Bonjour de la Suisse: Welcome to the Swiss life

We were concerned about making it back from Egypt on time because the morning after our return to Geneva we were expecting visitors. We were so concerned that we had a contingency plan; our friend, Mrs. Kofi, was set to pick them up and bring them to our place if we weren't able to make it back in time.

But thankfully we made it back on time and were able to go to the airport ourselves to pick up my dad & step mom (I'll call her Mrs. M), bright and early on Easter Sunday. It was their first time to Switzerland and I was looking forward to showing them all around our little corner of the world. We took it easy on our first day and wandered around Geneva a bit before a very traditional Swiss dinner. We went to a restaurant called Edelweiss, which was a bit touristy but charming none the less. We listened to a traditional Swiss band (complete with cow bells and an alphorn) while we shared a pot of fondue. You can't get much more local than that!

So what is the best way to start off our Swiss sightseeing week? Head over to nearby France of course!! We planned to ride a cable car to the lift station overlooking Chamonix, but the mountains were a bit too hazy to do the trip (and the 40 Euro lift ticket) justice, so we drove to Annecy instead. The weather was perfect for this picturesque lake side town where we enjoyed the sights and ate lunch in the old town. In the afternoon we swung by the medieval town of Yvoire, on the banks of Lake Geneva.

The next day was all about exploring Geneva, which isn't as boring as everyone says! :) We walked along the lake, wandered through the Old Town, and watched the chess games in Parc Bastion before heading over to the UN for an afternoon tour. I felt bad because I had to run into the grocery store for a few things on the way home. It turned out to be great, because Mrs. M really found it fascinating - I had forgotten how different our little local market is from the mega-stores back in California. It was cool to see the place I go to everyday through a fresh set of eyes!

Our first train trip of the week was when we ventured to the town of Montreux to visit the Chateau de Chillon, the largest and most famous castle in Switzerland, perched on the edge of Lake Geneva. The next day we ventured even further to Bern, the charming, compact capital of Switzerland. At lunch I tried my hand at German, but instead of ordering three beers and rostis, (I had gotten my zwei (2) and drei (3) mixed up) we ended up one short! When she brought us the rechnung bitte (bill please), the waitress was surprised that we were English speakers (not to sharp on her part if she thought I was fluent in German!) We had a good laugh over that one.

On their last night in Geneva I realized that my dad & Mrs. M had missed the second biggest tourist attraction in the city -- the beautiful flower clock (second only to the Jet d'Eau fountain in the middle of the lake)! I made it a point to swing by this famous monument on our way to dinner in the Old Town. After all, I didn't want them getting home and realizing that we had missed this amazing sight! ;)

It was a great week touring around Switzerland and France with my dad and Mrs. M - unfortunately they could only stay a week. But I'm thrilled that they had the chance to check out where we live and got a taste of the Swiss life, fondue and all!