Road Less Traveled in Geneva: Walks around Geneva


Swans is Lake Léman

     In order to take advantage of the weather while it is still decent here in Geneva, I have been taking walks with my friend Michelle. The first walk we went on was one that Michelle found in a book called the "Two Rivers Walk" where the River Rhône and the River L'Arve meet. It is interesting because the two rivers have a different look to them. One is clean, clear, and turquoise blue, and the other is dirty, cloudy and light gray. After we reached that point we crossed a bridge and went up a hill toward Bois-de-la-Bâtie. This is also the place where they have a free zoo. Most of the animals are in cages, but they let some birds roam free and my shoes were pecked at by some chickens who thought they were food.
     On another day, we took a walk around the center of Geneva with a walking tour focused on the watch industry in Switzerland. It was interested to be able to see buildings where the top floors were made specifically for watch making. We walked around and looked at not only older clocks dating back to 18th century, but also to different shops that showcased the many varieties of watches here as well as equipment for how watches used to be made. We ended our tour at the famous Flour Clock. The clock is made up of some 6,500 flowers, and the clock's second hand is more than 2.5 metres long - reportedly the longest in the world.
   Our most recent walk was around the area of Carouge. The center of Carouge is made up of small boutiques, which often had locally made products. We ended up going to the Museum of Carouge that had a exhibition of old toys, some from the 1890's like paper puppet stages using light to create shadows of the characters on the stage. The walk was cut short because it began to rain. That is what I come to expect here in Geneva, you never know what the weather will be like. I am mentally preparing for the winter weather.