A Year Ago Today...
March 20, 2009
Itinerary:
Friday, 3/20 Geneva-Interlaken(public transportation free in downtown Geneva)
-Check out of hostel by 10:00 a.m. store backpacks in hostel lockers: free with deposit for padlock.
-Breakfast: lemon sugar crepes at cafe CHF 8.50
-Palais de Nations (just outside)
-Red Cross Museum (50% off with our youth hostel=CHF 5.00)
-Starbucks for HOT chocolate/lunch (CHF 13.00)
-Parc des Bastions: Reformation Wall (Mur de la Reformation)
-Cathedrale St-Pierre: (Calvin's church. Climb Tower: CHF 4.00)
-International Museum of the Reformation CHF 10.00
-Flower Clock and walk along Lake Geneva.
-Back to Hostel to pick up bags.
Train: 7:10 p.m. Geneve Cff (train2543) arrive 8:56 p.m. Bern (1 hr. 46 min) connecting: 9:04 p.m. Bern (train279) arrive 9:57 Interlaken Ost. (53 min.) Note: 8 min transfer.
Interlaken:
-15 minute walk to Hostel. Check in, get some sleep.
Lodging: Balmer's Herberge Youth Hostel ($72.20 for double room).
In Friday morning, Harmony and I headed out ready to explore Geneva. We began with a stop at a little cafe for some yummy crepes for breakfast. Here we were informed that while the weather was warm and sunny the day before, today was supposed to be sunny but cold. We were thankful for the tip and headed back to the hostel to get heavier coats. It was a good thing we did because the day was very windy and cold, but still beautiful!
We strolled by the Untied Nations although we did not go in.
While we were walking by, we were bombarded by people from places I never heard of and handed literature to "free Balochistan" and other such places. It was interesting.
Our hostel had a deal with the Red Cross Headquarters where we could get tickets for half off so we decided to take advantage of that.
Harmony had a really really really fun time inside! She really fit in with the other kids...
We also were excited little Protestants to be in Geneva on the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth. We spent some time in the park at the Reformation Wall which was built to celebrate the 400th anniversary.
We also went to John Calvin's church: St. Pierre Cathedral. It was neat to think of the fellow believers who had worshipped here under Calvin's teaching many years ago.
Touched Calvin's chair...wasn't brave enough to sit on it since it was roped off.
And of course, we had to keep up the tradition of climbing a tower and therefore climbed the bell tower of the church. We were met at the top with a beautiful view! Oddly enough, Geneva reminded me more of Tacoma than any place ever has. Looking out over the river and the mountains it reminded me of the views we have in downtown Tacoma.
It was sooo windy at the top!
After the church, we headed next door to the Reformation Museum. It was great to see the Protestant history after seeing so much Anglican and Catholic church history in the other cities, however, we did not understand a lot of the things in the museum as the signs were all written in French.
Took a stroll by Geneva's famous flower clock...
...and walked along the Rhone River.
We also walked out along a Jetty which was an almost terrifying experience. Once we were out in the open away from the buildings, the wind really pushed on us so that we basically had to walk as though we were going to the left in order to go straight. The Jetty walkway was only a few feet wide so it was a little scary that if the wind suddenly stopped we'd walk right off into the water! But we made it to the end and I lived to tell you about it!
In the evening, we grabbed our bags and went to catch another train: this time up to the Swiss mountains to a town called Interlaken.
When we arrived there, we had another short walk to our hostel where we had a cozy little room with a skylight. We settled in for the night and went to bed excitedly dreaming of our snowboarding day that awaited us.
Before this trip, Geneva was definitely not on my list of places to travel before I die, but having been there now, I can tell you that it was one of the coolest places I have ever been! The people were friendly, the city was clean and easy to navigate, and the sites were beautiful! It is also full of historical treasures to see and explore. I definitely recommend that you put it on your list of places to see.
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