Leading Life: Genève, Suisse

This past Thursday, I jumped on a train and headed for the 8th most expensive city in the world, and one of the banking capitals of Europe, Geneva, Switzerland. After taking a train to the French city of Lyon, there was a two hour ride through the beginning of the Alps into Switzerland. Geneva sits literally right on the border of France and Switzerland, and throughout my two days there, I constantly crossed the border, many times without noticing. Geneva is commonly known as one of the major players in the Protestant Reformation, and during my time there I went to one of the major churches in the city where John Calvin's personal chair still remains. The architecture of the city is beautiful, especially the older part of the city. From the top of the church tower, the city is breathtaking, especially with the lake and the huge fountains. Also, Geneva definitely keeps to its rank as one of the most expensive cities in the world. I saw a mix of some of the most exotic and expensive cars, along with shops that would send most people packing. The banking district makes even wall street look bland, with its extravagant buildings and surroundings. Overall, Geneva was a great experience, and definitely worth visiting. During my time there, however, it was overcast most of the time, limiting my view of the surrounding mountains. I stayed with the family of a previous staff member for YWAM France, which turned out to be a really good experience. For example, playing cranium in French, watching the entire Bourne series in one evening / morning, and of course getting a guided tour of an awesome city.

Returning from Switzerland, I stopped in Lyon to see the city that I have traveled through multiple times without ever actually seeing. Lyon is an ancient capital of the Roman empire, and it is very obvious while visiting. First note, the metro system in Lyon, although not as extensive, is very much like that of New York's. I was impressed, seeing as Lyon has nowhere near the population. Also, another neat feature is that on every other corner, there are bicycle racks where you can insert a euro, take a bike, then return it to another rack anywhere in the city. Pretty convenient. While in Lyon, I visited an old ancient Roman theater. This amphitheater is still in pristine condition, with even the side shops being intact, with stone tables and areas for the shopkeepers. I feel like these ruins were probably in better shape than most ruins in Rome itself. Also, the ruins overlooked the entire city, make for quite a great view. Another interesting fact is that they still use the amphitheater today for concerts and such. When I was there, they were setting up for a music festival involving quite an intricate setup. I was also informed that this is quite common and that somewhere south of Lyon there is a fully intact Roman coliseum which is still used for musicals and plays, most recently, Phantom of the Opera.

John Calvin's Church in Gevena