Geneva

We spend most of our leisure time getting outdoors and exploring the mountains, but we have neglected some of the more urban attractions Switzerland has to offer. And so we decided to spend a sunny Monday in Geneva, the so-called "capital of peace" as it is home to the UN and Red Cross.

We were impressed with how very clean the streets of Geneva were. We strolled through the high-end fashion shopping district and saw first hand how Geneva qualified as the third most expensive city in the world!

A clean city centre

A bit further uphill and away from the lake, we arrived in the more historic Old Town. At the heart of the old town is the Place-de-Four, the oldest square in the city. We saw St Peter's Cathedral and then headed down into the grounds of the University of Geneva to see the Reformation Wall. This 100m-long wall was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Calvin's birth and it honours the main individuals, events and documents of the Protestant Reformation. It is built into the old city walls of Geneva. At the centre of the wall are four 5m-tall statues of Calvinism's main proponents: William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox.

St Peter's Cathedral

The Reformation Wall

The main Calvinist proponents at the centre of the Wall

After exploring the old and modern parts of the city, we made our way down to Lac Léman to stroll along the promenade where the Rhône leaves the lake. There we saw the Jet d'Eau, one of Geneva's most famous landmarks. Five hundred litres of water per second are jetted to a height of 140m, with the water leaving the pump nozzle at 200km/h! The first Jet d'Eau was installed in 1886 a little further downstream from its present location and the present fountain was installed in 1951.

View from the lakeside promenade

The Jet d'Eau - I can see this from my classroom!

During out visit, the Geneva Lake Festival was taking place and the waterfront was packed with stalls, arcades and mobile restaurants. We stopped off at a wine bar to enjoy a glass of champagne in Switzerland's most international city.

A wine bar at the Lake Festival

Cheers!

Yvoire, France

In summer there are ferries several times a day across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) between Switzerland and France. Yesterday we caught the Rhône ferry to Yvoire, a medieval bourg at the tip of the Léman peninsula.

Our ferry - the Rhône

Excited for a trip to France!

The port in Yvoire

Yvoire has been voted one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is a modern fishing village, but remnants of its historical strategic position on the lake can be seen in the castle, ramparts, fortified gateways and houses. It is a charming little village with stone streets, stone walls, abundant flowers, artisanal shops, boutiques and restaurants. We strolled around the village for a while admiring the old stone houses and enjoying the wares in the shops.

A hotel on the lake

Quaint medieval village

Lots of flowers and charm

Cute village streets

Most of the restaurants in Yvoire have fish from the lake on their menus. The most famous is the perch, but there is also arctic char, fera and pike. We went to a restaurant on the lake called "Le Pirate" where we had some delicious perch in garlic sauce and an even better bottle of ice cold wine on a hot day!

A great restaurant by the lake: Le Pirate

On our return to Nyon we took the Valais ferry back across the lake. It was 35 degrees out and the breeze off the lake was most welcome. The trip across to France was a lot of fun and we'll definitely be exploring this area again.

Departing Yvoire

Arriving in Nyon