With Shawn off in San Sebastián with Linda Rosen, I decided to spend three days in Geneva. My decision centered really on two points. First – it was close to Lyon – where Shawn and I were going to meet after her trip. Second – and perhaps more importantly – I discovered that I could rent a really nice road bike there and I wanted to spend a couple of days riding.
Everything in Switzerland is really expensive. If you are going there, just understand that restaurants, taxis, clothing and everything else is going to cost about 25% more than it would pretty much anywhere else in Europe. And that includes Paris and Amsterdam which are already pretty expensive.
I took the train from Bruges, Belgium. With transfers in Brussels and Lyon, total time from Bruges to Geneva was about 8 hours. Not so bad, especially since most of the trip is spent winding through the lovely French countryside. Lots and lots of green fields, tree covered hills and lakes. Even some mountains.
I was booked at the Tiffany Hotel [https://www.tiffanyhotel.ch/en/] which, per Google Maps, is about a 15 minute walk from the Geneva train station. So I walked. Which seemed like a good way to save taxi fare of about 20 Swiss Francs. But I think I destroyed the wheel on my suitcase – so maybe I take a cab next time.
The Tiffany is in a pretty good neighborhood, about a ten minute walk from the Geneva Old Town, which is adjacent to the fancy Geneva shopping district. Apparently this is where all the money is. I’ve never seen so many jewelry stores. And, of course every Swiss watch company has a major boutique here.
I was struck by the high number of young Muslim women here. I didn’t expect it. They looked like they were having so much fun shopping and walking the street. Dressed in head scarves, but super stylish – with cool tennis shoes and clothing. Just something I hadn’t really seen before.
I ate dinner at the cigar bar and restaurant next to the hotel. Not a super memorable meal, except for the fact that I had a cigar with my 22 Swiss franc hamburger and fries. Kind of weird. Not sure I’ll do that again.
The next day I dressed in my full bike kit and walked 17 minutes – per Google Maps – to Bike Switzerland to pick up my reserved Trek Domane SL7. A sweet ride. Just like everything else in Switzerland, a very expensive rental. 85 Swiss francs per day. Maybe that is fair for a $6,000 bike. But probably double what we paid in Tuscany for very good Pinarellos that likely cost about half as much.
In any case, I asked the bike shop for a route. The guy who was helping was very cool and told me that Bike Switzerland had loaded some routes into an App called Ride with GPS – which I, for some reason had loaded into my phone. Never used it before, but was loaded. He asked if I wanted to go about “60”. I said that is perfect, thinking he meant 60km, not 60 miles. He also told me there was some climbing, but not very severe. So, without much though I downloaded the “Vallee Verte” ride into my phone and took off. It’s a bit “hairy” getting out of the middle of Geneva in traffic, but in about 3 miles, you in the suburbs – which are beautiful – and then in another couple of miles you are in farm land. And then in another couple of miles, you are climbing. I soon realized that the ride was 60 miles, not km’s and after playing with the Ride with GPS app, that the first 30 were pretty much all uphill. About 4,500 feet up.
Since I was past the point of no return, I just kept going. Quite beautiful but really brutal for me since I had not been on a bike since Tuscany – a couple of months ago. By the time I got back to the Tiffany Hotel, I was exhausted. I really wanted to go walk around Geneva that night, but I could barely make it down the stairs. I ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, which by the way was excellent. Beef Tataki Salad and Summer vegetables with Udon noodles. Super good! Then I went upstairs and passed out.
The next day I opted for a ride called “Lite Day”. A flat ride up the west side of Lake Geneva. Out and back about 30 miles. The lake is beautiful. Again, in about three miles you are in a relatively residential area – but a super high end one. The homes on the lake seem palatial. You can’t really see them, however, as they are mostly blocked from view by high fences or hedges. They must cost a fortune. I made a few stops at public areas along the way to take in the Great Lake views and to rest. Was still pretty worn out from the day before.
Made a stop in a cool little town called Nyon. Very, very nice.
After making my way back to Geneva, I dropped off the bike and made the 17 minute walk back to the Tiffany. Two really good days of riding let me know just how out of shape I am. But fun.
After showering, I walked into the Old Town. Very nice. A lot of reconstruction going on. In the center of the town, there is a big church. Only in Geneva does the main cathedral look like a bank. I had some tagliatelle with meat sauce at a nameless cafe. Was really good. And then crashed at the hotel.
The next morning I woke up and went to the train station for the ride to Lyon to meet Shawn. This time in a taxi.