fong, which is one of the hot spots for clubs and bars. Shots were passed around, we stopped into the Ice Vodka Bar, where you can borrow a fur coat, and sit in basically a freezer on ice blocks and drink vodka. We eventually made our way to a club to go dancing, and then a last minute attempt at going to the top of the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel which is known for spectacular views of the city. To end the night right, our cousin Karen took us to have some late night delicious chinese food. Yumm!
My cousin Eugene's wedding was on Saturday. It was a beautiful event with spectactular views and delicious food. We sweated through the outdoor ceremony, and enjoyed appetizers and beverages during the cocktail reception. Then had a great dinner with 8 courses!!
By Sunday, we were all exhausted, but had a family dim sum brunch and then celebrated Father's Day with afternoon tea, some sight seeing, and an italian dinner in the Soho area. We spent Monday saying our goodbyes and getting packed up. And topped it off with a traditional chinese dinner at a restaurant called The American Peking Restaurant, right before hopping onto the train to head to the airport.
All in all, it was an extremely successful trip. We had lots of delicious food, saw amazing views of Hong Kong, and got to spend some quality time with family. If you ever find yourself in Hong Kong, let me know and I can give you some great tips on where to go and what to do. Its a wonderful place and we will definitely be back to visit some day.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Our First Visitor!
Sorry its been awhile since I've posted a blog, but I've been busy entertaining our very first visitor!! Suzy, Travers' sister, came to visit us over a week ago, and she just left this morning. Boo. We had an amazing time though and she helped us break-in our hosting skills here in Geneva.
She arrived on Wednesday, and Travers and I took the #5 bus from our house to the airport (about a 30min ride) and met her outside of baggage claim. We had learned on his trip to Germany that travelers can get a FREE bus ticket before you walk out of baggage claim (remember this for when you come visit us and you'll get a free ride from the airport). It was a teary-eyed Bonjour and lots of hugs all around. We were so happy to have our sister here to show her our new home.
For Suzy's first full day visiting us, we took her out of Switzerland and into France to Lac Annecy. Travers had a holiday from work for Ascension Day (points to whoever can tell me what this holiday is for), and so we rented a car and after a few navigational errors by yours truly, we made it there in about 45 minutes!
The town of Annecy is very beautiful. We went to the Old Town (La Vieille Ville) which has the most to do and see and its right on the lake. Its your typical european city with archways and stone walkways, creperies, glaceries, and fancy restaurants all throughout. We took in the town with all the neat nooks and crannies, and made it out to the lake to see the gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Rive Gauche, where we all practiced ordering in french.Travers tried a dish called a Tartiflette, which is a traditional french dish with potatoes, cheese and meat (what more could a guy ask for).
We ended our day with a drive around Lac Annecy. It took us awhile to find the right road that leads you all around the lake, but once we were on it, we saw some beautiful views of the lake, the mountains, and other parts of Annecy outside of Old Town. We were exhausted by the time we got back home, but with it being such a short distance to travel, it was well worth it.
Come Friday, we were all exhausted, but we made sure we had enough energy to take Suzy to two of our favorite places: La Clemance and Chez Ma Cousine. La Clemance, as you know, is our favorite cafe/bar in the Place du Bourg-de-Four, and Chez Ma Cousine is a cute restaurant there where you can get a delicious half grilled chicken, a salad and fries for 15CHF (a great deal in Geneva). It is a definite must for anyone visiting us.
Saturday, we took the train to Montreux, a town at the other end of Lake Geneva, that is called the Swiss Riviera. Naturally, it is right on the lake, with absolutely breathtaking views of the mountains across the way. We got off the train after a little over an hour's ride, and walked along the lake to Chateau Chillon, a famous castle in Switzerland that was home to the Counts of Savoy in the 12th Century, and also made famous because of Lord Byron's poem The Prisoner of Chillon. It has a self-guided tour, with lots of walking, but well worth the 12CHF entry fee. After the walk there and the tour, we were ready for lunch so we headed back towards the heart of Montreux to find a nice place to eat and see the rest of the area. Travers and I will return to Montreux in July for the Jazz Festival that takes place all month long with over 300 artists and bands performing, so I'll be sure to write more about Montreux then.
Sunday - the day of rest.
Monday - another day of rest. haha.
Tuesday, Suzy and I went on an adventure of cheese and chocolate! With an early start, we boarded a train to Gruyeres to go see the cheese factory. It's not a straight shot from Geneva, so there were several transfer points along the way, but each part had great views of Switzerland, the lake, the mountains, and the greenery.
We arrived in Gruyeres around 11am and knew that the cheese maker was on his lunch break until 12:30p, so we took our time and headed into the town of Gruyeres, a walled in city that overlooks several valleys and mountains. The town is not very big so by the time we finished walking through it, it was time to head over to the cheese factory, La Maison du Gruyeres. We took a self-guided audio tour and learned all about how cheese is made. We saw some being made right in front of us, and got to take some home with us! Yumm Cheese!
We then made our way via train to Broc Fabrique, where the Maison Cailler, Chocolate Factory was calling our names. If you're not familiar with Cailler chocolate, you'll definitely be familiar with Nestle, who partnered with Cailler in the 1920's. The second Suzy and I stepped off the train, we could smell the chocolate. It permeated everything and smelled so delicious. The tour at Cailler is sort of similar to a theme-park ride. You walk from room to room where the doors open and close for you, guiding you along. In each room, there are different things to look at and a voice comes on the speakers to tell the story of chocolate and Cailler. It was a 20 minute tour, then you get to walk through other parts of the factory on your own, seeing the chocolate actually being made, and coming, finally, to the best part of the tour, the tasting.
Now, I like chocolate, but I don't consider myself a chocolate eater. I don't ever sit and eat chocolate bars one after another after another. But something about this tasting room makes you want to do just that. There were probably 12 different types of chocolates, if not more, all perfectly lined up, ready for us to taste. We started at the beginning, of course, with the regular milk chocolate, moving onto the milk chocolate with hazelnuts, then to dark chocolate, and so on and so on. I went back to some for seconds, and put a few extra pieces in my purse for safe keeping. It was pure sin, but SO worth the slight belly ache I had afterwards, while Suzy and I rolled ourselves back to the train station and back to Geneva.
Our last night with Suzy was spent in traditional swiss fashion: eating fondue at a small restaurant called Au Vieux Carouge. It was recommended to us by someone who helped us with our relocation process and he definitely knew what he was talking about. I called ahead to make a reservation (all in french, by the way, hooray me), because the restaurant has about 10 tables total. It is cramped and noisy, but its all a part of the experience and well worth it. We got seated in a corner table and after seeing that the menu was all in french with no explanation of what each fondue actually contained, we decided to ask. The waitress, also the hostess, and owner, did not speak any english whatsoever. So with the little french I could speak, we got an order of the Moitie-Moitie, which means half and half. It is half Gruyeres cheese and half Vacherin cheese, and it is SO delicious. The three of us devoured the entire pot and probably a loaf or two of bread in the process.
All in all, I would say Suzy's visit was a success. Three days travelling outside of Geneva, four days exploring in Geneva, and lots and lots of chocolate and cheese. How could it have been any better?
She arrived on Wednesday, and Travers and I took the #5 bus from our house to the airport (about a 30min ride) and met her outside of baggage claim. We had learned on his trip to Germany that travelers can get a FREE bus ticket before you walk out of baggage claim (remember this for when you come visit us and you'll get a free ride from the airport). It was a teary-eyed Bonjour and lots of hugs all around. We were so happy to have our sister here to show her our new home.
For Suzy's first full day visiting us, we took her out of Switzerland and into France to Lac Annecy. Travers had a holiday from work for Ascension Day (points to whoever can tell me what this holiday is for), and so we rented a car and after a few navigational errors by yours truly, we made it there in about 45 minutes!
The town of Annecy is very beautiful. We went to the Old Town (La Vieille Ville) which has the most to do and see and its right on the lake. Its your typical european city with archways and stone walkways, creperies, glaceries, and fancy restaurants all throughout. We took in the town with all the neat nooks and crannies, and made it out to the lake to see the gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Rive Gauche, where we all practiced ordering in french.Travers tried a dish called a Tartiflette, which is a traditional french dish with potatoes, cheese and meat (what more could a guy ask for).
We ended our day with a drive around Lac Annecy. It took us awhile to find the right road that leads you all around the lake, but once we were on it, we saw some beautiful views of the lake, the mountains, and other parts of Annecy outside of Old Town. We were exhausted by the time we got back home, but with it being such a short distance to travel, it was well worth it.
Come Friday, we were all exhausted, but we made sure we had enough energy to take Suzy to two of our favorite places: La Clemance and Chez Ma Cousine. La Clemance, as you know, is our favorite cafe/bar in the Place du Bourg-de-Four, and Chez Ma Cousine is a cute restaurant there where you can get a delicious half grilled chicken, a salad and fries for 15CHF (a great deal in Geneva). It is a definite must for anyone visiting us.
Saturday, we took the train to Montreux, a town at the other end of Lake Geneva, that is called the Swiss Riviera. Naturally, it is right on the lake, with absolutely breathtaking views of the mountains across the way. We got off the train after a little over an hour's ride, and walked along the lake to Chateau Chillon, a famous castle in Switzerland that was home to the Counts of Savoy in the 12th Century, and also made famous because of Lord Byron's poem The Prisoner of Chillon. It has a self-guided tour, with lots of walking, but well worth the 12CHF entry fee. After the walk there and the tour, we were ready for lunch so we headed back towards the heart of Montreux to find a nice place to eat and see the rest of the area. Travers and I will return to Montreux in July for the Jazz Festival that takes place all month long with over 300 artists and bands performing, so I'll be sure to write more about Montreux then.
Sunday - the day of rest.
Monday - another day of rest. haha.
We arrived in Gruyeres around 11am and knew that the cheese maker was on his lunch break until 12:30p, so we took our time and headed into the town of Gruyeres, a walled in city that overlooks several valleys and mountains. The town is not very big so by the time we finished walking through it, it was time to head over to the cheese factory, La Maison du Gruyeres. We took a self-guided audio tour and learned all about how cheese is made. We saw some being made right in front of us, and got to take some home with us! Yumm Cheese!
We then made our way via train to Broc Fabrique, where the Maison Cailler, Chocolate Factory was calling our names. If you're not familiar with Cailler chocolate, you'll definitely be familiar with Nestle, who partnered with Cailler in the 1920's. The second Suzy and I stepped off the train, we could smell the chocolate. It permeated everything and smelled so delicious. The tour at Cailler is sort of similar to a theme-park ride. You walk from room to room where the doors open and close for you, guiding you along. In each room, there are different things to look at and a voice comes on the speakers to tell the story of chocolate and Cailler. It was a 20 minute tour, then you get to walk through other parts of the factory on your own, seeing the chocolate actually being made, and coming, finally, to the best part of the tour, the tasting.Now, I like chocolate, but I don't consider myself a chocolate eater. I don't ever sit and eat chocolate bars one after another after another. But something about this tasting room makes you want to do just that. There were probably 12 different types of chocolates, if not more, all perfectly lined up, ready for us to taste. We started at the beginning, of course, with the regular milk chocolate, moving onto the milk chocolate with hazelnuts, then to dark chocolate, and so on and so on. I went back to some for seconds, and put a few extra pieces in my purse for safe keeping. It was pure sin, but SO worth the slight belly ache I had afterwards, while Suzy and I rolled ourselves back to the train station and back to Geneva.
Our last night with Suzy was spent in traditional swiss fashion: eating fondue at a small restaurant called Au Vieux Carouge. It was recommended to us by someone who helped us with our relocation process and he definitely knew what he was talking about. I called ahead to make a reservation (all in french, by the way, hooray me), because the restaurant has about 10 tables total. It is cramped and noisy, but its all a part of the experience and well worth it. We got seated in a corner table and after seeing that the menu was all in french with no explanation of what each fondue actually contained, we decided to ask. The waitress, also the hostess, and owner, did not speak any english whatsoever. So with the little french I could speak, we got an order of the Moitie-Moitie, which means half and half. It is half Gruyeres cheese and half Vacherin cheese, and it is SO delicious. The three of us devoured the entire pot and probably a loaf or two of bread in the process.All in all, I would say Suzy's visit was a success. Three days travelling outside of Geneva, four days exploring in Geneva, and lots and lots of chocolate and cheese. How could it have been any better?
À bientôt,
Megan
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Manger, boire et être joyeux (Eat, drink and be merry)
We've officially been in Geneva for 3.5 weeks. In these past few weeks we have quickly picked up on our favorite spots for food, drinks, and general entertainment.
During the first week we quickly learned that a lot of the restaurants here all serve a similar menu, so we strive to find the more ethnic or unique places. On our first Friday night, we ventured to Paquis and found a nice Indian Restaurant called Indian Plaza. Granted the name is not too exciting, but the food was delicious. We are not connoisseurs of Indian food, but we can definitely judge a good chicken makhanwala and garlic naan, and this place hit it spot on. To top if off, the ambiance was fun as there were several neighboring restaurants that kept the entire area lively.
After an indian dinner, what else is better than stopping into a pub for a couple of cold beers. Travers found this one expat pub called The Clubhouse that was celebrating Cinco de Mayo with live music and coronas. It was crowded, but we quickly got a seat at the bar and were able to view the band, and people watch. There were lots of expats there and we could hear english being spoken all around us. It's definitely a great place to go when you're missing home, to get a beer and burger, and to hear some good old american music.
Another favorite place we enjoy going to is Place du Bourg-de-Four at the center of Old Town. It is one of the best plazas in the area and most days we can get lots of good sun sitting at an outdoor table. We happened to go here last Wednesday for a quick post-work beer and stumbled upon an orchestra playing right next to the cafes! We grabbed a flyer and discovered that it was the first of many free musical concerts throughout Geneva for the next couple of weeks! Whether there is a concert going on in the plaza or just some great summer sun, Place du Bourg-de-Four is always a good place to go.
This past Friday, we discovered a bar called Bar Cotton Pub. This is a hot spot for after work drinks. It has a great decor that's sophisticated but welcoming. There are several outdoor tables and high-tops, but they fill up fast with the after-work crowd. This will definitely be a favorite meeting place for me and Travers after work.
fter a drink at Bar Cotton Pub, Travers and I had dinner at Demi Lune Cafe. They serve things like tandoori chicken, hamburgers, skewers of mozzarella and tomato, meatballs, burritos, and more. The ambiance is lively and casual. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and couches for just relaxing while you listen to the background music. This is definitely a place we'll go back to often and take visitors to.
Lastly, another favorite is the Riverside Cafe that is on the side of the Rhone river just south of the lake and a few short blocks from our apartment. It has great wine and beer prices and is always crowded with locals and tourists during these sunny days. We can always get a good seat either right by the river, or on one of their comfy lounge couches that is great for people watching and staring out at the water too.
There are tons of other places, and I'm sure we'll discover many more as we're here, but these are our favorites so far. And if you're lucky, maybe we'll take you to one of them when you visit.
Cheers!
Megan
During the first week we quickly learned that a lot of the restaurants here all serve a similar menu, so we strive to find the more ethnic or unique places. On our first Friday night, we ventured to Paquis and found a nice Indian Restaurant called Indian Plaza. Granted the name is not too exciting, but the food was delicious. We are not connoisseurs of Indian food, but we can definitely judge a good chicken makhanwala and garlic naan, and this place hit it spot on. To top if off, the ambiance was fun as there were several neighboring restaurants that kept the entire area lively.
After an indian dinner, what else is better than stopping into a pub for a couple of cold beers. Travers found this one expat pub called The Clubhouse that was celebrating Cinco de Mayo with live music and coronas. It was crowded, but we quickly got a seat at the bar and were able to view the band, and people watch. There were lots of expats there and we could hear english being spoken all around us. It's definitely a great place to go when you're missing home, to get a beer and burger, and to hear some good old american music.
Another favorite place we enjoy going to is Place du Bourg-de-Four at the center of Old Town. It is one of the best plazas in the area and most days we can get lots of good sun sitting at an outdoor table. We happened to go here last Wednesday for a quick post-work beer and stumbled upon an orchestra playing right next to the cafes! We grabbed a flyer and discovered that it was the first of many free musical concerts throughout Geneva for the next couple of weeks! Whether there is a concert going on in the plaza or just some great summer sun, Place du Bourg-de-Four is always a good place to go.
This past Friday, we discovered a bar called Bar Cotton Pub. This is a hot spot for after work drinks. It has a great decor that's sophisticated but welcoming. There are several outdoor tables and high-tops, but they fill up fast with the after-work crowd. This will definitely be a favorite meeting place for me and Travers after work.
fter a drink at Bar Cotton Pub, Travers and I had dinner at Demi Lune Cafe. They serve things like tandoori chicken, hamburgers, skewers of mozzarella and tomato, meatballs, burritos, and more. The ambiance is lively and casual. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and couches for just relaxing while you listen to the background music. This is definitely a place we'll go back to often and take visitors to.
Lastly, another favorite is the Riverside Cafe that is on the side of the Rhone river just south of the lake and a few short blocks from our apartment. It has great wine and beer prices and is always crowded with locals and tourists during these sunny days. We can always get a good seat either right by the river, or on one of their comfy lounge couches that is great for people watching and staring out at the water too.
There are tons of other places, and I'm sure we'll discover many more as we're here, but these are our favorites so far. And if you're lucky, maybe we'll take you to one of them when you visit.
Cheers!
Megan
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Favorite Past Times of the Genevans
Over the past two weeks, I have been taking note of some of the favorite past times of the local Genevans. I'm sure there are plenty more than this, but here are the top 4 that I have seen so far:
The first and most popular one is smoking. People smoke everywhere they go, while doing everything they do. It's amazing how many cigarette butts are on the streets (although they have people to clean them practically every day). Unfortunately for us, we don't smoke, and every evening like clockwork the smell of cigarettes comes through our living room window. Ugh.
The 2nd most popular one is sitting at a cafe talking to one another. (This can also be combined with the first one of course). It doesn't matter what time of day it is or what day of the week, Genevans will be sitting in a cafe having a beverage of some sort chatting away with their companion. We live above and next to two very popular cafes/restaurants, and there are constantly people at these places. Business meetings over breakfast, coffee before the school day, mid-morning coffee breaks, long lunches, late lunches, happy hours, dinners, after-dinner drinks, you name it and a Genevan is doing it. Granted, this past time is much more attractive to us than the first, so when in Rome...(or Geneva).
Another favorite past time I've seen is the feeding of the ducks and swans in the lake. When I take a run along the lake, I will often see someone feeding the local swans and ducks that live in Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman). Sometimes its a mother and child, sometimes its an older man or woman, and sometimes whole families. I've never understood the attraction to feeding birds, but it seems to be a popular thing to do here, and the swans really are beautiful so maybe I'll give it a try some day.
Lastly, what we have recently discovered to be a favorite past time of the locals is urinating in public. Surprise! That's what we got when we rounded the corner out of our apartment the other night to find 3 men dressed in suits, all positioned in separate corners of the plaza urinating against the walls. Who would have thought? We definitely didn't. You're probably thinking "Isn't Geneva supposed to be a clean place?" It is and it isn't. Its clean in that there is very little trash (minus the cigarette butts), and very little pollution, but we now walk at least a foot or two away from all the walls when leaving our apartment :-)
There you have it. c'est la vie à Genève.
The first and most popular one is smoking. People smoke everywhere they go, while doing everything they do. It's amazing how many cigarette butts are on the streets (although they have people to clean them practically every day). Unfortunately for us, we don't smoke, and every evening like clockwork the smell of cigarettes comes through our living room window. Ugh.
The 2nd most popular one is sitting at a cafe talking to one another. (This can also be combined with the first one of course). It doesn't matter what time of day it is or what day of the week, Genevans will be sitting in a cafe having a beverage of some sort chatting away with their companion. We live above and next to two very popular cafes/restaurants, and there are constantly people at these places. Business meetings over breakfast, coffee before the school day, mid-morning coffee breaks, long lunches, late lunches, happy hours, dinners, after-dinner drinks, you name it and a Genevan is doing it. Granted, this past time is much more attractive to us than the first, so when in Rome...(or Geneva).
Another favorite past time I've seen is the feeding of the ducks and swans in the lake. When I take a run along the lake, I will often see someone feeding the local swans and ducks that live in Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman). Sometimes its a mother and child, sometimes its an older man or woman, and sometimes whole families. I've never understood the attraction to feeding birds, but it seems to be a popular thing to do here, and the swans really are beautiful so maybe I'll give it a try some day.
Lastly, what we have recently discovered to be a favorite past time of the locals is urinating in public. Surprise! That's what we got when we rounded the corner out of our apartment the other night to find 3 men dressed in suits, all positioned in separate corners of the plaza urinating against the walls. Who would have thought? We definitely didn't. You're probably thinking "Isn't Geneva supposed to be a clean place?" It is and it isn't. Its clean in that there is very little trash (minus the cigarette butts), and very little pollution, but we now walk at least a foot or two away from all the walls when leaving our apartment :-)
There you have it. c'est la vie à Genève.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Success!
Just a quick note to boast about my french language skills! Thanks to Google Translator, I was able to talk to the apartment building manager this morning in French and have her explain to me where we take our trash out! It was such an exhiliarting experience speaking another language and actually having someone understand me.
I would highly recommend using Google Translator while in a foreign country. Its amazing! You just type in the phrase or sentence you want to say and Voila! It provides you with exactly what to say. I also used it to interpret the washing and drying machines so that I could do our laundry.
Now we have clean clothes and no garbage. Life is good.
I would highly recommend using Google Translator while in a foreign country. Its amazing! You just type in the phrase or sentence you want to say and Voila! It provides you with exactly what to say. I also used it to interpret the washing and drying machines so that I could do our laundry.
Now we have clean clothes and no garbage. Life is good.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Ma Premiere Semaine A Geneve
While it was hard to leave my family and friends behind, as well as a rare sunny San Francisco, my husband and I could not be more pleased with our trip to Geneva. A few key pieces of advice when travelling to visit us:
- Be nice to your check-in agent, he has the power to upgrade you to Business Class for free!
- Don't overpack the 2 suitcases you get to check for free (you can go up to 50.9 pounds, but not over).
- Sleep on the plane no matter if you're sitting First, Business, or Economy. Jetlag sucks.
We arrived around noon on Saturday, which I would say is the better of the few options you have for flying to Geneva. Our first trip here we left around 7am and got here around 8am the next day. We were extremely lucky to be able to check into our hotel early that trip. This time, we left around noon and arrived around noon. Chances of checking in were much higher. And trust me, you will want to check in right away and take a several hour nap. We sure did.
The first few days here were spent wandering the neighborhood of Paquis, which is located on the Rive Gauche (right bank) of Lake Geneva, where our hotel was located. We discovered a pub called Mr. Pickwick's. Its a little reminiscent of The Bus Stop and Kell's in San Francisco. It has the dark wood tables, the smell of beer, and a man to woman ratio of 10 to 1. Of course the only sport that was being shown was soccer, but we are in Europe, so c'est la vie! Good thing we got the Slingbox.
We also happened to discover the finish line of a bike race called Tour de Romandie! The race went through the Paquis area, down the Pont du Mont-Blanc, and into Eaux-Vives, where the finish line was a few blocks past Travers' office. We stood and watched and waited. They had cars coming down the road with banners and flags, and crazy decorations on their roofs. Then a huge black helicopter came flying over, and within seconds, hundreds of bike racers came flying past us to the finish line. It lasted about 10 seconds at best, but it was amazing to see those racers peddaling so fast and flying by. What an amazing event to stumble upon.
The rest of this week Travers has been settling in at work, while I get to explore the city and settle us in at our new home. I would say the toughest part of being here is the language barrier. It is intimidating walking into a store or boutique and the first thing you hear is a language that you don't know. I struggle for the right phrase in French to say "I don't speak french", and instead it comes out in a mumbled "Sorry". Lucky for me, a lot of people speak english. So I'll need to get over my fears and just start speaking english and hope they understand. I start my french lessons next Wednesday, so hopefully it will come back to me quickly.
And just to make all of you back home a little jealous, yesterday afternoon, Travers and I sat at a Cafe called La Clemence in Place du Bourg-De-Four, in Old Town. It was a sunny afternoon, and all the tables were packed with people drinking coffee or beer, enjoying the sun and casual conversation. There were two men playing music, one on an accordian, and one on a keyboard. It was definitely your picturesque european cafe experience.
Jusqu'à la prochaine fois (Until next time)
xoxo Megan
- Be nice to your check-in agent, he has the power to upgrade you to Business Class for free!
- Don't overpack the 2 suitcases you get to check for free (you can go up to 50.9 pounds, but not over).
- Sleep on the plane no matter if you're sitting First, Business, or Economy. Jetlag sucks.
We arrived around noon on Saturday, which I would say is the better of the few options you have for flying to Geneva. Our first trip here we left around 7am and got here around 8am the next day. We were extremely lucky to be able to check into our hotel early that trip. This time, we left around noon and arrived around noon. Chances of checking in were much higher. And trust me, you will want to check in right away and take a several hour nap. We sure did.
The first few days here were spent wandering the neighborhood of Paquis, which is located on the Rive Gauche (right bank) of Lake Geneva, where our hotel was located. We discovered a pub called Mr. Pickwick's. Its a little reminiscent of The Bus Stop and Kell's in San Francisco. It has the dark wood tables, the smell of beer, and a man to woman ratio of 10 to 1. Of course the only sport that was being shown was soccer, but we are in Europe, so c'est la vie! Good thing we got the Slingbox.
We also happened to discover the finish line of a bike race called Tour de Romandie! The race went through the Paquis area, down the Pont du Mont-Blanc, and into Eaux-Vives, where the finish line was a few blocks past Travers' office. We stood and watched and waited. They had cars coming down the road with banners and flags, and crazy decorations on their roofs. Then a huge black helicopter came flying over, and within seconds, hundreds of bike racers came flying past us to the finish line. It lasted about 10 seconds at best, but it was amazing to see those racers peddaling so fast and flying by. What an amazing event to stumble upon.
The rest of this week Travers has been settling in at work, while I get to explore the city and settle us in at our new home. I would say the toughest part of being here is the language barrier. It is intimidating walking into a store or boutique and the first thing you hear is a language that you don't know. I struggle for the right phrase in French to say "I don't speak french", and instead it comes out in a mumbled "Sorry". Lucky for me, a lot of people speak english. So I'll need to get over my fears and just start speaking english and hope they understand. I start my french lessons next Wednesday, so hopefully it will come back to me quickly.
And just to make all of you back home a little jealous, yesterday afternoon, Travers and I sat at a Cafe called La Clemence in Place du Bourg-De-Four, in Old Town. It was a sunny afternoon, and all the tables were packed with people drinking coffee or beer, enjoying the sun and casual conversation. There were two men playing music, one on an accordian, and one on a keyboard. It was definitely your picturesque european cafe experience.
Jusqu'à la prochaine fois (Until next time)
xoxo Megan
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