Well, we're nearing the end of our trip.  Just a few days from now we're flying out of Paris to Newark.  Before making it to Paris, we need to go back to Sarah's dorm in Besancon and help her pack.  We decided in Rome to change plans from taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Besancon and instead fly in to Geneva.  We did so for three for three reasons.

1. We didn't want to do an overnight train.  It just didn't sound like fun at all.  Looking at airports, Geneva is the closest to Besancon.
2. Overnight trains require a 70 EUR/person reservation from Spain to France.  The easyJet flight was 40  EUR/person and the hotel was 50 EUR/ person.  Plus, the train from Geneva to Besancon is entirely free.  For those keeping track, Geneva "cost" us 30 EUR/person for logistics.
3. We wanted to see Geneva.  We were willing to spend 30 EUR each for that privilege.

So we made the plunge.  We booked the flight and hotel online, and we made sure to stay close to the train station.

One notable difference is that Switzerland uses its own currency, the Swiss Franc, which are about 1:1 with the USD.  We liked the sound of that, thinking that prices would be cheap in Switzerland.  Instead, a 2 USD bottle of coke was 4 or 5 Franks, which is about in line with the 2-3 EUR it would have been elsewhere.  So, prices were stable with the EUR which meant that we were spending just as much money, only the nominal values hurt more with Francss.

At the airport we first went the ATM to get cash.  The woman in front of us somehow forgot to take her money, what we thought was 20 franks, so Joe ran after her.  He startled her, but she gladly took her 200 Franks she left in the machine.  We did our good deed for the day, but the sad part of the story is she thought we were European.  The woman clearly was from the south from her accent and said “God bless you.”   She clearly didn't recognize us as fellow Americans.  Oh well.

At the train station Sarah picked up the free transport tickets for us to get to downtown.  Yes, all arrivals get free transport tickets to get downtown for free.  Where else in the world do they do this?  Not anywhere we've seen.

Number one: St. George's church

After checking in to the hotel, we marched off to the first item on wikitravel: St. George's church.  It was a very lovely church, although we had seen many by this point.

Calvin's chair.

We went up the north tower to see Geneva.  Very lovely view.

These were steep steps: each one was about twice Joe's hand... in a spiral.... fun!

The soccer ball in the distance is where the famous fountain would blast up.  We happened to be in Geneva the same time as the Europe Cup Soccer tournament (a big deal, apparently).  There were signs in all of the businesses showing their support of the event.  For perspective, the restaurant owner in Rome was watching the tournament in the back.  While in Madrid, the bars advertised the games would be available.

We didn't get a chance to see a game though.  There weren't any playing while we were there, and even if there had been, we doubt we would have been able to get cheap tickets.

Number two: Central Perk

We walked through the old hilly Geneva to the two city parks.  The old Geneva is built on a hill and surrounded by a large brick wall, resembling a fortress.  While steep, it was cool scenery.  We walked past a restaurant that Bill Clinton ate at (his picture and signature were on the wall), but it was a bit too pricey for our tastes.  This the famous water spout when it goes off:

These are large chess and checker boards in the city park.

The central opera building.

Our goal in walking this way was to get to Central Perk, a coffee shop that pays homage to the television show Friends.  We read about it on wiki travel, and more important, we knew they had free wifi.

The coffee shop didn't look like the one on TV, and really wasn't remarkable at all.  There weren't pictures from the cast or even furniture place correctly.  It was just a coffee shop with couches.  Plus, the hot chocolate we ordered was basically warm milk and chocolate packets that we had to stir in ourselves.  The internet worked, though, so we were able to catch up on emails and blogging.

Number three: Bought chocolate at grocery store

We next went to a grocery store and bought a ridiculous amount of chocolate.  And by we, we mean Joe bought a ridiculous amount. Sarah bought a reasonable amount. Joe bought over 30 bars. The airport security in Paris even commented. But Swiss chocolate is good, right?  Why not take full advantage of it while it's cheap.

This item is here so we remember which grocery store we went to.

Number four: Ate at chicken place for dinner

That night we wanted a safe meal, so we picked Chez Ma Cousine  from wikitravel.  It is touted as a fantastic chicken restaurant that cooks chicken slowly for 60 minutes before serving.  Plus, it was right next to our hotel.

The food was pretty good, very reasonable, and we recommend eating there.  The only caveat is drinks are expensive.  Sarah bought a 3 Frank glass of wine that was 1 deciliter (10 centiliters)... in France and Italy you can almost get a liter for that.

Number five: Following morning we went to UN

This item is not listed on the map because it's relatively far to the north.  We took a bus there following the great directions we got at the train station.  In Geneva they have manned information centers that describe public transport.  Plus, hotels are required to give free day passes to all residents.  It's basically a hotel tax for public transport, but the system is very good.

The UN site is the old League of Nations headquarters that a rich man donated.  It's built in the 1930s style, similar in interior appearance as the Empire State Building.  Unlike the UN in New York, this building is attractive and worth preserving.  The tour isn't the most riveting experience, but it is pleasant.  We agreed it's interesting that we started our Europe trip off at the EU in Brussels and finished it at the UN in Geneva.  Both tours went the same... maybe it's social commentary of some kind, but we're not sure what it means.

One cool thing.  Some Koreans were trying to schedule a tour using their broken English.  The security guard asked them if they spoke French, they said no, and then he switched into Korean.  How many other people in the world do you know that speak English, French, German, and Korean?  (Those are the languages we saw... there may be more!).  Very cool.

On our tour a group of World Health Organization (we think) interns showed up.  Since they're working for a UN subsidiary, they could take the tour for free.  We think it was their first days on the job since a tour makes sense to do early.  This wouldn't be remarkable except the interns acted like they owned the place.  They talked loudly, often about inappropriate stuff, and peeked into doors without permission.  One topic in particular was "Why does the US always invade ugly places like Iraq and Afghanistan?  Why doesn't it invade a beautiful place like Geneva?"  Yes, they were Americans.  Likely pre-med looking for a resume booster.  We think they just finished their sophomore years given their maturity and appearance.

The interior grounds:

The interior of the building.

The original main assembly hall for the League of Nations.

The main assembly hall. Yes, they have wireless!

After finishing the tour, we took the bus to the train station and hopped on a free train to Besancon.  We liked Geneva, and we would love to return for the hiking.

Au Revoir,

J+S