- Europe, June/July 2005 -
This page attempts to cronicle my trip to Europe in June/July of 2005. I decided that I wanted to spend my 30th birthday with my friend Sulynn who is/was living in Geneve, Switzerland. Sulynn ensured that my trip was a glowing success, and put up with me for almost two weeks.
Sulynn lives in Geneve, Switzerland. Geneve was classified as one of the most expensive cities to live in recently (number 6 actually). It is a very beautiful city however, with a very low crime rate, and parks around every corner it seems. Central to Geneve is the Lac Léman (Lake Geneva it is also called) with its towering Jet d'Eau. The lake's runoff becomes the Rhone river in France.
Geneve is also home to many small cafes which serve lunch and dinner. However, you have to be at the cafe at the right time to actually get food. Most of the food is made from scratch, so arriving at an odd hour will get you drinks, but not food. The Geneve (European) culture is that lunch is from about 12:00-14:00 hours, and dinner is from 20:00-23:00 hours. Come too late, or too early, and you will not be happy.
I was meandering around Geneve when I came across an interesting intersection with a park across the street. I took some pictures, and as I crossed the intersection I noticed a Fiat break down with steam coming from the hood. The owner hopped out and grabbed a jug for water and took off. As I watched, the car began to burn, and eventually exploded before the fire trucks appeared. The police came and put orange cones around it, but otherwise just stood there and watched it burn to the ground.
When the owner returned, he breifely spoke with the police, then just dropped his jug, and walked away, letting his car burn. Later that day I was in a cafe across from Sulynn's apartment, and the owner of the establishment recounted that he too had seen the fire. Apparently Geneve is a small town for such a large event!
One night (the 24th) Sulynn and I met up with some of her friends for drinks and dinner. We met at the Terrase bar on the lake (a tiki-style on the water), and then walked to at Thai restaurant when the weather turned inclement.
The first weekend I was in Europe Sulynn had planned for us to hit the Italian Riviera. This was an amazing trip, and gets its own page...
I took a side trip without Sulynn when I was in Europe. I decided on where to go the night before I went (with Sulynn's help of course). This trip was excellent, and gets its own page as well. It also provided Sulynn with some much needed personal time...
Sulynn and I attended a BBQ at a French Farmhouse minutes from Geneve. The house is that of her coworker Astrid, who put on a fabulos BBQ! All of the people were friendly and we had a fantastic time. They completely outdid an American BBQ by having a kegerator on hand, and with about 4 different kinds of sausages on the grill!
The last day I was in Europe Sulynn and I hopped a boat from Geneve to Montreux. Montreux is at the opposite end of the Lac Léman, and takes 5 hours to reach (by boat). We shelled out the small amount more for first class tickets and secured our own private bench for sun bathing. Most of the pictures are from the boat ride through all the little towns. Once in Montreux we met up with Toni Rae and Paul.
My appologies for not adding comments and titles to these pictures, but it is better to get them up sonner than never.
Enjoy!