Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva
Manila
5.22.04

Goodbye
Geneva
5.21.04

Geneva: Spring, Boat Tour, Absinthe, Swiss Army knife

Spring
Boat Tour
5.20.04

Back to
Geneva
5.19.04

Day 8: Carouge, Plainpalaise, Cathedral de St. Pierre, Bresse Chicken

Carouge
Plainpalaise
5.08.04

Day 7: Red Cross Museum, Museum Ariana, Swiss fondue

Red Cross
Swiss fondue
5.07.04

Day 6: Old Town, Clock Flower, Bresse Chicken

Old Town
Clock Flower
5.06.04

UP
Program
5.05.04

Astral
Projection
5.04.04

UN, Mentor
City Walk
5.03.04

Hello
Geneva
5.01.04

May 6, 2004

Day 6: Old Town, Clock Flower, Bresse Chicken

Location : Geneva, Switzerland

Cold and Windy
After having pasta putanesca for lunch, I went off to a walking tour of Geneva. I would have gone for the steamship tour but it was cold and windy. I still feel handicapped for having left my leather jacket in Canada.

Washroom Blues
I proceeded to walk to the Old Town, but washroom issues prevailed. That has always been a problem for me. Going to the train station for a leak would be a longer walk, not to mention it's F1 at the "Tidy Clean" washroom. Going to restaurants or hotels is not a common practice and causes quite a bit of hesitation. Even McDonalds has a number-coded washroom for its customers.

Day 6: Old Town, Clock Flower, Bresse Chicken Clock Flower
I first went to the Jardin des Anglais where the famous Clock Flower is. The clock is made with 2600 different flowers and tended daily. It signifies Geneva's contribution to the watch-making industry. Old Town is charming with lots of boutiques, quaint cafes and restaurants. I even chanced on seeing Bresse Chicken on one of the charcuterie stores. I ate as I walked along, this time with a baguette, Swiss cheese and a yogurt drink. It drizzled in the late afternoon, as usual.

Geneva celebrates its watch making industry by having a Clock Flower

Cafe
In keeping with my thoughts about Europe in general, I stopped by an outdoor cafe at Place de Bourg de Four, a popular plaza in the heart of Old Town. Yes, I indulged at the F4 espresso shot. That should be my last extravagance.

I went back close to 9PM. I must have walked a full 8 hours.

stopping by a cafe for a walking break

Ginny
Ginny and I talked about UP again, this time on the meager resources of the university and why it's important for fine arts students to take up non-art related courses. I finally finished my CV, making changes Ginny suggested.

Given her ranking in the totem pole, she is often approached by colleagues in high places, with an invitation for lunch or dinner. Most of the time, her answer is 'no'...there's a million things she has to attend to and time is not always available. I, on the other hand, get to have a one-on-one with her every night before we retire. We talk until the wee hours. I remain a privileged and captive audience as I get this ringside seat listening to a magnificent mind at work. Make that a magnificent mind and heart. Ginny candidly talks about things that may seem simple enough to grasp such as love of country and a sustained level of unconditional love. However, as she elucidates her point, going deeper into its many-layered dimension, I find myself out of depth. I have neither life experience (yet) nor magnanimity at that level to begin to comprehend her meaning.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Day 7: Red Cross Museum, Museum Ariana, Swiss fondue

(May 7, 2004) I visited Museum Ariana, a chateau-like house with mostly jars and plate collections of a once prominent Genovese. I ended up at the Red Cross Museum and viewed the Russian Gulag exhibit. Later, it was Swiss Fondue with Ginny by Lake Geneva....more »»

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