TAnother lovely day here in Geneva, Switzerland. It is a city holiday but there are a few places and several restaurants are open. Several more of our folks are here and are touring some of the places Sandy and I visited earlier this week.
The holiday does not effect Lausanne and those that could went there to visit all the sights we saw yesterday. A few others went to the historic district here and found a few places open. Sandy and I went to an early mass at the Notre Dame church across the street from our hotel. It was fascinating to see the mass celebrated in French.
After mass we took a short bus ride to the United Nations.
Even though the facility was closed there were several people there and we were able to take a few photos. It was very impressive to see all of the flags from so many countries all in one place.
We also saw the monumental "Broken Chair" sculpture. It is constructed of 5.5 tons of wood and is 39 feet high and depicts a giant chair with a broken leg. It stands across the street from the Palace of Nations. It symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.
We then walked over to the Botanical gardens and strolled through the lovely gardens and the magnificent arboretums. The gardens had displays of all types of plants, from lush gardens to desert cacti.
I even got a picture of this guy sitting on a Lilly pad.
There was an ancient merry-go-round that looks like it has been delighting children for generations. It was a quiet respite from the touring we have been doing.
On the way back to the hotel we strolled along the lake and saw the magnificent Jet d'Eau fountain shooting high into the air.
And then we stopped for lunch at a small cafe. This works for lunch - right? I had this tasty apple tart and Sandy indulged in some delicious espresso gelato. Yummy!
We went to the bike store and got there just as Dan and Suzi were getting fitted for their tandem for the ride. Sandy and I also had our fitting; so we are good to go on Saturday.
We are back at the hotel resting our poor feet and talking about dinner plans.
Tomorrow is open and we hope to see the flower clock, visit the Patek Philippe watch museum and do a bit of shopping in Carouge - a small town close to Geneva. Of course we might check out some Swiss watches. Don't worry Bob I won't be buying one - REALLY!
4 comments:
No watch,eh! I will believe it when I don't see it. LOL.
FYI I believe that the cathedral in Geneva is Saint Pierre-Fusterie. Notre Dame is in Paris. Nice pictures. The frog is really cute. Who else but some one from Phoenix would take pictures of cacti. Looks like great fun. Terry
You are correct about the church, however this is a smaller church here in Geneva with the same name not the large one in Paris.
What a beautiful church. A watch is small you can fit it in your bag. Love you
Post a Comment