Geneva is the second Switzerland city I visited. The first city I visited was Zürich during a long layover there. Geneva is similar to Zurich in many ways - it is situated by a lake, Lake Geneva, it has two rivers running through the city, it is an old city with many churches and statues. Despite being most famous cities in Switzerland, neither is the capital of the country, which is Bern.
Geneva is located at southwestern end of Lake Geneva, close to the border with France. It is a global city, a financial center, and a worldwide center for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous international organizations, including the headquarters of many agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. It is the second most populous city in Swiss, after Zurich.
We arrived at Geneva two nights before our TMB - Tour du Mont Blanc. We toured a small portion of the city around the tip of lake Geneva at its southwestern end.
Sunrise Concert by the Lake
On the way walking to Place de jeux des Bains des Pâquis, where the concert was held, we passed the Brunswick Monument, a Neo-Gothic monument in honor of 19th-century duke. It was so quiet in the morning, we expected to hear the music from the concert as we got close, but we didn't. We wondered if there was no concert on this day. There was.
When we got there, the concert was in progress already, and the Sun was yet to rise above the hill in the eastern horizon. A small band, with two singers and two instrument players, was playing already. The music was played softly, the singers sung gently and the audience was quiet, even the applauses were muted.
They sung in a non-English language, likely French, I stood by for a while, then walked toward the tip of the tiny peninsular to enjoy the vista and water fowls, and watch people climbing a rock wall in the water.
While enjoying the sound and sights, I noticed that the water in the lake was flowing. There must be an lake exit nearby, there is. It is Rhone river.
Brunswick Monument
a pier served as a overflow seating area
A Sunrise concert by Lake Geneva
A lighthouse under the morning Sun
A Rock climbing wall in the water
The Geneva Fountain
The Geneva water fountain is across the lake from Bains des Pâquis. The fountain, a waterjet pumped Skywise, 140 meters high, an iconic sight of Geneva, and marvelous on a sunny clear day and night. We only saw its grandeur during day time.
Note it is only on at specific time depending on seasons. It is from 9am to 11:15pm during the time we visited.
View of Geneva Water Fountain from west shore
Later we took a water taxi from west shore to where the fountain is on the east shore, and looked at it up close to appreciate its magnitude and the rainbow. The fountain shoots up so high, and there is no very tall buildings around, one could see the fountain from many places at Geneva.
a rainbow
Geneva fountain is partially blocked by buildings when viewed from St Pierre Cathedral
Geneva Fountain from River Rhone
Other landmarks at Geneva
A major land mark is St Pierre Cathedral, most famous as the adopted home church of Protestant Reformation leader John Calvin. There are also many sculptures spread around the city. The reformation wall is a stone wall monument that honors the protestant reformation and its founders.
The hyped flower clock is a sidewalk garden with a clock in it.
The broken chair in front of the UN headquarters is "a symbol of both fragility and strength, precariousness and stability, brutality and dignity", it is an "ongoing symbol of the desperate cry of war torn civilian populations" originally conceived by handicap International. We also visited red cross international HQs.
St Pierre Cathedral
The last Supper
The reformation wall - This stone wall monument honors the Protestant Reformation & its founders, including John Calvin.
The flower clock
broken chair
Red Cross HQ
Water fowls at Lake Geneva
The common water fowls at Lake Geneva and River Rhone include Eurasian Coots, Swans, Great Crested Grebes. We saw grebes before but it was the first time we saw a family of grebes - both parents and a baby grebe!
Rhone river, the exit of water at Lake Geneva, is packed with buildings
Swans and Coots
a great crested grebe family by the Geneva Fountain
Eurasian Coots resting on the shore of River Rhone
Swans and Coots on River Rhone
Two juvenile Swans
Swan and Great Crested Grebe
Geneva is a beautiful, quiet city with free public transportations for everyone, including tourists at its downtown area.
No comments:
Post a Comment