Geneva

Geneva is one of those places you hear a lot about but find no reason to visit.  It is best known as the headquarters for many of the United Nations agencies, like World Health Organization, Commission for Refugees, International Labor Organization, etc.  The headquarters for the International Red Cross, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, etc are also here.  It is also a big financial center and headquarters for many of the famous Swiss watch companies.

Geneva is the closest airport gateway to the Chamonix Valley where we started our TMB hike.  We didn't have time to stop in Geneva before but after the hike, I figured it is worth spending at least a day here.  So I booked a room in the old city that is close to all the popular tourist sites.  After Mountain Drop-off, the shuttle company that took us to and from Chamonix, dropped us off at the Geneva airport, we stored our big suitcases in the lockers at the train station next door to the airport.  It was a very simple process:  picked the locker that is the right size for your luggage, insert your credit card, and get a receipt with a QR code.  It is very important to keep the receipt because you will need it the next day to open your locker.  We paid a base rate of 9€.  The next day when we picked up our luggage, we paid whatever is extra with the same credit card.

Google Map instructed us to take the No. 5 or 10 bus to near to the hotel.  Someone at the train station told us, wrongly, that the train will take us there as well.  The train did take us to the city center of Geneva but it's not close enough to the hotel.  So we had to take the bus to near the hotel and walked about 10 minutes to the Hotel Central.  The hotel is located in an office building, on the 6th floor.  The room is very small.  Good thing we kept our big suitcases at the train station.  The hotel receptionist gave us a bus/train/boat pass that is good for all travels around the city.  Because the hotel is so small it didn't have a dining room.  So we were served a simple breakfast of croissant and coffee brought to our room in the morning at the time we requested.

Night Scene in Geneva

Lockers at the Geneva Train Station

Yellow taxi boats to take you around Lake Geneva

Building where Hotel Central is located on the 6th Floor

We took advantage of the pass by first riding on water taxis to different places around the lake.  First, we went to the other side of the lake where the Botanical Gardens is located and near the United Nations agency offices.  The first thing you see on this famous lake is the Water Fountain or Jet d'Eau.  There are also many beautiful swans swimming around the lake.  We also walked to the United Nations offices where we saw a big group of Sri Lankans protesting the "genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka."  Tamils are a minority in Sri Lanka and have traditionally been marginalized.  In the square is also the famous Broken Chair which symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs.

Famous Jet d'Eau on Lake Geneva, with yellow water taxi and white swan

White Swans on the Lake

Broken Chair, in from of the Palace of Nations

The next morning we walked around the lake some more and found the famous Flower Clock or in French, L'horloge Fleurie.

Next we walked around the old city of Geneva with its many old buildings and rich history.

A passageway

A popular square with restaurants

Some of the older buildings

A concert hall

It was a short but nice visit.  One thing you have to remember when traveling around Switzerland is, everything is expensive.  We met a group of hikers from Hong Kong on the TMB and befriended one of the ladies, Liza.  We went to a Japanese restaurant with her for dinner in Geneva.  The cost of a bowl of ramen noodle was about 24€, three times more expensive than what it'd have costs in Phoenix.