Driving out of Venice was easy, and the highways were incredibly fast. This was very encouraging, as I had anticipated a six hour drive at the very least to get to Geneva. Instead we made it in about four and a half... boo' wait for it... ... 'yaaaaa. The drive was ominous, as the further west-north-west that we drove, the larger and more magnificent the alps became. Beginning as a simple, 'oh look, pretty mountains', it quickly turned into a, 'holy s---, f------ amazing mountains!' ... :-) They just kept growing larger and larger the closer we got to Geneva, with the second most reflective inspiring moment coming when we stopped for lunch. I had searched through Frommers for a city to stop in for lunch on the way, looking for one that had a good restaurant worthy of stopping at, and a city that wasn't so big that getting in and out would eat up massive amounts of time. I found the historic city of Aoste, located directly at the foot of the alps. The city dates back thousands of years as a northern outpost of the Roman Empire. It has one of the oldest triumphal arches in the world, and it's city walls are still standing, incorporated into the the city itself. As if that isn't cool enough, this was the inspiring view from where we parked to go to lunch:
Pretty stinking fantastic. After a mediocre cheese fondue lunch (actually it was pathetic), we continued on toward Geneva. What we enjoyed next is unparalleled in sheer natural beauty. Never have I laid my eyes on a more magnificent landscape - and we've seen alot of incredible landscapes in the last month. I'm speaking of Mont Blanc. THEE Mont Blanc. In order to get to Geneva, one must first drive one of a few tunnels that go THROUGH the Alps. Our pass was the famous Mont Blanc Tunnel. Higher and higher we drove up winding roads and tunnels along the alps, watching as the temperature dropped ever so slowly. We finally found ourselves at what by all appearances looks like a border crossing station. After a few customary questions by the patrol guys, and paying the fee to use the tunnel, we made our way in. Spanning twelve kilometres and strictly regulated to 70 km/h, it took about ten minutes to drive through. It was bizarre though, as we saw the temperature rise from seven degrees to an astounding twenty degrees! You could also feel that you were clearly still on a vertical incline, heading higher and higher in altitude. And then... it happened. The tunnel ended and it spat us back into the real world, at what seemed like almost the peak of the mountain. It was snowing! Every where we looked was jaw-dropping, the massive mountains, snow covered and dotted with evergreens. The temperate quickly plummeted to two degrees at it's lowest. Just incredible.
We began the slow descent down the mountains, and even stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom and then just stood outside in the dead quiet, watching the snow coming down on the mountains that surrounded us. I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
We made it down the mountains and into Geneva shortly after that, and got settled in. After having the worst time trying to park the stupid car in a nearby lot (took me an HOUR to park at a place that was a two minute walk from our hotel... ONE HOUR!), we decided on dinner. Thanks to a lousy cheese fondue at lunch, I was determined to enjoy a true swiss fondue in Switzerland. A local restuarant provided one that was pure heaven. The restuarant was designed in old country Swiss decor, and they even had an Oompa Loompa band. It was alot of fun. We walked down by the lake after dinner, just enjoying every moment, and admiring the beauty of the city. It's alot like Monaco in alot of ways, though more like a baby Monaco in comparison to Monaco's oppulence.
We were sad to find out that there didn't appear to be any cruises or tours going around the area, and the famous Jet D'Eau wasn't spraying at night, but it was okay, we didn't complain. Today was alot of fun! We got to see the Jet in action, and spent the morning walking around the harbor, getting right up close to the Jet. It's been around for a couple hundred years from what I understand, and displays the Swiss engineering spirit. It sprays a few hundred feet into the air, splashing back down in sheets and daggers of clear water.
We then went on an outlined walk through the city that Frommers had recommended, which was perfect. We saw the historical part of the city, and many other fascinating things. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch called Place de la Madeleine, which was one of the best meals I've had in awhile. Thanks to last nights Fondue and today's lunch, we finally feel as though we've returned to a world of good food. Italy started so well, and then just got spotty throughout. Too bad. Anywho, this restaurant is fascinating as it's owned and run by a religious anti-alcohol group that gives much of it's profit to helping people with alcohol addictions. They don't serve any alcohol, but had a fantastic non-alcoholic beer. Their roast chicken was hands down the best I've ever had anywhere.
We then went shopping! There's a HUGE shopping district in Geneva, though it's all very upscale. Lindsay and I enjoyed window shopping, but also stopped off at a famous cigar shop called Davidoff's to buy a couple stogies, and hit up a fancy looking grocery store for good times. The grocery store was super high class, with some of the most magnificent looking meats and produce, and a great selection of wines. We bought some chocolate there, mmm swiss chocolate. After that we just leisurely strolled back through the city and towards our hotel, stopping to 'smell the roses' along the way. We got cleaned up, and then grabbed the local transit outside the downtown core for another highly rated cheese fondue restaurant. The Swiss know what they're doing with their fondue, that's all I can say. Though I am extremely proud to say that my cheese fondue is equal to both we've had now here in Geneva. Lindsay and I shared a bubbling pot of cheese, and some nice wine, before heading back to the hotel tonight to get ready for our last day in Europe. The transit system appears to be completely free here in Geneva, as we boarded the bus both times without having to pay a dime, and nobody else seemed to either... ??? Pretty awesome if you ask me.
We've now just finished the arduous process of trying to pack all of the liquor and souvenirs we've purchased throughout our travels, along with our clothes and stuff. It wasn't fun, and we still have some junk sitting out that we'll have to find a home for tomorrow night, but we wanted to get as much of it done tonight. This way, we can enjoy tomorrow night in Paris without feeling we have to rush back to the hotel to pack. The more we think about home, the more excited we are now to get back to life. We miss our wittle puppy Mr. Moses alot, as well as both our families, and all of our dear friends. It was great to have so many comments on our posted pictures from everybody following our adventure, and we can't wait to share more when we get back.
Tomorrow will be bittersweet, though I'm excited to see what a month's worth of change has made on Paris, and it'll feel nice returning to the rural landscape that I grew to love at the beginning of our adventure. Here are some pictures of Geneva, next stop Paris, then home. Cheers!
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