A Weekend in Geneva

I'd just about had enough time to unpack and re-pack (and fight off dengue fever) and I was back on a plane again – this time to Geneva!

We were met at the airport by my Auntie Liz who whisked me, my mum and my best friend Hana back to her beautiful home situated in a rural area just over the French border. The house is instantly impressive both in terms of size and setting but the interior is even better; I felt as though we'd arrived onto the set of an Ideal Home Magazine shoot!

In fact, I was so distracted by the modern feature walls and striking artwork which decorate the space so beautifully that I almost didn't notice the view beyond. Sliding open the glass doors, Liz led us out to a glistening swimming pool overlooking the snowy Alps. Even in the fading sunlight, we could just about make out the peak of the Mont Blanc. I was quite sure this was going to be an awesome few days.

The evening ran away with us as we caught up over wine and nibbles and before we knew it, it was time for bed. The following morning, we woke late and had a leisurely breakfast by the poolside whilst making a plan for the day. Midway through, we were joined by a welcome surprise - my cousin, Sian! 

Sian lives and works in Africa and my travels are yet to take me to that part of the world so we're rarely in the same continent, let alone country. I felt very lucky to have her with us for the weekend and having listened to her incredible tales of Chad and Sierra Leone, I don't imagine it will be long until I do spend some time that way.

Though we could easily have spent the whole day by the pool, we were keen to make the most of our short few days so got ourselves sorted and headed out to Annecy. My Aunt told me that I'd been before as a child but my memory was hazy and I certainly didn't remember it being quite so stunning. The lake is almost impossibly blue with fountains  at the centre which cast rainbows in the ripples.

All five of us wanted a closer look so we hired a pedalo and made our way into the midst of it all. The youngsters pedalled whilst our mums took pics (not a fair deal) with all of us pointing at the marvels passed along the way. In particular, I loved the turreted castles high up on the hills which struck me as quintessentially French and really rather beautiful.

The Frenchniess continued into the afternoon as we settled on a Creperie for lunch, indulging in a mixture of savoury and sweet, from entree through to dessert; at least some of us had earned it after our work-out on the lake! Soon after we headed back, fighting the temptation to enter every Swiss chocolate shop in our passing and instead settling for pink champagne on the terrace at home. 

Over dinner the bubbles continued, unveiling more and more hilarious family stories. My favourites, however, were those from before my time when my mum and Liz toured the States together and got up to all kinds of mischief. It reminded me a lot of mine and Hana's own tales except that ours are arguably a lot more tame!

On our final morning, Liz took us along to a typical French market which we fell in love with instantly. Wandering between the stalls, we soon found that our sense of smell was far more reliable than our GCSE French skills in leading us to the best vendors handing out small portions of cheese, fruit and freshly baked bread. Unsurprisingly, the tasters did the trick and we found ourselves leaving with an armful of baguettes amongst macaroons and all sorts else.

This all made for an epic lunch spread back home and there was a genuine concern that if we stayed still for too long afterwards we'd fall into a food coma and miss the flight home. Instead we swiftly (but sadly!) packed our bags and headed out to Geneva for one final stop in town before the airport called. 

It was a whirlwind of a visit but so worth it. There's nothing better than escaping the city for a weekend and immersing yourself in the beautiful European countryside – with a flight time of little more than an hour, it really is at our fingertips!

Switzerland Dash for Chocolate Stash

Lake Como is just a half hour’s drive from the border of Switzerland and so we decided to add another stamp to our passports and pop over there for the day. I usually visit Lugano every year as it’s one of the first towns on the other side and is where my dad used to work.

As you’d expect, the Italian side of Switzerland is similar to Italy in many ways. For example, they speak the same language, eat the same food, and even have an identical looking lake which could easily be mistaken for Lake Como itself.

However, there are differences too. Firstly, Switzerland are not part of the EU and therefore still use their own currency. Although many shops and restaurants will accept Euros, you’ll always receive your change in Swiss Francs. This usually means we end up with a load of coins which can’t be exchanged back into Euros and therefore, have to be spent in Switzerland.

It’s rather fortunate then, that there is always something worthwhile to spend it on: Swiss chocolate! We spent a good majority of our day in various chocolate shops, picking out our favourites to eat on the spot and packaging up presents to take back home (though there’s no guarantee they’ll make it that far.) One of the best chocolate spots is in a department store which dedicates an entire section to Lindt balls. I never knew there were so many flavours! We got rather carried away creating our own pick’n’mix bags and I ended up having to pay with my credit card anyway.

At midday we found an Italian run restaurant in the main square which served pasta dishes in various sizes. It seemed perfect as we were planning a large dinner and needed to leave room for all of our chocolates. Though we fully intended to order the smallest portion, when it came to it we completely forgot to specify size. Of course they didn’t ask and instead just defaulted to the biggest dish! Two mouthfuls in, however, I was secretly happy and finished every single bit.

Even just across the border, Switzerland is noticeably more expensive than Italy. That said, once we’d headed out of the main square we managed to find a number of bars and gelaterias which were far more affordable. Determined to spend the last of the change in my pocket, we sat down to a glass of red wine each which cost us only two Swiss Francs; an absolute bargain in any country. 

Lugano is a lovely town but for a true taste of Switzerland, you need to veture further in. Aside from the excessive (and often extortionately priced) chocolate shops, you could feel as though you were still in Como.