We woke up this morning to grey skies and rain in the forecast — a perfect day to leave. We had a 45 minute drive ahead of us and the Sicilian drivers did not disappoint during their last chance to drive like maniacs. Despite their best efforts, we arrived intact at the rental car drop-off. That being said, the Catania Airport did its best to disappoint us on our way out. The bathrooms had no soap. I looked up the Italian word for soap on my phone and Nicole actually told two cleaners that it needed to be replenished, but they just went back to their cell phones. No urgency here — just a lot of people with dirty hands walking around the Catania Airport.
We got seats on Swiss Airlines to Geneva, Switzerland on a new Bombardier C-Series airplane, which is less than a couple years old. We were treated to a small sandwich and a Swiss chocolate during our flight north. It was very clear upon landing that the Swiss had greater emphasis on efficiency and organization. We were out of the airport within 15 minutes of landing. Transfers to the city center via train are free and we would soon appreciate this much more than we did initially. Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in the world. We searched on our phones for a restaurant for dinner. It was virtually impossible to find anything under $25. And I’m not talking fondue and filet mignon. Things like a croque monsieur or a club sandwich at a casual café were pushing $30. We did not understand. With a few options in mind, we set out on the streets.
Geneva is a fairly small city, so there isn’t a ton to do. I kind of wanted to check out the Red Cross Museum, but it was closing soon and not that easy to get to. We walked down to Lake Geneva instead, only to discover that they apparently turned off the #1 attraction in the city — a giant jet of water spraying into the sky. It was sprinkling a little bit and we didn’t know if that was a factor. We shortly saw the #2 attraction in the city, the horlage, or a big clock with flowers around it. We began searching the streets for a cheap place to eat and kept striking out. It was about 6:00pm and things were either just closing, just opening, or at some awkward phase in between. It began raining fairly hard, so desperation was sinking in. We found a burger place that had literally opened three days earlier. There weren’t many reviews, but the price was right. This was a cheap meal by Geneva standards, and that means it was $50 for a 2 burgers, fries, and a beer.
We attempted to wait out the rain and it subsided just after we finished our meal. We walked back toward the lake to discover a now functioning fountain. Huzzah! We explored some other parts of Geneva such as the old town around the cathedral which was very quaint looking. It reminded me a lot of Québec City. There are certainly not a lot of tourists here. We saw a couple tour groups by the big clock earlier, but that was really it. We eventually worked our way back down to the lake as the sun was setting. Nicole convinced me to go on a ferris wheel. I have a bit of an irrational fear of ferris wheels. Or is it rational? Either way, we soon found ourselves hurdling toward death in a circular motion. It did however offer pretty decent views of the surrounding city and we could see the big clock from above.
After the ferris wheel, we walked back to the other side of the river where our hotel was located. Enroute back to our hotel, we passed through the red light district, which was . . .interesting. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland, so everything was kind of out in the open. We made it back to the hotel safe and sound and packed for our journey back to the United States.
We got seats on Swiss Airlines to Geneva, Switzerland on a new Bombardier C-Series airplane, which is less than a couple years old. We were treated to a small sandwich and a Swiss chocolate during our flight north. It was very clear upon landing that the Swiss had greater emphasis on efficiency and organization. We were out of the airport within 15 minutes of landing. Transfers to the city center via train are free and we would soon appreciate this much more than we did initially. Geneva is one of the most expensive cities in the world. We searched on our phones for a restaurant for dinner. It was virtually impossible to find anything under $25. And I’m not talking fondue and filet mignon. Things like a croque monsieur or a club sandwich at a casual café were pushing $30. We did not understand. With a few options in mind, we set out on the streets.
Geneva is a fairly small city, so there isn’t a ton to do. I kind of wanted to check out the Red Cross Museum, but it was closing soon and not that easy to get to. We walked down to Lake Geneva instead, only to discover that they apparently turned off the #1 attraction in the city — a giant jet of water spraying into the sky. It was sprinkling a little bit and we didn’t know if that was a factor. We shortly saw the #2 attraction in the city, the horlage, or a big clock with flowers around it. We began searching the streets for a cheap place to eat and kept striking out. It was about 6:00pm and things were either just closing, just opening, or at some awkward phase in between. It began raining fairly hard, so desperation was sinking in. We found a burger place that had literally opened three days earlier. There weren’t many reviews, but the price was right. This was a cheap meal by Geneva standards, and that means it was $50 for a 2 burgers, fries, and a beer.
We attempted to wait out the rain and it subsided just after we finished our meal. We walked back toward the lake to discover a now functioning fountain. Huzzah! We explored some other parts of Geneva such as the old town around the cathedral which was very quaint looking. It reminded me a lot of Québec City. There are certainly not a lot of tourists here. We saw a couple tour groups by the big clock earlier, but that was really it. We eventually worked our way back down to the lake as the sun was setting. Nicole convinced me to go on a ferris wheel. I have a bit of an irrational fear of ferris wheels. Or is it rational? Either way, we soon found ourselves hurdling toward death in a circular motion. It did however offer pretty decent views of the surrounding city and we could see the big clock from above.
After the ferris wheel, we walked back to the other side of the river where our hotel was located. Enroute back to our hotel, we passed through the red light district, which was . . .interesting. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland, so everything was kind of out in the open. We made it back to the hotel safe and sound and packed for our journey back to the United States.
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