Geneva x Switzerland...

Just heard from a Swiss that Geneva does not behave like part of Switzerland...
At this point I have to admit I missed the Hungarian snow cleaning.
Saturday we had a kind of snow fall, just 10-15cm. What the city of Budapest starts to clean even before the snow starts to fall.
Well again, in Geneva at 13h in the afternoon we had not seen any track of any snow remover truck, not even in the city center. During most of the day people simply couldn't catch a bus or a tram because there was such an amount of snow everywhere that they just couldn't drive. The same happened for foreigner who don't know driving, they stuck in the middle of the streets and the highway!

When we come to a country whose half of it is about alps and snow, we expect to be able to walk on a sidewalk without slipping, well, this was not possible in Geneva. The government excuse was that the fall was too heavy, I think russians and who are used to this were laughing. Even the tram system stopped for half day.

Hope next time will be better and we won't have to do what most genevois do, they just stay home eating swiss Chocolate and fondue, that I can't do every time it snows...

I don't really like this doll, but I gotta admit I just loved this version...This is called imagination...

Les Champs-Elysées...

As I mentioned before, one of the things we like the most about living here is the proximity to other great cities.

Two weekends ago we decided (of course after a nice friend living there allowed): let's go to Paris!

Big questions of life: airplane or train? what you mean train? Well, Geneva is one of the final stations of the famous French TGV (train a grande vitesse), the very fast train! It is not so fast if you compare that with an Easyjet flight you are there in 1h30min, and by train we make in 3:30 with no connection, but why not trying it?

Of course prices also matter. In a not business time (and playing with weekend/no weekend flights with Easyjet), one needs around 70 euros (back and forth ticket!!!). By train we couldn't find for less than 300 Swiss francs, although with good sales, you can find for 200 francs or less. Also, one should consider that arrivals by airplane are, at least, 10 km far from the city center, whenever train arrivals are practically IN the center and from there is just choose one of the many metro, bus, or bike lines. I was always 'afraid' of the many metro lines, I counted 14 of them, I could get lost and never find my way out of it, ever again; there is even one without driver!

And then, of course, it is just get lost (in the good meaning) in the many small and large streets, sightseeing, important places and shops and restaurants (they are everywhere).

Monmartre, great view from the city

We were very lucky on Friday with good weather. We started our walk from Monmartre, down to the Opera, with our first visit to the Galerie Lafayette (astonishing too many useless expensive craps, but an outstanding architecture), following to the Madeleine and down to the Concorde, with the view of the Tuillerie/Louvre to the back and going towards the Champs-Elysées (with a pit stop for a crepe and panini) we arrived to the Arc du Triomphe. How I love this street, it is so funny to see these boutiques with very 'cheap' prices, people from all over the world walking around, and suddenly facing a big picture of George with a cup of Nespresso (I doubt he drinks those with the Italian cafés giving where he lives), waiting 20min at a Starbucks to get that watered café (no way), and see a line of 100 Chineses waiting to see the insides of the Maison Louis Vitton (maybe to copy for selling at the black market?) and finishing in a lovely walk to the Eiffel Tower, I just love to sit and look up at that amaaaaaazing structure.

Bonjour la Dame de Fer!

Xmas deco at the Lafayette

Saturday was just rain, but a delicious breakfast at one of the restos at the Louvre, how I love those croissants, gateaux au chocolat and so many of them. Inside the Louvre of course we had to stop to check what, according to Krisz is one of the best works of art there, which you can find in the pic bellow:

(could you find it?)

Then walked to Les Halles (interesting mall), small streets of the Marais and on our way to the Luxembourg garden we went around the quartier latin, just love it! and back we met Orsi in the Notre-Dame under the pouring rain.

Sunday was also lucky because although it was raining we could get for free (first sunday of the month) inside the Musee d'Orsay. Beautiful building, nice pics and the impressionism really leaves you impressed, though I prefer statues...

And then, back home. This time the TGC was more modern, I forgot to mention that the one we took to go to Paris was the latest fashion of the 70s, but still it reached the promised 296 km/h (which I wouldn't try at home).

Besides you are never alone, have to travel in the packed metro, and strikes, Paris is indeed a city like no other...