Day 12 - Around Geneva

Breakfast was downstairs in the hotel.  Like the hotel in Nice, you could order off the menu or take what you wanted from the buffet.  It was good, but not nearly as nice as the hotel in Nice.  However, their tea bags were a treat to deal with and the cup and saucer were unique. Not a typical circle but elliptical at one end.  This is so you had a good place to put your spoon.

 

After breakfast, we piled into the bus for an overview bus tour of Geneva. The hotel is not far from the lake.  Lake Geneva is also known as Lake Leman. This lake is very large and borders France in places as well.  We drove by the lake, but didn't really get any good pictures from the bus.  The tour took us to the International District where we got off the bus to view the Broken Chair Monument.  It symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and diplomats visiting Geneva. You can't see the leg in the picture of us, but it is visible in the picture of another couple in our group - Rhonda & John from Tennessee.

The chair is across from the United Nations Headquarters - All of the countries flags line the entrance. Our group took a picture in front.  Too bad Lynda wasn't looking at the camera. 

We then walked around and into the extensive gardens surrounding the area. Many things had been donated and there finally was a bench to sit down on.

 

 

 

 

Back on the bus, we drove over to the Old Town of Geneva.  This is across the lake from where we were staying.  We split into walking groups.  Or should I say, Howard and I had our own Gentle Walkers guide and the rest of the group went on their way. We walked over to see the  Russian Church, and then continued on to the Bourg-de-Four Square.  Bourg-de-Four is a cobblestone square in the Old Town of Geneva, Switzerland. It is located on the site of the old Roman forum and medieval market. Some of the buildings have unusual door knockers.  

  

We wound our way over to the Saint Pierre Cathedral. Lynda's knee was bothering her so she sat outside in the wonderful sunshine and Howard toured inside. He even took the inside shots of the church.

 

 

 

More walking (Gentle walkers cover the same amount of territory just at a slower pace) over to the worlds longest bench after walking down a very steep hill.  The bench overlooks the city.  We also saw many children at play.

 

Eventually got down to a street level where we were to meet the bus.  Along the way was a monument The Reformation Wall - The monument is built into the old city walls, and the monument's location supposed to represent the importance of the fortifications, and therefore of the city of Geneva, to the Reformation which was a great part of Switzerland's history.

 

Back on the bus for a drive out to Montreux Rivera.  This is a picturesque town that has drawn artist, entertainers, and travelers to it's lakeside avenues.  We had lunch at a quaint Italian restaurant and Howard got a Gelato for dessert at stand along the shore.  We then proceeded by bus to Chillon Castle - a Medieval fortress  of the Savoy family that once served as a prison.

 

Unfortunately, it is at this point of the day that Howard realized that he didn't have his wallet any more. His shoulder sling bag had locks on the zippered compartments and he was sure that he had put his receipt and wallet back in the zippered compartment. Somewhere between the Gelato stand and when we got off the bus to walk to the castle he had his wallet stolen. Needless to say this was very upsetting. 

When we finally made it back to the hotel (of course during rush hour) we cancelled our dinner reservations and instead was on the phone to our credit card companies and bank to put a stop on any purchases.  We found out that three train tickets had been purchased for over 450 Euros each.  The bank cancelled the transaction and refunded the money.  Fortunately, Lynda had the passports in her purse which was under her jacket. She also had credit cards that were different numbers than the ones that were stolen.  We will have to deal with getting replacements for his drivers license, and medical cards when we return.  Also have to notify all the vendors that had that credit card for regular monthly payments.  What a royal pain.  Discouraged, we just ate at the hotel for dinner that night and went to bed early.

Cheers

Toot and Teaser