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I hiked all the way to the top of Le Salève. And unexpectedly, back down again.

One of the things that I’ve been meaning to do but hadn’t gotten around to yet is hiking up Le Salève, Geneva’s local mountain. One morning last week I got up with a whole Saturday to kill, so I decided to head over on the 8 bus to Veyrier, France, at the foot of the mountain, and do some serious hiking. Continue reading →

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Amster… dam, this city rocks!

I’m sometimes asked, ‘what’s your favorite European city?’. It’s a question I always have a little trouble answering. I’ve written in this blog about our adventures in places like Paris, London, Rome, Budapest, and many others. Which was my favorite? It’s a tie.

But I think I can answer this question: Where did you have the most fun? Used to be Dublin. But after visiting for five days last month, there’s a new leader in the clubhouse: Amsterdam. Here’s a look at a little of what we did. Continue reading →

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I’ve visited dozens of European cathedrals. Here are my two favorites.

The Cathedral from the Plaza

The Cathedral from the Plaza

I’ve written before about European cathedrals and how awe inspiring they are. We generally make it a point to visit the cathedral in every town we visit. While all grand European cathedrals have certain common elements – such as 100 foot high ceilings, cool statuettes and gargoyles, ornate doorways, and enormous pipe organs – each also has its own unique “personality”. For some, its distinctiveness is revealed in the structure’s exterior, for others, in its interior. Therefore, I am compelled to select two favorites. My choices are: For best exterior… the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg, France. (Honorable mention: the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Clermont, France because it’s made of black basalt.) And for best interior… the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, France. (Honorable mention: Saint Peters’ Basilica at Vatican City because its really really huge.) Continue reading →

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Small is Beautiful. And Lichtenstein is definitely both.

Since arriving in Switzerland almost two years ago now, I’ve had this hankering to visit one of its neighbors: Lichtenstein. I didn’t have a particularly sophisticated reason for wanting to visit. In fact, my principal incentive was simply due to the fact that it would be so much fun to be able to tell my American friends, “yep, I’ve been to Lichtenstein.” Because who goes to Lichtenstein? Nobody, that’s who. But we did, and I’ll tell you this: Turns out there is a lot more to Lichtenstein than the fact that its fun to tell people you’ve been there. Continue reading →

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There are some weird trees over here!

One of the things I’m always reminded of as I travel around Europe is the way that certain common, everyday things are very different here than they are in the U.S. Cars, for example, are all much smaller over here. Sidewalks and streets are often made of stone, not concrete or asphalt. And then there are the trees. There are some really odd trees over here. Continue reading →

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I go “winter hiking” in the shadow of the Eiger

I had a little alone time on my hands recently and decided it would be fun to make a solo road trip. Because I wanted only to be gone one day, I narrowed my options down to two choices. I could either: 1) drive the 4 hours to Lichtenstein, and see Lichtenstein or 2) I could drive the two-and-a-half hours to Interlaken for some snow-hiking. Considering the pros and cons of each, I decided that the shorter drive combined with the chance to be outside and to see the Eiger up close outweighed the appeal of being able to say, “Yep, I’ve been to Lichtenstein!”

So I packed myself a lunch and climbed into the car early one morning and off I went. Continue reading →

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Dead animals for sale! Get’cher dead animals, right here!!

As I’ve documented in previous posts, we really enjoy wandering through European outdoor markets. Shopping for fresh produce and other foodstuffs for the week – whether here in Geneva, or nearby in France’s Ferney-Voltaire or Divonnes-les-Bains (thought by many to be the best of them all) – remains one of our favorite things to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

And speaking of remains, check out some of the only-very-recently deceased main course critters being offered for sale. Continue reading →

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We head into the Jura Mountains for our first cross country skiing outing!

Next time you’re driving on Route 1 along the north shore of Lake Geneva from Geneva to Lausanne, take a moment to look away from the lake and Alps out the passenger side – I know it’s hard – and look out the driver’s side window. Those are the Jura Mountains.  The Jura Mountains are best known for two reasons.  First, the Jurassic geological period takes its name from the Jura Mountains because limestone strata from the period (about 200 million years ago to 150 million years ago, give or take a couple million years) were first identified there. Second, the Jura Mountains offer some of the best cross-country skiing on the planet. Andrew Brenner, writing for the New York Times Travel section in 2014 described the area like this:

Imagine all the cross country ski trails in New England crammed into an area slightly smaller than New Hampshire. Now raise the base elevation to a plateau of 3,500 feet. Then bulldoze a 10-foot wide perfectly groomed boulevard of a cross country ski trail… and you’ve got something on par with the Nordic haven that is the Jura.>/em> Continue reading →

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Contrary to conventional wisdom, it only occasionally snows in Geneva

When I tell my American friends about life in Geneva, many assume the entire country is snowbound for much of the year. People think “Switzerland” in winter and they imagine the Alps, skiing, and powdered hot chocolate.

The truth is that snow in Geneva is a rarity. In fact, due to the tempering effects of Lake Léman, and surrounding mountains (the French Alps and the Jura Mountains) Geneva is pleasant almost year round.  And the city is not perched high in the mountains, its altitude is a mere 1,225 feet.  Its not a long trip in virtually any direction to get up into the mountains where there is plenty of snow, but you won’t find much in the city.

But on occasion, it does snow. And we just experienced our first “major” snowfall. Continue reading →