This past weekend I flew from Madrid to Geneva, Switzerland, with my friends Linda and Harrison. We had the privilege of staying with Heather Pashley, who showed us incredible hospitality for the duration of our trip.
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| Heather with the dogs (Charlie and Rocker) |
As we arrived on Thursday night, we spent our first hours deciding on the plan for Friday and getting a good nights sleep.
On Friday morning, we awoke to a delicious breakfast of cheeses, bread, jam, peanut butter, fruit, and walnuts.
We decided to leave Genolier, where Heather lives, and head into the town of Nyon. Here we looked at the vista from the Nyon Chateaux and then proceeded to catch the train headed north around Lake Geneva (otherwise known as Lac Léman to anyone who doesn't live in Geneva). We got off the train in the town of Montreux, and then wandered along the 100 stall holiday market. The market was on the water's edge, so we constantly had gorgeous views. The rain even held off until we headed to the next town!
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| Freddie Mercury of Queen |
After the market, we continued walking around the lake, and arrived at Chateaux Chillon. Although we did not go inside, the outside of the place was beautiful, along with the back drop of the lake and mountains.
After visiting the Chateux, we hopped back on the train and traveled to the town of Lausanne. At this point it was dark and the rain was starting to pour down, so we spent most of the time sitting in a cafe. We then moved on to the town of Rolle. It was raining a little less there, so we were able to wander around the small village Christmas festival and grab a bite to eat. After difficulty communicating with a french speaking "security officer", we were able to find our way back to the "chu-chu". We returned to the house and spent the rest of the evening watching some telly and sleeping. Linda and Harrison were introduced to british television (BBC, Graham Norton, and Top Gear).
On Saturday we had originally planned to head into Geneva for the day, but after a lazy morning that plan was thrown out of the window. Instead, Heather took us into Nyon, where we bought a lot of chocolate, and supplies for our fondue dinner. She also drove us around the surrounding villages, which was nice, as we were able to get a feeling for the local life.
Back in Nyon we stopped in a cafe and walked around the lake edge. Finally we got a view of the snow on the mountains across the lake in France. We weren't able to come into contact with snow during our time in Switzerland, as this year has had the worst drought since records began...
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| The only snow we saw: left over ice from the ice skating rink |
After the day out, we headed back to the house, walked Charlie, and then prepared our fondue dinner. Fondue is made by rubbing garlic on the bottom of a fondue pan, mixing corn starch and wine, and then adding grated gruyere cheese to the mix. You stir the mixture until it is smooth and boiling. After getting the cheese ready, we sat down to eat. We dipped the fresh bread in the cheese, and had a salad on the side. The Swiss claim that unless you want indigestion from the fondue, you must drink either hot tea or wine with the meal. After stuffing our faces with fondue, we sat down to relax for the evening.
On Sunday, Heather took us into Geneva. We spent the early afternoon walking around, before catching our flight back to Madrid. We saw the outside of the UN, WTO, and UNICEF buildings, along with the flower clock, water's edge, and Old Town.
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| Old Town |
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| Swiss and Geneva flags |
Overall, I had a great weekend in Switzerland. It was great to catch up with Heather, and I honestly could not thank her enough for sharing her home and time with us. I hope to be able to return to Switzerland one day, and it is such a gorgeous country!
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| Heather and I |
So what's up next for me? This week we have two "fiestas", during which all of the city shuts down. So only two days of school! Still, I have quite a bit of reading to catch up on. Yesterday was my first day of work: I am teaching a six year old boy english. From the ground up. YIKES. Luckily the family was really sweet.
I am hanging around Madrid until the 22nd, which should be a nice rest, but I am so excited for 16 days from now, as I get to meet my mum and dad in England! Hooray for being with family during the holidays!
I hope all is going well back home, and that everyone is appreciating the joy of the holiday spirit, instead of getting distracted by the stress.
Keep well, and have a great holiday season!
