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TripFiction reflections – Geneva

29th September 2017

TripFiction reflections – Geneva.

So many airlines fly – with some extraordinarily cheap prices – to Geneva, Switzerland. Have you ever thought of spending a weekend there, or a long day? Perhaps you thought it was too expensive? Well, think again. The cheap flights not only offer visitors accessibility to the mountains, they also offer the chance to visit a rather nice city, perched on the western end of Lake Geneva.

In our TripFiction reflections – #TFReflections – we offer a few simple ideas of what you can do on a short break. You will find plenty of things to see! And just see how many things are free!

First, take your free ticket from the ticket machine in the airport station for the the 8 minute ride into the city.

So, what is there to see? First, the huge fountain on the on the Lake, the Jet d’Eau.

TripFiction reflections - Geneva

Enjoy the vast array of shops selling items to the super wealthy. How many watches do you need? Experience the jewellery shops which display photos of the jewellery (all those diamonds, rubies and emeralds) that are just too costly to actually display in the windows. Take a look at the beautifully crafted display of shoes at the Louboutin shop. And buy a couple of delicious macaroons from Ladurée to munch as you wander the streets.

Macaroons at the famous Ladurée at Rue du Mont Blanc

Hire a bicycle to see more of the city, free for four hours via Genèveroule

Pull together a picnic at the Coop-Cité food department and eat on the pontoon overlooking the lake and the fountain and the grand shops on Quai des Bergues..

The pontoon overlooking the lake and Quai des Bergues

Amble through the Passage des Lions – again appreciate the quality shops, eateries and ambience.

Passage des Lions

Head over to the Old Town, just tucked above the Lake on the South side where you feel as though you could be in Paris.

Admire the wealth of wrought iron shops signs dotted around the city.

Peruse the original and artisan shops

Explore hidden courtyards

The water feature at Café Papon

Look out for the canons

And finally, on your way back to the main station, drop in at Il Monte Bianco on the next street over – food and wine in a wonderful Italian Delicatessen where you can fill sandwiches with freshly cooked vegetables and delicacies or just stop for an affordable cup of coffee

Il Monte Bianco

There are many more things to see including the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and entry is – guess what –  FREE!

Enjoy! And if you need more convincing, check out 36 Hours in Geneva via the NY Times.

And what books might you read there to get under the skin of the city?

Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner has become a classic, Booker Prize winning read.

Into the rarefied atmosphere of the Hotel du Lac timidly walks Edith Hope, romantic novelist and holder of modest dreams. Edith has been exiled from home after embarrassing herself and her friends. She has refused to sacrifice her ideals and remains stubbornly single. But among the pampered women and minor nobility Edith finds Mr Neville, and her chance to escape from a life of humiliating spinsterhood is renewed . .

 

The Fear Index by Robert Harris.

With his eighth novel, but only his second set in the present day (after “Ghost”), Robert Harris will surely notch up another international bestseller. Alex Hoffman, a Geneva-based scientist turned hedge-fund supremo, has the Midas touch. But when he devises an algorithm capable of predicting the effects of human fear on world stockmarkets, he risks being devoured by his own brilliance. Harris’s swift, lucid porse enables even the most mathematically challenged to feel at home with “quants” and “shorts”. And while Hoffman’s sidekick is your classic “steel-balled shit”, Hoffman himself is sufficiently subtle and psychologically fragile to flesh out the drama with human interest. a “Frankenstein” for the 21st century.

There are plenty more titles for you to choose from including Mary Shelley and Graham Greene on our database.

Do come and join team TripFiction on Social Media:

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Comments

  1. User: AnnMarie Lamb

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 3:15 pm

    Neat article and views. From an author point of view … believe it or not, the little water feature at the café was the most endearing. Those little details are usually what makes our books unique. Thanks for doing a twist on travel fiction.

    Comment

  2. User: Judith Works

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 2:27 pm

    Don’t know about the airport – I never had trouble. I found the Red Cross museum especially interesting along with the pleasures of strolling in the Old Town.

    Comment

  3. User: Rebecca Stonehill

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 11:24 am

    Love this post! I spent half my childhood in Switzerland as my Dad lived in a small village in the mountains outside Geneva. Many happy memories of running under the Jet d’Eau (or Geneva squirt as we called it) and wandering the city’s beautiful streets. Thanks for the post!

    Comment

    1 Comment

    • User: tripfiction

      Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 12:01 pm

      Ah, I will now only ever see it as the Geneva Squirt!!!

      Comment

  4. User: Harriet Steel

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 11:05 am

    I love the photos, it looks so pretty there. It’s years since I went but I remember the jet de eau was very impressive. An hour and a half at passport control sounds grim. I hope they didn’t find all that the gold bullion hidden away in your luggage. (Only joking.)

    Comment

    1 Comment

    • User: tripfiction

      Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 12:02 pm

      Thank you… as one comment says it is know as the Geneva Squirt! And it is a particularly photogenic city!

      Comment

  5. User: Janine Phillips

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 11:00 am

    Great pictures and interesting post, thank you

    Comment

  6. User: Khaled Talib

    Posted on: 29/09/2017 at 10:36 am

    I visited Geneva twice, and ended up writing a thriller novel, entitled,Incognito, with 20% of its backdrop while including other parts of Switzerland.
    I was there during winter and hung around in the old part of town.
    I remember the locals complaining how cold it was, but I found the weather just perfect. Lucky me, I guess, for not freezing.

    Comment