En Suisse

This past weekend, I headed off to Geneva, Switzerland with two of my bridesmaids-to-be to see the Salon Genevois du Mariage.  The Salon du Mariage was held in the beautifully lit Bâtiment des Forces Motrices that swims in the middle of the Rhône River.  We were able to see a défilé, a new word I've learned that, in this case, applies to a fashion show, but actually just refers to a standardized way of walking (since a military can also have a défilé.  Interesting, no?)  We also looked through tons of wedding photographs, wedding invitations, honeymoon destinations, and were given tiny, silver wrapped chocolates in a reward for our efforts.  Great fun.
But, as a spoiler, let me say to anyone thinking of going to Geneva: you probably don't have any business being in Geneva unless you are a) King of a very large country or b) incredibly rich.  I have never been to a place that was so expensive.
After the Salon du Mariage, the three of us decided to find a restaurant and have dinner.  Dominique, my old housemate  who has since moved back to London, really wanted to find raclette, something we eat on special occasions in France.  When we have raclette, we usually eat about 6 potatoes that we smother in raclette cheese and various bits of sliced meats.  Delicious.
We finally found a few restaurants serving raclette, so we stopped in at one that offered the meal at what we thought was the cheapest price.  I felt a little hesitant when I saw that the meal had been translated as "melted cheese."  Still, it was a special occasion, so we decided to order the raclette anyway.
Here's what happened:

The above picture is my $30 raclette.  So what do we have?  A plate of melted cheese, two small onions, three potato halves, and a pickle.  This is definitely the most expensive meal I've ever eaten.
But these are the moments that make memories, so we all laughed at our incredibly bad fortune and ate up anyway. 

The next day, we headed off site-seeing.  We saw the horlage fleurie, the large clock whose face is made entirely of seasonal flowers.  We saw Vieille Ville, or Old Town.  We also saw the famous jet of water shooting out of the Rhône.  We went to a park and saw the Reformation Wall where you find memorials to John Calvin and Martin Luther.  And when we were sufficiently soaked, we ducked into a coffee shop to warm up (and paid 7 Swiss Francs for a drink...oh my.)
Later on that day, just before it was time to head to the train station to get our flights to London (for Dominique) and Paris (for Madeleine and me), we saw a man get mugged.
We were walking past a tourist shop, and these two young guys starting trying to feed us all sorts of lines--drague-ing.  So, after giving them our withering stares, we walked off.  But soon, one of the two guys started running ahead of us, heading straight for a smaller Indian man who was busy photographing the Rhône.  Before we realized what was happening, the younger man stole the Indian man's wallet and disappeared under the bridge.  The three of us rushed over to the man who had just been robbed.  We helped him get directions to the police station, but really, all of us knew it was too late.  The thief hadn't gotten the man's credit cards, but he'd stolen all his cash, which is almost impossible to recover. 
In light of my recent history, the situation really upset me.
As we left Geneva, we concluded that, in Geneva, you will get robbed one way or another.  Either you will pay $30 for a plate of melted cheese or you will get mugged.  It's a simle, unavoidable fact of life.
But that sounds so negative, and shining a bad light on Geneva, of course, isn't fair.  While I wouldn't go to Geneva for a weekend of shopping or restaurant discovery, Geneva is a stunning city.  With all of its bridges and quays, with its mountains in the backgrounds, with its clear, crisp air and beautiful fall leaves, Geneva was a truly lovely place.
So, maybe what I said at the beginning about needing to be wealthy in Geneva isn't entirely true.  If you're planning to eat in Geneva's restaurants or shop in Geneva's shops, yes, you must be wealthy.  But even if your pockets are not spilling over with cash, Geneva's still worth the flight over.  It offers so many gorgeous parks, friendly people, the quaint sound of church bells, and breathtaking views.
And for all those who love chess, you'll be happy to find all the "people-sized" chess boards sitting around in Reformation Park...

So, with that,I'd better be off.  Geneva was a great diversion, but it's still November, which means it's still National Novel Writing Month, which means, my novel needs some serious attention...

So, à bientôt!