Arrival in Geneva

 

Second leg, from Dubai to Geneva only 6 hour flight, a stroll in the park after our 14 hour flight. We got to wait in Dubai for 3 hours and stretched our legs. Dubai airport is an international hub with lots of dialects. We tried a travel hack on our second flight by booking an isle and window seat with an empty seat in between. It worked!! We got three seats and this plane was more up to date with better leg room and more responsive touch screens for movie watching. 
We arrived in Geneva at 7.45 pm and we were exhausted. The days are still day light till 9pm.  So it was still light, got to have a sneak peak of mountains behind the airport. A shuttle bus was waiting and delivered us to Nash Hotel. The hotel is actually about 5 minutes from the airport. Can I just say a hot shower and a flat soft bed were WONDERFUL. Total travelling time from Brisbane to Geneva 26 plus hours.
Tuesday 27th June: Up at 8am and feeling so much better. Today is the day we catch up with our fellow friends who we are walking with - Dave, Sue, Deb, Julia and Warren. First up a morning exploring Geneva.
We caught the shuttle back to the airport because that is also where the train station is. One stop and we were in down town Geneva. What a beautiful city. So much charm with architectural buildings, quaint little balconies and a stunning lake. We enjoyed our walk along the lakes edge in a pleasant 28 degrees. The lake is beautiful and forms a stunning backdrop for the city of Geneva. We walked along the lakes edge with its tree lined boulevard.  We discovered Rousseau’s chateau on the water’s edge - prime real estate. 
So our group reunion occurred at the Monument to the Duke of Brunswick (1879). Interesting side note the Duke was willing to give the city his entire estate in return he wanted a  monument to be constructed in a prominent position. He left 24 million Swiss Frances and it cost 2 million to build his monument. The monument is grand and a focal point near the lake. Perfect spot for a reunion. We then meet our friends, who to this point have been travelling through Ireland and others Munich. Lots of shared stories and a pleasant lunch. 
After lunch the group split up as our friends had already had a day in Geneva and were ready to explore further afield. Peter and I went exploring The ‘old’ part of Geneva, there we found St. Peter’s Cathedral built between 1160 -1252. It totally blows my mind how the then stone masons were able to design and construct this amazing building. Inside was grand with stunning stained glass windows and tall imposing ceilings.
We then ventured on and explored shops (a book shop - how did that happen Peter!!), cobbled streets, old buildings and the general magic of looking in any direction and seeing something new.
Back on the train and back to the hotel.
 Tomorrow we meet our No Roads guide and the rest of the fellow walkers at the airport as we get on a bus onto Chamonix.


Rousseau’s Chateau


Our walking friends

Comments

  1. Kaz27 June 2023 at 17:23

    How very exciting! Our geography is so different. It's hard for us to imagine a city on a lake and then to glimpse snow capped mountains in the background. Mind blown! The shower and bed would have been a most welcome blessing. Looking forward to the next installment. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kaz27 June 2023 at 17:30

    Regarding Italian phrases...one of my favourites is "Attraversiamo!" which means, 'We cross,' as in cross the street, the stream, the bridge. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that you could use it. :) Prego. (You're welcome)

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