One Month on....

So one month on and our lives have certainly changed. We have settled into life in Geneva now - although its only a temporary one as we will need to move into our own place soon, most likely over the border in France. Vero has settled into her job, adjusting to the new surroundings and working practices.

As for me, despite still being jobless I am very optimistic about my career prospects here. I have managed to get over the stress of my first interview this week and although no work came from it I know I am very employable. I have several applications still pending and they do like to take their time here. I have a good selection of recruiters working on my behalf, looking out for me too, and I am also sending off applications every week. I could go temping immediately however I am remaining patient and focused as I want to find the right job that fits where I want to be with my career.

We have been lucky to have found the time to get out and explore a bit with a trip to the Alps and many nice walks in and around Geneva. That's probably down to the fact we are not pressured right away to find our own place to live however I think that may change in the next few weeks as weekends will start to be taken up viewing property! The decision to buy or rent is a tricky one too...that £/€ rate is not very helpful.

So we celebrated our first month with a trip on the train to the town of Nyon, a few km up the north side of the lake towards Lausanne. Nyon is a small town with a rich Roman history. There were some great looking old buildings however this particular day was (unknown to us) the town's Fete d'Automne and the narrow streets were closed to traffic and crammed full of market stalls and live entertainment. The consequent throng of people meant taking pictures was pretty difficult, however we did manage to find some respite by the Town's castle and found the most amazing spot overlooking the lake and the Swiss, French and Italian Alps (yes all three!). The views were incredible. Here's the pics...


The Chateau de Nyon and a view across the lake to wards Yvoire and Evian


The mountains above Evian and the Mont Blanc

We liked Nyon although if it wasn't for the market there is not really much to do for the day, unless you like museums and shopping. There is a narrow gauge train ride up to the alpine village of St Cergue and into the French Jura which we decided to save for another day. This was mainly because St Cergue had its annual Desalpes going on. This is a festival where they bring the cows down off the mountains into the village so although it would have been nice to see, it would probably mean that the village would be heaving with people too. However, we will be back to try that train ride no doubt, or maybe take a boat trip across to Yvoire on the other side of the lake.

What's good about this area there is so much choice of activity - even for those without transport like ourselves. Its going to be even better when we find a car (once we have moved to France!). Bring it on....

Geneva say 'Cheese'

So after Parc Bertrand, the self-guided /random photography tour around Geneva continued.....

Through the streets near the park past an ivy- clad apartment block and a classic Swiss/German building....


Onto the Art and History museum and the Observatory...



Looking towards the old town and the cathedral...



Into the old town...



Into Parc des bastions and does anyone fancy a game of chess?


and through to the Jardin des Anglais for more moody black and whites (the sun had gone in!) of the fountain, the famous flower clock, the memorial and then the Rade de Geneve...



And the wildlife was always close by (especially when the sandwiches came out!)..




I took nearly 200 photos that day and could have taken more - there is so much to appreciate through the lens and I enjoyed the experience very much.

Parc Bertrand in Autumn

Last Wednesday (26 September) to ease the job hunting blues I decided to go for a walk around Geneva with the purpose of trying to capture some real photos of the city. They forecasted overcast, grey skies which I thought would be great for some moody black and white architecture shots. Instead I had the most brilliant sunny morning so decided to start off with a walk around Parc Bertrand.

The park separates our apartment from work for Vero and we are lucky to have such a nice open space on our doorstep. Some stragglers were still making their way to work however other than that it was a cold but clear, bright and peaceful morning with a dew-fuelled autumnal taste in the air. Autumn was beginning to take a real hold on the big old oak and chestnut trees that border the park and everything was picture postcard perfect. Here's some of the best shots I was able to take:

Lazy Sunny Sunday Afternoons

Unless you plan a big trip (like our ride into the Alps), Sunday is a very lazy day. Nobody seems to be in a rush to do anything and the city seems quieter. However we cannot stay in all day and luckily last Sunday (23 September), just as we were going to go out for a walk after lunch we had a call from our friends, Gini and Patrice, asking if we wanted to go for a drive to Hermance.

Hermance is a small village on the eastern side of the lake, just before the border with France. It is typical of the type of village on this narrow strip of Swiss territory, with a mix of old, almost medieval buildings, swanky pads, a marina for the more affluent, and endless vineyards. We took a walk around the narrow streets, before chilling out on a small pebble beach looking out over the lake and the Jura mountains beyond, soaking up the late afternoon sun.



Afterwards we climbed up behind the village past some very exclusive looking villas into the vineyards which was equally nice and quiet, with the same views but this time with additional views towards the Alps. On the way back down the sun was beginning to dip behind the Jura creating a splendid sunset which we were fortunate to be able to enjoy on a bench in a very small public park on the side of the hill in between two more 'large' properties.

Roaming the Rhone

OK so there has not been anything on here for a couple of weeks so how come someone who is enjoying a career break cannot find time to keep a simple blog updated? A fair question and one that I cannot defend, other than to say its been a busy couple of weeks with job applications, preparing for interviews (!) and so on. Not to mention the trials and tribulations of shopping, cleaning and preparing meals.

In between all the fun described above, I have been making the occasional midweek escape. Last Thursday (20 September) it was a nice sunny day so I took a ride on the bus, a tram and another bus through the communes of Carouge and Lancy, and ended up at the 'Pont Butin', a road bridge that crosses the Rhone on the western side of Geneva. This was the starting point for a path which follows the Rhone as it winds north and south towards the countryside and France.

Finding the path was another matter. I walked 300 metres from the last road crossing point down the west side of the approach to the bridge only to find the steps down were on the east side and separated by a dual carriageway and central reservation. So after adding nearly 1km to my walk without getting started I finally made it down under the bridge and start the walk. I must say though it was worth it. The light that morning (as per every sunny morning here) was fantastically pure - the sky is a crystal clear blue. I was able to get right alongside the river which was flowing quietly but purposefully and was its usual opaque emerald green hue. To add to the spectacle, the trees had started to turn into their autumn colours, probably courtesy of some colder nights and I can imagine that in a week or two from now they would be even more resplendent.

The path itself was a pleasure - shaded for the most part and not too undulating. There were occasional openings where you could step out and admire yet more beautiful autumn colours, bordered by the deep green waters and the perfect blue skies, and also spot some wildlife such as grebes, cormorants, swans and ducks, as well as a few kingfishers (or fast moving blue/green dots).




So I wound my way through Onex and then Loex, encountering numerous joggers on the way, especially around lunchtime. A lot of them seem to come from the other, more built up side of the river over two footbridges or 'passarelles'. The one pictured here connects Loex with Lignon. The terrain became more and more rural and peaceful apart from the occasional roar of yet another plane taking off from the nearby airport at Cointrin.

After cutting underneath the Autoroute at Chevres, I walked about another km to a lookout by a small inlet, which had a great view towards the last few Swiss villages and the mountains of France beyond.


From here I cut 'inland' through some very rural areas to the town of Bernex, which although was on the edge of Geneva , had a nice quiet country village feel (except for the main road part). Here I jumped on a bus and then another bus (the network is fantastic) back home to Champel and the hustle and bustle of the city...