A lesson in the European way of life

I quickly learned that Nice, France is a place where Europeans go on 'holiday.' The culture is very self indulgent: beautiful people laying out on the the French Riviera all day, spending a lot of money shopping in hundreds of stores, and eating for hours at fancy restaurants. There are a lot of young people that visit, so Tina and I fit right in for our weekend getaway. We arrived in Nice on Friday afternoon, and my first impression was that I couldn't decide if Nice looked more like California, Florida, or the Bahamas!

We went first to our hostel, and were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. We had decided to have a true hostel experience (i.e. the cheapest experience) and stay in an eight bunk female dorm. I was relieved to meet our very nice roommates from Ireland. Most people in the hostel were just like Tina and I, wanting to find adventure on the French Riviera, although most had been traveling around Europe for weeks.

Tina and I were just so excited to be in this beautiful place and wanted to explore it all! We began our adventure around the hostel in various shops, and found the main street that has most of the stores on it. By the time we got there, the stores were closing, so we found a restaurant called Hippopotamus to eat dinner. It was sort of an upscale burger/steak grill (how American of us. At least Tina tried some ratatouille!)  After dinner, we walked down the main road towards the beach and made mental notes of the shops we wanted to visit in the morning. When we finally got to the beach, it was dark, but it was still beautiful. The city really comes alive at night with all the young people from around the world gathering on the beach to hangout. There is no sand, but the beach is made of smooth rocks a little smaller than the size of your palm. (And I thought getting sandy was a pain, imagine lying on rocks!) We sat for awhile on the beach, appreciating the moon rising above the water and all that Nice would have in store for us the next day.

Saturday was bright and clear, and we couldn't wait to get to the beach. After a yummy breakfast, we took the same path down to the water as we had the night before, but this time we could stop at as many stores as we wanted. (It was hours before we finally made it to the beach. We have a real shopping problem!!)

 Yummy breakfasts!

 The main shopping area

I loved walking up to the water. A railing hides the sea's true beauty until you're right up next to it and can see the clear, teal-blue colors of the Mediterranean Sea. Even more beautiful than the water, I thought, was the uniquely-European villas stretching across the hills as they overlook the water.
Here are some views of the beach!

Possibly my favorite part about the beach: buying a huge watermelon slice from a traveling vendor. Yum! It was so relaxing to lay on the beach and unwind from the hard work we have been doing. It was much needed.

After we had decided that we were sun-kissed enough, we went to dinner. We went a little further into the more historic part of Nice and chose a cute little Italian pizzeria. We enjoyed dinner for hours, but most people in Nice don't start eating until 10:30 pm anyway. The best part of the night was our waiter, who recognized our accents and asked which part of the States we were from. He surprised us by saying he went to the University of Virginia! He lives there, working as an editor for the local NBC news. He was so funny, saying, "I miss Taco Bell supreme burritos, and Saturday Night Live." It was a little piece of home. What a small world!! After dinner we bought some bonbons (you guys, I eat too many bonbons. I am eating more as I write this) and enjoyed them on the beach.

Sunday went a lot like Saturday, but we took a new route to the beach through the historic, less commercial district. It was fun to see the buildings, churches, and shops that make up Nice. I could see why people like living here!

 Thumbs up for bonbons! 

Sunday night our hostel hosted a spaghetti party that was very popular. Mainly because it was a cheap, but it was fun to meet some other people staying in the hostel. After dinner, Tina and I decided to get some ice cream and cookies. We ate our last of many desserts on these gorgeous steps:

Getting back to CERN this morning was an adventure all on its own, but it just emphasized what this trip was  really all about. More than the shopping and the restaurants, this weekend was about seeing new places and experiencing new things. Something that I have heard and have found to be true is that Europeans have a different lifestyle than Americans.The people here are different than Americans in that they work so that they can have the means to enjoy life, but a typical American's life is their work. In a way, Europeans work to live, while Americans live to work. This is a difference that I have found refreshing, and my weekend in Nice has taught me the validity in the European way of life.

Some craziness and a castle

Another work week has started, but I am going into it happy from my weekend. It was busy so I will start from the beginning, but I think the most exciting things are at the end.

On Friday after work, my roommate Tina and I went shopping for some groceries. Now that I realize how expensive food (and everything, really) is here, I am trying to stay away from eating in the restaurant on site because it really adds up, even though it is delicious! Friday night there was a party for all the summer students, and it was fun to meet new people. It still blows my mind how people have come here from everywhere. Earlier this week someone was having trouble guessing where I was from based on my accent!

On Saturday, the city of Geneva came alive for the annual Lake Parade. And by "came alive," I mean that people were allowed to act as crazy as they wanted. Sort of like a Mardi Gras party, except it's moving on floats like a parade around the lake. Tina and I decided to go shopping (Again. We shop too much.) in Old Town Geneva, where they have cool shops ranging from cheap deals to extortion designers. After we were done shopping, we picked out a spot to relax further down the lake. While waiting for the parade to come nearer, we sunbathed, admired the lake, and bought a ton of BonBons! (YUM!) It was relaxing...until the parade passed by. It was madness. Pure craziness. Tina said it best, "People misuse the word 'crazy.' Now THIS, this is crazy." It was pretty interesting to people-watch, though. When I wasn't afraid I would get trampled.

After the largest and craziest part of the parade passed, we decided to walk back into Old Town to get some dinner. We stopped at a cute Italian pizzeria where we could eat outside. It was perfect weather to relax and enjoy our meal before heading back to CERN.

On Sunday, I decided to do something I have always wanted to do: visit a castle. I woke up early, went to the train station and bought a ticket to the Chateau de Chillon, about an hour and a half train ride to the opposite side of the lake. The train travels around the edge of the lake, and the first leg of it is mainly passing through small villages and farm land. The second half, however, was worth the whole trip (at least that's what I said until I saw the castle). The scenery made me realize that this country is a place created from greens and blues. On one side of the train, there were large green hills covered in vineyards and very European-looking houses. On the other side was the blue-green water of Lake Geneva with blue mountains juxtaposed to the very blue sky. This area looks different than Geneva because the mountains come right up to the lake instead of being in the distance.

I hopped off the train and walked along the short path leading to the castle. The first view of it took my breath away. It was magnificent. The castle was made of stones dating back to the 12th century, and it looks so medieval that I really felt like I was walking back in time. So much history and beauty is wrapped up in this place...

 See what I mean about greens & blues?

Walking up to the castle...

When I paid for admission, the staff gave me a brochure leading me through each of the rooms and explaining what was interesting in each room. The tour started in the basement, then led you up through the rooms where the family would live their daily lives, like the bedrooms and dining rooms with ancient furniture, and other military rooms.  My favorite part of the tour was the end, when I could actually climb up into the highest parts of the castle and take in the wonderful views! 

 The beginning of the tour: the entrance into the cellar, the prisons, and the crypt

 A place used for storage and as a prison

It was here that Lord Byron was inspired to write his famous poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"

 I loved the architecture of this place

 This is the view from one of the castle turrets. Check out the swimmers! This turret wasn't even from the tallest part of the castle

 This is the castle's chapel. Right after I exited the chapel, a traveling choir came in and performed a couple songs.  It was beautiful, and it made this holy space come alive. I could feel what it was like to worship in medieval times.

 Again, the architecture. Love it!

 The view from the Watchtower

 The view from the Keep

Another view from the Keep
 To give you some sense of scale, the turret that has the two spikes on it was the one from the earlier picture with the swimmers!

There were many many stairs to get here, but it was so worth it. The Keep offered a 360 degree view of the area. It is the highest part of the castle and the final stop on the tour. I wish the pictures could show just how high it really was. It was here that I decided to sit, rest, and eat an apple while marveling at the history I just walked through. (And gather some energy for the many stairs leading back to the ground!)

 After leaving the main part of the castle, I walked a little farther around the lake to get another view: 

I can't say exactly why I loved this place, or places similar to it. History classes doesn't particularly interest me, but I like being in old spaces. Especially if they're large, or ornate. I think both contain a lot of beauty, and I like seeing beautiful things. I guess what I really like is the feeling of being small: physically small next to a large building, or the reminder that I am just a small part of history. I really felt that at Chillon. 

I would say that my adventures will be slowing down...but on Friday I am flying to Nice, France with Tina! More stories about sand, sun, clear water beaches, and shopping to come!

Family time & gardens

This weekend Rebekah, Grace and Adam came to visit me in Geneva! This has been sometime I have looked forward to since, well, I found out they would be moving to Italy. They flew in Thursday and stayed in a cute little hotel very close to Lake Geneva. After work on Thursday, I took the tram into the city to see them. I introduced Rebekah to real Swiss cheese as we ate fondue at a local pub. It was so good to catch up!! Afterwards, we met Adam and Grace down by the lake. Grace seems so much bigger than I remember, but still acts the same. She was a little shy at first, but warmed up to me quickly. She is so cute when she answers my questions and says "Aunt Tay-tin!"

On Friday, I left work a little early to meet them back at their hotel. Rebekah and Adam were very generous to treat me to a hotel room too--a little mini vacation for me!

A panoramic view from my hotel window

We walked around Geneva a bit, sightseeing and catching up. We ate by the lake, with this view:

The Jet d'Eau at sunset

On Saturday morning, after a delicious breakfast of Nutella and (many) croissants, we took a bus to Geneva's botanical garden.

Wildflower at the Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens was a great kid's place. Grace couldn't get enough of the fountains and the carousel, her two favorite things. 

Grace loves the water

 

Grace and I at the Botanical Gardens

After Grace's/mommy's/my nap, we decided to walk up to the cathedral that I visited last weekend. We also, of course, had to stop for another carousel. And more snacks: paninis and ice cream...yum! We spent some more time relaxing and talking by the lake before taking a taxi boat back to the hotel for the night. 

Rebekah, Grace, and Adam left early Sunday morning. I had such a great time with them! I loved our time together because I haven't seen them in so long, and we were having fun exploring a new place while having a relaxing vacation too. I have plans to see them again in August!! I am going to meet them in Venice the first weekend of August and then go to their house in Naples the next weekend. I am already looking forward to seeing them again! 

This morning I decided that I wasn't quite ready to leave Geneva. I took Rebekah's suggestion to visit the Parc de la Grange. I took a taxi boat across the lake, and found this beauty: 

Wow. I mean...wow. The pictures don't do the estate justice. This place is like straight out of a Jane Austen-like fairy tale. This is by far my most favorite thing I have seen yet in Geneva, it made me feel as if I time traveled into a different world. A world much prettier and more romantic. I spent a lot of time appreciating its beauty, which I think can be shown better through some pictures...

Not only was there a beautiful manor, the estate had a rose garden. I should say a rose jungle, actually, because it was more than just any old garden. It was gorgeous. (Mom, I wish you could have seen it. You would have loved it. None of the roses smelled quite as good as the bush in our front yard, though!)

This weekend was many things, and all of them are good. It was fun, happy, beautiful, new, exciting, relaxing,  refreshing, and much needed. Thank you, Cole family, for visiting! And thank you, Geneva, for being a wonderful city.