Alpine Vacation Part 4: City of the United Nations

On Monday morning, we awoke to giant snowflakes falling outside of our hotel room window. Although they were pretty sight against the slopes, we were a little concerned about how the drive would be back through the mountains. Fortunately, the roads were not too slick, and the only problem we encountered was the difficulty keeping the windshield clear after our car ran out of windshield wiper fluid. 

Realizing that we needed to stop for lunch between the hours of 11 and 1, we pulled off at the McDonald's on the highway. We were surprised to find out that the $12 Big Mac meal (with small fries and a small drink) did not come with ketchup. Instead it was an extra charge! After lunch, we continued on to Geneva and checked into the hotel in the early afternoon.

I picked up a map of the public transportation system, and Mr. Traveler plotted out a plan for the rest of the day. We grabbed some free transportation tickets from the hotel desk and caught a bus to the U.N. building.

Giant Chair w/ Broken Leg in Front of U.N.

U.N. Building

From there, we took a long walk down to the lake and around the city.

Duty Free Shop Just for Diplomats

Swan and Lake

Chess and Checkers Games in the Park

We stopped for coffee, and then later, dinner. Most of the restaurants in the area were pretty nice. (After all, Wikipedia claims that Geneva is the 4th most expensive city in the world.) So, we ended up at another pizza place.

The following morning, when Mr. Traveler flicked on the lights, I couldn't believe it was time to get up. I repacked the suitcases, we had breakfast in the hotel lobby, and then it was time to return our rental car and hop on the plane back home.

It was amazing how much it felt like coming home, returning to our little place in Holland. It's nice to have more of our stuff now (from our shipment), and I think I'm now starting to get more comfortable in my surroundings. It is certainly a nice feeling in this holiday season.


If you missed parts 1-3, check out:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3