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Theresa O’Connor / Treasa Ní Chonchúir

Between a lake and a sunny sky, a portion of Geneva’s skyline is visible. Mont-Blanc stands behind the city, and in the lake, a yellow tourist boat goes by.

Genève

I spent a couple days in Geneva this week for an ExeCom meeting.

I took the TGV here from Paris, where I had been at the top of the week for a TAG meeting. It took a bit over three hours. It’s very fast for the flat bit but the climb up to Geneva was pretty (understandably) slow. I spent most of the ride working but I did manage to get a couple shots of the countryside.

The French countryside going by at a fair clip

The meeting was productive and the social time lovely. The folks of the Secretariat are excellent hosts. We had a couple of great meals together, at La Coupole and Monsieur Ador.

This was my first time visiting Switzerland. Geneva’s a lovely city, situated next to the lake and under the mountains. We had several sunny days in a row. My morning commute to the Ecma office each day was spent walking through the Jardin Anglais and taking it all in.

littledan and I hit up all of the gay bars in Geneva one night—all two of them. We started at Nathan Café and ended the night at Le Phare. There’s a twice-monthly sapphic night at Le Phare that I just missed; I hope to catch it when next in town.

A tall plume of water is being ejected from a water fountain in the middle of a large body of water on a sunny day. There is a rainbow visible in the stream of water. In the foreground, some boats and a pier are visible.
le Jet d'Eau
A woman stands in front of a window, in which hangs the transgender pride flag. The woman is in dark clothes, and has some kind of silver necklace on. Her shoulder-length hair is curly.
At Le Phare

After the meeting finished up on Thursday, I spent a few hours walking around town. I wandered the hilly, windy streets of the old town, and also meandered along the shore of the lake and through several parks. Of course, it’s hard to walk around in Geneva without walking by the headquarters of international institutions. I saw the UN (both the Palais des Nations and the Palais Wilson), the ICRC, and the ITU, among others. Note to future self: when you get sick of the buttery heaviness of French and Swiss cuisine, Le Darshana is legit Indian food.

A row of six-storey buildings stands along a lake shore under a sunny sky. A mountain range is visible behind buildings. Along the tops of the buildings, the brand names of a number of luxury watch brands are visible: Rolex, Tudor, Richard Mille, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tissot.
I didn’t try on any watches while in town.
An old stone cathedral on a hill is above and behind a stone house and wall. In front of the wall, downhill from both the cathedral and the house, is a carousel.
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre

Not bad, Switzerland, not bad. I’m looking forward to coming back for the GA. ✚