Le Grand Bleu in Geneva – nasty fountain, beautiful lake

Geneva and I will have a difficult relationship in the future. Actually, it all started quite well… We were looking forward to a quiet weekend in the “Capital of Peace”. Geneva is the headquarters of many international companies, including the Red Cross, and the European headquarters of the United Nations.

Geneva is different from the rest of Switzerland – more cosmopolitan, more relaxed, more disorganized, slightly shabby and yet incredibly expensive. We took the train directly to Geneva Cointrin Airport, where we changed to the free airport shuttle to the Mövenpick Hotel & Casino Geneva. The rooms of this 5-star hotel have recently been extensively renovated. I was also impressed by our deluxe room. Functional furnishings with some purposefully coloured elements as eye-catchers, plenty of space and beautiful window front. I like it! Ideal starting point to discover Geneva.

After we had fortified ourselves with a Mövenpick ice cream, we took the tram directly into the city. I thought it was great that hotel guests in the city of Geneva are provided with a free transport ticket for public transport. That’s what I call service – chapeau! The historic old town of Geneva can be reached within 20 minutes by tram.

Before this trip, I was not even aware that the old town of Geneva is considered one of the largest and oldest in Switzerland. The old town is dominated by the Cathedral of St.-Pierre. However, the real center is located at the Place du Bourg-de-Four, the oldest square in the city. My recommendation: take your time and stroll through the beautiful alleys.

Afterwards, our discovery tour took us to the shores of Lake Geneva. Here we discovered, to my horror, that the whole shore area was completely occupied by the activities of the Fêtes de Genève (duration 18.7 – 11.8). If you like fairgrounds, you will probably find a paradise here. Unfortunately, I don’t like fairgrounds at all. With a “Mouette” – a kind of water taxi – we crossed the lake once. Afterwards we passed the Pont du Mont-Blanc. The bridge marks where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva, so to speak.

Now we wanted to take a closer look at the symbol of the city, the 140-metre-high water jet of the Jet d’eau. However, we experienced a “nasty” surprise and had to realize that the jet d’eau can be quite nasty.

On this hot afternoon, some people were on the jetty to the jet d’eau. For this reason, it never occurred to me that you might get wet. Unfortunately, the wind direction changed at exactly the stupidest moment and we got really soaking wet including camera bag and belongings. Well, dear people, learn from our mistakes and marvel at the landmark of Geneva with a reverent safety distance. If cameras get wet, you should also remove the battery as soon as possible (without turning it on) and wait until everything is dry again.

Like watered poodles, on a whim well below freezing, we tried to save what could still be saved. The desire for further city explorations was gone. So we sat on the shore of Lake Geneva and waited for the sun to do its work.

Towards the evening everything was superficially dry again and we were able to dive into it a second time. On the program was Le Grand Bleu (the big blue) at the Orange Cinema near Port Noir. The cult film from 1988 convinced with a lot of wit, Italian temperament and beautiful sea pictures.

Finally, Geneva surprised us with fireworks (thanks to Fêtes de Genève). But we haven’t reconciled yet!

Still not enough information about Geneva? Check out my article for tips on what to see.

Note: This trip was supported by OrangeCinema and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts – thank you for that. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.