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| Waterspout |
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| Playing in the Park |
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| View From UN |
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| Bike Garage |
Sept. 30, 2015-Geneva
Idealism
Idealism
Time for dream therapy. Last night I dreamed that someone had shot a hippo with
a bow and arrow or had killed it with a spear. It was unclear which. We were
upset at the needless slaughter, since we don't eat hippo. It's a "water
horse" after all. In addition, it in no way conforms to the Biblical
requirements of having cloven hooves and chewing cud. While we were agonizing,
someone started dismembering it. Oy! I woke up. David thinks my dream related
to his comment about being a big game hunter.
A question for our German speaking friends... if the letter "w" is pronounced as a "v" in German, why use a "v" at all? English has abundant idiosyncrasies I admit. Just wondering.
We've passed a Thai carry-out/dine-in place in our neighborhood every day. We thought we'd eat there last night, but it was closed. This morning a Thai man was inside setting up. We stopped in and chatted. His English was excellent and he was eager to talk, but we had a train to make. Unfortunately, the place is only open for lunch (11-3).
Our train headed in a totally different direction today; West to Geneva. We're proud to say we figured out what our Swiss friend had tried to describe to us. It only took us four days. We'd been intent on going to the information desk whenever we went anywhere, but now we know the system well enough to bypass the main terminal. Found a shortcut to and from the tracks directly off the street we walked down each day.
The terrain was picturesque going from rolling hills to vineyards and farms. Without warning, the ground dropped away to our left and Lake Geneva appeared. Lac Leman to the French. It's mammoth although not as large as a Great Lake. In some places we couldn't see the other side.
I started plumbing the depths of my memory for any French that may remain. Phrases came back with a few scattered words. I was ready to tackle a new culture. As it turned out, I made myself understood and they answered me but always in English. How could they tell?
The Geneva station was in a newer section of the city, a business district, much larger than Bern. It was a downhill walk to Old Town and some sights we'd mapped out. I have to say I am unimpressed with Geneva. Language isn't the only cultural difference between it and the Germanic cantons. It is dirty, run down, neglected, and the people even look shabbier. We had to avoid dog droppings for the first time on this trip even though there was less of a canine presence.
There's an excuse for a park with a floral clock along the lake. We've seen better. The famous jet d'eau, the fountain, was just a tall waterspout shooting straight into the air. Eola Park in Orlando has prettier. The cathedral was closed and Old Town lacked character. Another park boasted a Reformation wall. It celebrated the break with the Church of Rome and advent of Calvinism. Did that make the world a better place? I was ready to head for the hills, literally.
We caught a bus for the League of Nations/United Nations headquarters, Palais des Nations. It's across from the world headquarters of the Red Cross, a Swiss contribution to society. When buying tickets I asked if our Swiss Pass was good. I was told, "You are not in Switzerland anymore." Weird feeling. Was I in no man's land or everyone's home?
As our guide, Julian, from Germany told us, one difference between the League and UN was that the UN lets all countries join whereas the League did not. Of course, you have to be recognized as a country first, as a man promoting Palestine indicated. But not all countries recognize each other and only 2/3 are needed to vote one in, plus Security Council approval. There are about fifty conference rooms some seating 2,000 people. I was saddened when I thought of that mass of humanity trying to settle issues and work towards peace.
There is a division of labor between Geneva and New York. Geneva deals with humanitarian issues (soft politics), and NYC handles war (hard politics). Just as hope for civilization waned, Julian left us with the words of Dag Hammarskjold, a Secretary General in the 1950's. He said "The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven but save humanity from hell."
We left the tour and hurried to a bus to the train but did stop to appreciate the sight of Mt. Blanc watching over the lake. It’s Europe's highest mountain and located in France. I slept most of the two-hour trip back. Needed that. But that meant I missed a toilet opportunity on the train. Walked around the Bern station looking at food options and found the bathroom in the huge department store, Loeb, my friend told me about. Life-saver.
For my granddaughter,Talia, who complains that there are no bike racks at a nearby mall, I took a photo of a bicycle garage. There are rows and rows of bikes layered in racks and suspended from the ceiling. It's indoors adjacent to the train station and works like any parking garage.
We checked out a Mexican place (Desperado) but eliminated it once we saw that an enchilada dinner was $35. Our fine dining tonight took place around the corner from our hotel at Il Ristorantino. We shared a pizza and had salads. David's was a glorious Misto.
Correction: the oldest TIMBER bridge in Switzerland is the Spreuer Bridge in Lucerne, built in 1408. Chapel Bridge was built in the first half of the 14th century making it older. But is it oldest in the world? Do we care?
Tomorrow we go to Lausanne and Montreux.
Toby
A question for our German speaking friends... if the letter "w" is pronounced as a "v" in German, why use a "v" at all? English has abundant idiosyncrasies I admit. Just wondering.
We've passed a Thai carry-out/dine-in place in our neighborhood every day. We thought we'd eat there last night, but it was closed. This morning a Thai man was inside setting up. We stopped in and chatted. His English was excellent and he was eager to talk, but we had a train to make. Unfortunately, the place is only open for lunch (11-3).
Our train headed in a totally different direction today; West to Geneva. We're proud to say we figured out what our Swiss friend had tried to describe to us. It only took us four days. We'd been intent on going to the information desk whenever we went anywhere, but now we know the system well enough to bypass the main terminal. Found a shortcut to and from the tracks directly off the street we walked down each day.
The terrain was picturesque going from rolling hills to vineyards and farms. Without warning, the ground dropped away to our left and Lake Geneva appeared. Lac Leman to the French. It's mammoth although not as large as a Great Lake. In some places we couldn't see the other side.
I started plumbing the depths of my memory for any French that may remain. Phrases came back with a few scattered words. I was ready to tackle a new culture. As it turned out, I made myself understood and they answered me but always in English. How could they tell?
The Geneva station was in a newer section of the city, a business district, much larger than Bern. It was a downhill walk to Old Town and some sights we'd mapped out. I have to say I am unimpressed with Geneva. Language isn't the only cultural difference between it and the Germanic cantons. It is dirty, run down, neglected, and the people even look shabbier. We had to avoid dog droppings for the first time on this trip even though there was less of a canine presence.
There's an excuse for a park with a floral clock along the lake. We've seen better. The famous jet d'eau, the fountain, was just a tall waterspout shooting straight into the air. Eola Park in Orlando has prettier. The cathedral was closed and Old Town lacked character. Another park boasted a Reformation wall. It celebrated the break with the Church of Rome and advent of Calvinism. Did that make the world a better place? I was ready to head for the hills, literally.
We caught a bus for the League of Nations/United Nations headquarters, Palais des Nations. It's across from the world headquarters of the Red Cross, a Swiss contribution to society. When buying tickets I asked if our Swiss Pass was good. I was told, "You are not in Switzerland anymore." Weird feeling. Was I in no man's land or everyone's home?
As our guide, Julian, from Germany told us, one difference between the League and UN was that the UN lets all countries join whereas the League did not. Of course, you have to be recognized as a country first, as a man promoting Palestine indicated. But not all countries recognize each other and only 2/3 are needed to vote one in, plus Security Council approval. There are about fifty conference rooms some seating 2,000 people. I was saddened when I thought of that mass of humanity trying to settle issues and work towards peace.
There is a division of labor between Geneva and New York. Geneva deals with humanitarian issues (soft politics), and NYC handles war (hard politics). Just as hope for civilization waned, Julian left us with the words of Dag Hammarskjold, a Secretary General in the 1950's. He said "The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven but save humanity from hell."
We left the tour and hurried to a bus to the train but did stop to appreciate the sight of Mt. Blanc watching over the lake. It’s Europe's highest mountain and located in France. I slept most of the two-hour trip back. Needed that. But that meant I missed a toilet opportunity on the train. Walked around the Bern station looking at food options and found the bathroom in the huge department store, Loeb, my friend told me about. Life-saver.
For my granddaughter,Talia, who complains that there are no bike racks at a nearby mall, I took a photo of a bicycle garage. There are rows and rows of bikes layered in racks and suspended from the ceiling. It's indoors adjacent to the train station and works like any parking garage.
We checked out a Mexican place (Desperado) but eliminated it once we saw that an enchilada dinner was $35. Our fine dining tonight took place around the corner from our hotel at Il Ristorantino. We shared a pizza and had salads. David's was a glorious Misto.
Correction: the oldest TIMBER bridge in Switzerland is the Spreuer Bridge in Lucerne, built in 1408. Chapel Bridge was built in the first half of the 14th century making it older. But is it oldest in the world? Do we care?
Tomorrow we go to Lausanne and Montreux.
Toby
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