More recommendations

Geneva:

Il Carosello
25, Bd. Georges-Favon

This is an Italian restaurant that makes very good pizzas and is affordable, even for students! Nice staff and they serve you free bruschetta as an appetizer!

Café Art's
rue des Paquis, 17

Although this is a pricy cafe, it's a place where a lot of young people hang out. The interior is very bohemian and they play excellent music. Service is a little slow, but then again it is Switzerland...

Nice:

Tat-O-Titon Créperie
9, rue Chauvain

This was one of the highlights of Nice. We ordered the menu and got a three crepes!! One in a salad, a main course crepe, and a desert crepe. By the end of the meal I was all creped out, but it was sooooo good. They have a special menu for just dessert crepes so we went back and just got those. I would recommend any with icecream because the other ones aren't as good.

Paris:

Alcazar Bar Restaurant
62 rue Mazarine

This was the place that I wrote about going to with Anne. It was so chic and played swank music. The club upstairs puts out their own CD's of electronic and jazz/house music. Although, I've been told my definition of house and what it actually is are different, so check it out for yourself. The drinks are overpriced, but go there and see the young, swank crowd.

Vevey:

Musée suisse de l'appareil photographique
Grande Place 99

For anyone even remotely interested in photography this was a great museum. My dad was in heaven walking through all the old cameras (he takes photos and works with cameras for a job). The museum itself is in two buildings connected by a walkway. Inside, they go through every decade since the invention of the first, huge, camera. They have guided tours for free in English on little headsets, which my parents liked, because they were brushing up on their French. The museum was also interactive and had a small gallery. Definitely worth every bit of the 6 francs.

Haha. So you think you've got it bad???

Today I woke up early, packed the last few items away, gave my borrowed cell phone back, put my key to the house in the mailbox and Julien came and took me to the airport.

I was excited and nervous. The feeling when your stomach hurts, but really nothing is wrong. When I got to the terminal the screen said my flight was cancelled. Julien could only stay for 15 min so he left and I stood in line waiting for 45 min. It gets better. Instead of being on an airplane on my way home, I'm still in Geneve. I had two options, pay for a hotel in Amsterdam (that's where I fly first) and take off tomorrow morning, or stay the night in Geneve. Obviously, I didn't want any hassle. So, I was squared away with that business. I did the pre-check in so my luggage will (hopefully) be on the same plane that I am on. I saw the tickets that the woman put on them and they said AMS and MSP so I think they will eventually get there.

Then there was the problem of getting home. Julien's cell phone wasn't working, everyone at the Dupuis was at work so I just had a moment to regather my thoughts. So, I decided to get money, buy a train ticket back to Nyon and then a bus ticket back to Crans. From there I would break in to the house or wait outside until they arrived. It was a nice day out so not too bad. Then I remembered the very first day I was there Marco showed me where the spare key was! I was so flipping excited that I had managed to keep my composure and think straight. So, now I'm back home in Crans and I leave tomorrow. Not that big of a deal. Just dissapointing that I won't be able to see my family for as long.

Next time you think you're having an unfortunate day, just read this and then laugh.

Journée Tranquille

Today was great. Woke up around 10, took a shower, got ready for the day. Then went into Geneve with Julien, ate some lunch, drank some hot chocolate in Parc de Bastions. Then it started getting really nice out around 3 so we walked along the river front. It was so beautiful out and just what I needed to recover and to get ready for my 12 hour journey on Tue...booooo.

The more I think about it, the more I really love Suisse and even Geneva. In comparison with other countries, Suisse is top notch. Clean, beautiful (when the weather is willing), there are mountains, the people are friendly, the trains actually arrive on time. What more could one ask for? Friends and family. Which is why I have decided to invite everyone out here to live with me in my little French world. Ha!

I'm really excited to go home and see people, sleep in my bed, see my stuffed animal Curious George and be 'at home'. But I know that I will miss Suisse and all the people I have met here almost immediately upon arrival in the U.S. I'll miss the spectacular views of the Alps and Jura (today you could see everything!) I'll miss the excellent cuisine and the Swiss pace of life. Most of all, I think I will miss being so damn independent all the time. So, that is why I have decided to come back to Switzerland and work here or somewhere in Europe at some point in my life. Now that I've written it maybe I will actually do it. It's surprisingly a lot to deal with, going home. I don't think I've lost my optimism and my determination to make the best of every situation so I think it will be good. But, rest assured Switzerland, you will be missed.

Update: I am alive

Sorry about the looooooong absence. But between having a blast, getting sick and feeling like dying, and sightseeing I didn't really have tîme for too much else. Quick recap of my last two weeks:

I finished my semester!! Woohoo! No more class-like material for 3 months!

Then it was off to Nice, France. Nice weather. Beautiful beaches. Nasty bugs.

Next stop, Chartres, France. Stayed with my old host family. Loved it. Nicest people next to my own family!

Paris. Only for 20 hrs. Went shopping and to a friends appt. that overlooked Notre Dame. Excellent. Went to a doctor and learned to love the French social security system.

London, Enlgand. Cold, Rainy, Windy. London was calling, and I just couldn't muster enough stregnth to answer. I had my birthday!!! Went to a Decemberists concert, which was great!

Geneva, Switzerland. Breathe in. Breath out. Rest.

So, you want to know a few nice restaurants/hotels...

Paris
Hotel Roma Sacré-Coeur
101, rue Caulaincourt

This place was nice because it had someone at the door 24hrs a day. Meaning, there was no curfew and if you ever needed anything, someone was there. It was located near Sacre-Coeur, but not directly next to it, so there wasn't too much noise. It was located right next to a metro stop and the name escapes me, so it was easy to transport luggage etc. They provided a simple, but SO GOOD breakfast because after all, it is France. The only draw back: the cot that I slept on was NOT comfy at all and the pillows are not like real pillows. When I told people, from Paris, where I was staying they all seemed impressed and said that was one of the nicest hotels in the Montmartre quarter.

Le Verger de Montmartre
37, rue Lamarck

Located right next to the Hotel Roma, this place is tiny, but friendly. The owners are nice and the husband can speak English if needed. The food is traditionally French, but good. They have a small menu, but from my limited experience, it was all good!

Restaurant Le Saint Regis
39, rue d'Orsel

Good food, nice atmosphere, excellent service. They also speak English (among about 7 other languages). It's Italian food with some French desserts, of course.

Chamery, France

La Taverne
37, place St Léger

Cute little tavern. The menu du jour is affordable and good. They also have old relics on the walls of French culture to add to the atmosphere. The dessert was good, but I'm not dying to have another one, so do what you will with that advice.

Lugano, Suisse

Pestalozzi Albergo
Piazza Indipendenza 9

This was the hotel the group stayed in when we went to Lugano. If you ever get a chance to go there, do it! It was my favorite city in Suisse. The hotel is only 3 blocks from the lake and you can see the mountains from the window. The bathroom is communal, but there is a sink in every room and the cielings in every room are very high to give the impression that the room is more open. The beds were SO nice and clean. Also, the guy that runs the hotel, Luciano Fadani-Eidenberger, I think, is friendly. He was always encouraging us to speak Italian and was a nice person. I highly recommend the hotel!

Siena, Italy

Guidoriccio
Via G. Dupré, 2

The food at this place was phenomenal. We went there for lunch and because we are American and eat at noon, no one else was there, but it was still nice. The owner brought us this traditional dish on the house. It was SO GOOD. The tomoatoes were fresh and it tasted like heaven. Of course, I don't remember what it was called...all the dishes are hand made meaning it takes a while for the food to get out, but when it does, it is delicious.

Geneve, Suisse

Chez Ma Cousine
6, Place du Bourg-de-Four
Vieille Ville

Chez Ma Cousine specializes in chicken. However, there chicken is not that fabulous. This was a recommendation that I tried out and needless to say, I was dissapointed with my meal. It was too expensive to be only mediocre food. If you're really hungry and can't find anything else, go there. If not, skip it and try something different

Pictures on the lake

Crazy Irish Boys

Last weekend was my weekend off, if you can imagine that I designate a weekend for that. Everyday is really "off". But, instead of worrying about my presentation and class work we rented a boat and went out on Lac Leman. It was a beautiful day too. The ten of us went out on the lake for some laughs and good times. I even got to drive the boat!! The Irish boys we went out with were crazy, but so much fun. To give an example, one jumped in the freezing cold lake instead of taking a shower that day. In fact the same kid went up to touch the Jet d'Eau, after I forbid him to touch it. Of course, my pleas to not touch it only made him want to do it more. I might as well have said, 'Go and jump through it' It was all fun and games. And it was a nice break from the stress of the recent projects that I've been juggling. I finished today with my presentation so now I just have a French test and then I am officially done! Meaning that my time in Geneva is quickly coming to an end! Scary to think about.