I am Always Ascending: The Franc is no joke

I say that because Switzerland is one of a few countries in Western Europe that has not changed their monetary system to that of the euro. Perhaps my internal currency converter was off, but I thought that everything in Switzerland was extremely expensive.

I came in on an overnight bus with Eurolines for about 50 euros, so the price was right. Laura and I planned on figuring out how to get to Italy once we arrived in Geneva. While waiting in line at the train station, we met Vanessa, who was also on her way to Rome. We decided that we would all try to get on the same train to Rome so we could enjoy the day in Geneva together. Vanessa was originally from Canada and grew up in Florida. Luckily, she was fluent in French since Geneva is the French-speaking area in Switzerland.

Laura and I with our new friend, Vanessa

The weather was overcast and cool so sweaters came in handy on our trek through the city. At some point, it started drizzling but it did not last long. Fortunately, Vanessa had explored parts of Geneva the evening before, so she took Laura and I to the few points of interest that the city contains. One was a park (I did not catch the name of anything in Geneva) with a miniature castle-like structure in the middle of it. It was across the street from the water that hosted an impressive waterspout that continuously went off. We also passed by a cool clock made of grass and flowers. But, for the most part the city was pretty modern and looked like any other developed city with skyscrapers and department stores.

Before lunch, we scaled several steep streets in an effort to get a better view of the city. The view of the mountains against the blue sky was breathtaking. After witnessing the view, the three of us made our way to another park. I wrote in my journal; Vanessa did the same and read; and Laura took a nap. After relaxing, we found a pub and sat for a burger. It cost 15 francs (about $15USD) for a burger, fries and salad. The overpriced beef was somewhat disappointing, but at least my stomach was full.

There was not much else to see in the city, so after shopping, we sought out a movie theater. Sad to say, but Transformers II (another 18 francs) was probably the best part of my trip to Geneva. By sundown, we made it to the train for our trip to Rome. Luckily, it was a sleeper-cabin, so I got a bed and was able to sleep comfortably on the train.