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!

Do you speak Flanswyli?

Barcelona twice in less than two months? Yep, that's right! I went back to Barcelona because why the heck not? Its only an hour and a half flight away and its wonderful there.

After my friend Jen left Geneva, I helped Travers get ready for his trip to Kiev on Tuesday, and then I left for Barcelona on Wednesday to meet up with Jen and Kara.  I was so excited that I ended up getting to the airport about an hour too early. It was worth it though cause I would have gone stir crazy sitting at home.

On the plane, I had a spectacular view of the Alps. It was amazing to see the different peaks and valleys. The second picture here shows a lake, possibly Lake Annecy, which we went to with Suzy in June during her visit. I wish I had a better camera, because these views were just jaw-dropping.

Once I got to Barcelona, I met Jen and Kara at the rooftop pool deck of our hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. It was a beautiful sunny day and they had just ordered a bottle of Cava. Yumm. We spent the next few hours catching up, sunning ourselves and sipping champagne. When the sun started to set around 6p or 7p, we went down to the room to get ready for dinner.  Three hours later (yes, 3 girls and 1 bathroom takes 3 hours), we were finally ready for the evening.  So we took a cab to the Port-Olympic area and had a delicious dinner at Sotavento steps away from the beach. We enjoyed our meals and ordered more Cava and just talked and gossiped the rest of the evening.

Thursday morning, we got breakfast at Pans & Company, which is the best place to get breakfast. Only 2.20 for a cafe con leche and pastry of your choice. Amazing!  Then we spent the rest of the morning shopping at Mango and Zara. After lunch, we decided to take the metro to Park Guell.  After hiking up some hills and taking some outdoor escalators, we arrived at Park Guell. Travers and I hadn't been here during our last visit, so it was exciting to see something new.

Park Guell, designed by Gaudi, has a huge terrace lined with benches that have colorful mosaic tile designs embedded into the concrete. There were several street vendors selling lots of jewelry and souvenirs, which we discovered is illegal as lots of them fled when the police came to patrol the area. Good thing it was after Jen and Kara bought some jewelry.  After walking around a bit, we sat at an outdoor cafe that overlooks the terrace, and sipped sangria while enjoying the live music and sun.









That night, after lots of sun and sangria, we went to a nearby restaurant called Brown 33. Travers and I had gone here during our last visit, and it was just as delicious this time. We got a table outside, and sat for several hours eating delicious italian dishes, and sipping Cava. We stayed for so long that the waitstaff had to ask us to leave as they were closing up for the evening.

Our last day in Barcelona was unfortunately overcast and chilly. We shopped around some more, trying to stay indoors as much as possible, hoping that the sun would fight through the clouds. We then slowly made our way down the famous La Rambla, stopped into the Mercat de la Boqueria to view all the amazing foods, fruits, fish, meats etc..., and ended up at the same plaza that Travers and I had gone to with Rosemary and Mike for lunch last time we were there, the Placa Reial. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, hoping the darkening clouds would go the other way. Then we strolled through old town to shop some more, and found our way to the Rambla de Catalunya for a rest and a pitcher of sangria.

For our final night, we got all dressed up, and made a reservation at a local restaurant in Old Town recommended to us by the concierge.  We had a pre-dinner cocktail at the hotel bar, The Banker's Bar, which had its walls and ceilings lined with old metal banker's boxes, like safety deposit boxes almost. We then headed to dinner at Pla. It was a great recommendation by the concierge. The two story restaurant was small but didn't feel crowded or cramped, even with all the tables occupied. The decor was very cool and the food tasty. It was the perfect last meal in Barcelona.

We ended the night at a bar around the corner, just laughing together at all the fun things we had done. I left early the next morning for Geneva.  I have the best memories of this girls trip, and hope we can all do it again soon.

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!

I'll never drink beer again!

A Liter of Beer!

Its been a week now since we got back from Oktoberfest in Munich, and I still don't think I can drink a beer.  I can't tell you how many I consumed while there, but there was beer everywhere you looked, and those mugs are heavy!

Ready with real Lederhosen!

Travers and I took an early morning flight on the Friday after we got back from San Francisco.  We couldn't check into our hotel yet, so we decided to walk around the town in search of some nylons for me (just in case my legs got cold while wearing my too short dirndl), and some wool socks for Travers so that his lederhosen costume would look a bit more authentic. We found a really cute store that was selling authentic lederhosen and dirndls and we knew this would be the best place to get Travers some socks. Well, an hour and a couple hundred euros later, he walked out with an entire outfit!  (The sales girl was cute. He even bought a shirt that matched the purple checkered dress she was wearing. Ha!)  We met our friend Mike at the Hofbrauhaus for lunch, and after some sausages and a beer, we had convinced Mike he needed to go back to the store and get himself some real lederhosen too!

Not your traditional dirndls!

So once Mike's wife Shelley arrived, her and I got dressed in our dirndls and off the four of us went to the Oktoberfest beer tents. We had no idea what to expect but were not prepared for the thousands and thousands of people there. The metro was packed, and the walk to the tents was filled with people, some on their way in, and others stumbling or being carried out! 

Inside Fischer Vroni!

 We found our way to a tent called Fischer Vroni. After figuring out which tables were the non-reserved ones (apparently to reserve a table, it should be done a year in advance, have a minimum of 10 people and put a deposit down), we squeezed our way onto the end of a table and began to make friends with those around us.  We drank the largest beers,  ate the biggest pretzels and tried to sing along to the famous " Ein Prosit" song. Finally, a few hours later, we decided it was time to get some real food and a change of location.  We said goodbye to our fair-weather friends and headed out to the masses walking around outside. 

After eating a delicious sausage, and a few failed attempts at getting in other tents, we made it to the Lowenbrau tent. Unfortunately, like all the other tents, this one was too crowded inside and the security guys at the doors weren't letting anyone else in.  We were almost going to give up, but leave it to my husband to talk his way into the tent!  We ended up bribing one of the doormen and after a few moments we were inside the Lowenbrau tent!  This is one of the more popular tents. They had a band that was playing all sorts of popular songs like Sweet Caroline! and other fun songs to sing along to. One song that was played at all the tents all the time is "Hey Baby (I wanna know if you'll be my girl)." It was really odd to me that this was such a popular song throughout the entire festival, but somehow it got people in the spirit and everyone knew the words!

The Mustache Buddies

We made it back to the hotel around midnight and woke up early the next morning to do it all over again! We were meeting up with co-workers of Travers and they had gotten an early start (9am) on Saturday. We made it there around 10am and people were already being carried out or were passed out. I assume they had just kept on going from the night before! 

A close up of the staches.

As a side note, before this trip, Travers, and our friends Mike and Dave made a deal that they would grow out their beards and shave everything before Oktoberfest except for their mustaches.  It was that perfect something extra that made this weekend all the more funny and memorable!

Angie holding 5 mugs!

And we realized our friend, Angie, is the strongest woman (other than the beer girls) as she was able to hold 5 of the beer mugs in one hand! Some of the beer girls hold up to 7 or 8 in one hand. They have strong forearms and wear wristguards.

Hofbrauhaus Tent!

The rest of Saturday was much of the same: drinking beers, eating pretzels and sausage, and singing along to the songs that we now knew all the words to. We had made it into the Hofbrauhaus Tent, which was extremely filled with people all having a great time.

Don't worry mom, we really weren't that drunk!

The final group of six!

We made it back to the hotel early evening, and all rested up for a few hours. I was surprised we all made it back out again at 9pm at the real Hofbrauhaus for more beer and dinner.  By this time I was very sick of drinking beer, and my hand had a slight bruise on it from holding the heavy glass for the past two days.  But it was such an amazing experience and so fun to see all the different people and cultures that come to this event. We will most likely do it again next year, now that Travers has his real lederhosen. Not sure I can do two days in a row again, but its worth a try.

As for now, I definitely won't be drinking beer anytime soon.

Home Sweet Home

About 12 hours after Travers and I got back from Interlaken, we were on a plane to San Francisco. This was our first trip back there since we have moved to Geneva, and we were both excited and anxious.  Travers was going back for work, and I decided to tag along. I had planned as much as I could beforehand of which of my friends and family I was able to see and when. My week was packed.

Every day and every night was filled with seeing family or friends. It was both exciting and exhausting. I knew everyone wanted to know how life in Geneva was going for me, but I really wanted to know what was going on with all of them. Even though I try to keep up on facebook and with emails, I still feel like I miss out on a lot of the every day stuff that happens in my family and friends lives.

Our week started out pretty good. We got over the jetlag amazingly quickly, and were able to function on a normal schedule from the get go.  We had a great couple of dinners with family, at E&O Trading Company (Thanks Bryna and Ben!), Yoshi's (Thanks Mom & Dad!), and Wayfare Tavern (Thanks Rosemary & Mike!).  And we also got to see most of our friends throughout the week.

We ate as much ethnic food as possible, and I went into 3 or 4 different walgreen's, just to get my fix.  I stocked up on face wash and deoderant (we can't get our favorite brands over here), cheddar cheese (which we accidentally left in my mom's fridge!), vodka, trail mix, peanut butter etc....all to put in my extra suitcase I brought with me to bring back to Geneva.

By the time Friday came around, both Travers and I were exhausted and missing our home in Geneva. There's something about being able to sleep in your own bed, and have your routines that makes a place feel like home, and we both missed it by the end of the week. Its a sign that we have truly settled in here, which is comforting, but also surprising that we could adjust so quickly.  

Me, bryn &T ready to start dancing!

But we weren't going back yet. Friday night we had planned the official celebration of Travers' birthday.  After having dinner with Rosemary and Mike at Wayfare Tavern, we met a group of our friends at a bar/club/restaurant called Mayes on Polk Street at Sutter and had reserved a couple tables for us to all hang out and dance!  The DJ played some of our favorite songs, and we danced all night long!  We have tried finding similar dance clubs in Geneva, and have only found one so far, which was on my birthday at Le Sip. And even though Mayes is not the best dance club to go to, that night (as well as my birthday night at le Sip) proved that all you need is a good group of friends that all want to dance and have a great time.

Bryna doing a great dance move!

Hubby striking a pose!

Dan, Katy and Travers

Sara and Travers

Nicole and Mike

Travers, Scott and Keith

We even got Ben to dance!

Where's Waldo, i mean Travers?

The party was fantastic, and we poured ourselves into bed around 3am. But that wasn't going to stop my hubby from waking up the next day to go watch his favorite football team, the Gators, at his favorite sports bar, Greens.  We checked out of our hotel and made our way to the bar. We met more of our friends there and watched college football for the rest of the afternoon. And I was able to get one of my favorite burritos from Nick's Crispy Tacos down the street. It was just like old times.

Our last day in San Francisco was spent down the peninsula with family.  We watched the 49er game and had lunch at Mike's daughter Tammy's house in San Mateo. Then we had a barbeque with my family at my parents house. I was able to see some of my aunts and uncles, and to spend a few more hours of quality time with my mom and dad.  It was the perfect ending to a great week.

We left the next morning, and while sad to say goodbye, we were very happy to be home and back to our life here in Geneva.  We realized that we have some great friends in San Francisco, and that time and distance doesn't make a difference. Thanks to everyone for making our trip a great one. We hope to see you all soon, whether its in SF or Geneva. xoxo