Geneva's Treasures

Wisteria Garden

It has been an extremely beautiful spring with warm days, blue skies, and gentle breezes. I have been enjoying walking in Geneva especially along Lake Geneva and the Arve River. I often sit at the banks watching people and breathing in the scents of the lilacs, tulips, daffodils, wisteria, rhododendron, and pink and white flowering trees.

I thought it funny that I traveled to places outside of Geneva to visit museums but hadn't been to any here. I discovered treasures at the Tavel House and the Museum of Art and History and realized there are many more places I have yet to discover in Geneva. I also have realized I have more to discover when I get back to Ohio.

The Tavel House is the oldest home in Geneva and was built in the 13th century. It is a mansion complete with turrets outside and filled with items of life in Geneva throughout the ages. There was a fully furnished 12 room apartment on one floor, paintings and carvings showing Geneva in the Middle Ages on another floor, and a huge metal relief map of the old city on the third. In the basement were various coat of arms and coins from the ages. The building was beautiful with its vaulted open beam ceilings, tall wooden doorways, and many windows looking out towards the Cathedral and narrow cobblestone street. The back stairs opened to an enclosed courtyard with ivy climbing on the walls. I tried to imagine life here in the Middle Ages.

Museum of Art and History

I went to the Museum of Art and History of Geneva to discover another treasure. When I walked up to the building I was taken aback by the large building covering the entire city block. It was grand with its large columns and statues on the roof. The five story building was built with a courtyard in the center that had tables and chairs which invited me to sit for a bit. The first two stories were filled with antiquities from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The next floor had musical instruments from the 1700"s, stained glass windows, sculptures and ceramics. Then, after climbing the grand double staircase, I found 30 rooms of paintings from the 15th to 21th century. All the while I was looking at the art and history I was marveling at the grandeur of the building.

Doug and I have enjoyed our evening walks after dinner. One of our favorite walks has been through the parks along Lake Geneva. We've marveled at the sailboats on the lake in front of us, the majestic Alps in the distance, and the white swans near the shore. The beauty took our breath away. At dusk, the lights strung along the pathway illuminated our steps as we reluctantly made our way home.

Saleve, France

Doug and I also went to a nearby mountain in Saleve, France for a bit of hiking. We got on the tram next to our apartment, transferred to two different buses, arrived at the border of

Switzerland and then walked into France. People of Geneva call Saleve their mountain even though it is located in France. It is located just 5 km outside of Geneva. I was excited to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain. The nearly vertical cliff allowed us to ascend in less than 5 minutes but the view around us was spectacular. We saw people sitting on a large grassy area just as we exited the cable car. We grabbed a spot on the edge of the mountain and appreciated the view. The city of Geneva unfolded before us; the jet d'eau rising from Lake Geneva, the spires of St. Peter's Basilica, the Rhone and the Arve rivers flowing through the city, and the Jura mountains across from us filled our field of vision. We knew there were hiking trails all over the mountain and followed them up to get a view of the Alps. We met great people along the way from all over the world. We watched paragliders take off from the edge of the mountain and soar on the air currents. We hiked along roads and paths following one trail after another. We loved wandering without having an agenda. Each area was simply gorgeous and I can't wait to go back.

Standing at the edge of Saleve

I spent a delightful day in the Old City of Geneva with my friends, John and Sharon. We wandered the streets, visited St. Peter's Basilica, saw the Reformation Wall in Parc de Bastions, and went window shopping. We talked and shared stories and travel adventures. We had a divine appointment during lunch. I know, right! We had been looking for a casual restaurant and wandered the streets for a while until we found a restaurant serving sandwiches. It was just what we wanted. The owner spoke English (he was from Scotland) and kindly showed us how to order our panini sandwich. We sat at our table, prayed and began to eat. A few minutes later the owner came back, said he noticed we prayed and that he just didn't see that very often any more. He shared his story and we had an opportunity to talk about how much God loves us even when we don't love him back. As we left John remarked, "you never know who might be watching and we must never be embarrassed to be a witness."