Geneva, the Crossroads of Europe (My holiday 2)

I flew from London to Geneva. In Europe, the border regulations are very ... relaxed. People simply walk through and the guards don't look at anything. Not at all like trying to enter the United States. George Bush would not be happy if he saw these guards! They are not stopping all the terrorists.

Geneva is on Lake Leman, where many people sail.

I rented a car at the airport and for the first while I was nervous as the roads are quite narrow and people drive quickly. But I soon became an expert European driver, zooming down narrow streets and ignoring the scooters.

Part of the city. The hills in the background are in France.

Geneva is a beautiful, safe, clean, organised Swiss city. I lived there for about a year, long ago and far away. It is small enough so that you can walk everywhere downtown. The residents speak French, and the city is almost completely surrounded by France. I actually stayed in a small motel on the French side of the border, about a ten minute drive from downtown Geneva. The city is also on a lake, Lake Leman. The Rhone River starts here and goes into France, where it becomes a very big river, and ends up in the south of France.

This mountain behind Geneva is called the Saleve. It is in France.

Geneva is well known for its shopping and watches. It is also a centre for banking and the home of many international organisations such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and the World Health Organisation. People from all over the world live and work in Geneva, including many diplomats. Lots of people speak English, so it is easy for all the tourists!

Patek Philippe makes very expensive watches

A narrow street in the old part of the town. The flag on the right is the Swiss flag, and the flag on the left is the flag of the city of Geneva.

Switizerland is a neutral country, so often countries that are fighting will have peace conferences in Geneva to try and settle their differences.

I took a walking tour of the old, historical part of the city with a guide. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about the history of Geneva. About 500 years ago it was a centre of the Reformation, when many Christians in Europe decided not to be Catholic anymore. They wanted to reform, or change the church, as it had become quite corrupt. This made the Pope, the head of the Catholics, quite upset, and there were many wars.

Nowadays John Calvin has a beer named after him. If he were alive, I do not think he would like that!

John Calvin was a religious leader of the Reformation and for a long time he lived in Geneva and governed the city. He was very strict!

This is the chair that John Calvin sat in when he attended church. The largest church, or cathedral, in Geneva used to be Catholic. However, John Calvin took it away from the Catholics and made it a Protestant church. (The Christians who protested against the Catholic church were called Protestants.)

I climbed to the very top of the Cathedral tower and took this picture of the lake.

I had a very nice, relaxing day in Geneva, wandering around. The weather was gorgeous and many boats were sailing on the lake. I drove out along the lake to visit a place where I used to live. On the way back to my motel, I saw that there were no guards at the border crossing between Switzerland and France! Maybe they had all gone home for dinner. Can you imagine the border crossing between Abbotsford and the U.S. like that?

If you ever go to Switzerland, try their delicious cheeze and one of their favourite meals, fondue or raclette.

My visit to Geneva was short, as I had many other places to visit. Next stop. . . . Italy!

To be continued