3 Things to Remember Geneva, Switzerland By

Have you ever felt like you knew a place based on what you heard about and you actually visit and it turns out that it actually had zero resemblance to what you pictured in your head? And this is one case for traveling. You can never take another person's word for it and if you're drawn to a particular place, I always say you should go, if only for empericism's sake.

I had a very pristine image of Switzerland in my head. The reputation of Geneva, its capital, carries with it an idealized version of what a city ought to be. At least in my head. Perhaps it is a combination of its wealth, prominence in international relations because of the United Nations being headquartered here, and the Alps in the background - but I had this illusion that Geneva was pristine and above all other its neighboring capitals.

But I was wrong. Geneva, I found out, was just like any real capital, with real issues and complexities. It is a city with great cultural diversity where at least 100 countries are represented. They are known to the world as the greatest diplomats, but what is baffling to me is that Switzerland successfully managed to dodge World War II when its immediate neighbors Germany, France and Italy were neck-deep into it. There was no time to discover why on this trip and perhaps on our next visit, a tour at the United Nations is in order.

And what about what they say about Swiss precision in time? Don't believe a word of it. The bus from the hotel to downtown was at least five minutes late.

Geneva Greeters

My planning for this European trip was centered in the Alps which is where we would be spending most of our time. Since we only had an evening in Geneva, I figured I better relegate Geneva 101 to a local. Lucky for us, Geneva's office of tourism runs a group of locals called Geneva Greeters who volunteer their time to give visitors a (free) couple of hours to get to know their city as they see it while showing them around.

Our tour would take us around promenading around the rivers in Geneva. Lac Leman, which most people call Geneva Lake, splits into two rivers - L'arve and Rhone. Coincidentally, we will meet these rivers again on this trip - Rhone spills to the west, which we will encounter again in Lyon in France, and L'arve spills to the east which we will encounter again in Chamonix.

Our guide, Sarah, was born and raised in Geneva and was not only very knowledgeable (she's pursuing her doctorate in Swiss history), but was extremely articulate and personable. We promenaded along the river as she answered our curious questions about her city. For more of Geneva Greeters or to book your own tour, click here.

Swiss Chocolate

You would hear the Swiss tell self-depracating jokes about their extreme sense of diplomacy and neutrality that nothing ever gets decided on. What they will be viciously adamant though is that theirs is the world's best chocolate. With extremely high milk from pasture raised cows, it is difficult to contest that.

Sarah brought us to the only legit chocolatier in Geneva for a tour and tasting. Favarger has recently established a shop on Quai des Bergues, where they had originally set up shop in 1826. Favarger's fine chocolates starts with only the quality ingredients. Their cacao is hand selected and they still follow the same recipes to this day.

Old Geneva

We ran smack right into the old part of Geneva when trying to find a place for dinner and we were extremely and immediately enamored. It was a Monday evening and since most places were closed, it added to the quiet glow of the old city.

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