Impressions

I thought it would be fun to do a little round-up of some of the things that I've noticed after living in Geneva for nearly a month---I cannot believe that it's been almost a whole month already! Time flies and all that.

Men smoke pipes here. Almost every day I see at least one man walking down the street smoking a pipe. There doesn't seem to be a pipe-smoking type, but they are often wearing suits. Also, there are a fair number of smokers here, which is unfortunate when you're a non-smoker. On the other hand, cigarettes in Europe are a lot nicer smelling than American ones so at least there's that. Justin told me that the city had banned smoking in restaurants, but the ban was reversed! This is a bummer when you go out to eat or when you go to a grocery store that has a restaurant in it.

The dogs have balls. I grew up with Bob Barker's "help control the pet population" messages, so I'm just not used to seeing unneutered dogs. I kind of forgot that some dogs have testicles, but Geneva has reminded me that they certainly do! There are lots of dogs here, which is nice because I love 'em. However, when I'm walking behind a dog my first thought is "Oh, dogs are so cute" and my second thought is generally "Nuts!"

Et voila! People here actually say "voila" and "ohlala" and "enchanté." So many of these French words have become clichés in North American popular culture, but they are actually used on a regular basis in conversation. It is kind of awesome.

Cheese. The people of Switzerland are spoiled with cheese! I realise that the reason "fancy" cheese is expensive at home in Vancouver is because there are costs associated with importing it from Europe, but "fancy" cheese here is everyday cheese and, therefore, priced very low in comparison to what I am used to paying at home. The cheese aisle at the grocery store is usually at least one, but generally THREE, refrigerated bays of delicious fromage. The chocolate aisle is equally as tantalizing and HUGE.

The public transit system is rad. I bought a month pass for 70CHF (roughly $75 CDN). When you buy a month pass here you get to choose the date that it starts on and it finishes a month after that. In Vancouver you have to buy your pass at the beginning of the month or you basically lose money. The buses and trams generally run on time and the zone for the city of Geneva is quite large, so you can go most places with a regular ticket or pass. There are also boats called "mouettes" that you can take from the left bank to the right bank of the city and you can use your bus pass! I haven't done this yet, but I will soon.

High-heels. I only brought one pair and, honestly, I don't see myself wearing heels on a regular basis. However, the women of Geneva certainly do. I feel like a bit of a weirdo, but I have caught myself on more than one occasion staring at women's feet. Shoe envy! At some point I may buy some shoes here, but there's a good chance they won't be heels. Still, it's fun to look.

Parks and greenspaces. There are a ton of parks in Geneva and it's pretty wonderful. As far as I've been able to tell they are well-maintained and very well used by the people living here. It's nice to be wandering around and find yourself in yet another park! Looking at a map of the city you will notice there are a ton of them and they are perfect places to have picnics or read a book or both.

So, those are some of the things that spring to mind when I think about Geneva thus far. I'm sure more impressions will be made as the year progresses. Right now, it's summer and things are pretty vibrant. I'm looking forward to more exploring this weekend and the arrival of my friend/roommate-to-be/librarian-buddy this Sunday. She's lived here before and probably has some favourite places to go. In the meantime, I've been lucky to hang out with Justin and my current roommate, as well as get tips from colleagues at work.