36 Hours in Geneva

My experience in Montreux was very interesting about public nudity. I was there for the Jazz Festival in 1994 and while walking through the grounds of the hotel one afternoon I passed by 2 older women sunbathing in lounge chairs, which wasn’t unusual. But later when I passed by them again one of the woman, who was heavy set was fully nude and not really a pleasant sight. But my afternoon took a pleasant surprise not long after that experience while sitting at the side of the pool drinking a Heineken, when a young woman in her early twenties climbed out of the pool topless next to were I was sitting. No one gawked at her as she walked passed several teenagers horsing around the pool, then but on a bathrobe and went about her day. Montreux may not be Geneva, but nudists exist only an hour and a half away, at least on that day in July.

@Hoping For Better I lived there for some years and sadly agree with you! Once you cross the border into France voisine, everything changes and comes to life. Geneva is so static that the main attractions, as described in the article, haven't changed at all in 40 years. One very pleasant summer experience not mentioned: cruising the lake on the big commercial boats when the sun is shining. Very Swiss and a great way to see the region.

I’m with you on it. We drove through it and we’re going to explore the city a bit, but it looked so drab and uninteresting that we decided to continue onto our next destination.

@aelstor Strong second on Cafe de Paris. The steak is an entrecote, sliced thick and served family-style in a pool of an incredible (and secret) butter sauce. A carafe of the local Dole pairs perfectly. Coupe Danmark for dessert! Not to be missed at the Cathedral: down the side steps is an archaeological museum, showing, in situ, the history of the occupation of the site, from paleolithic times to the present. The walkway passes directly over ancient foundations and tiled floors. Amazing experience... surprising that this was not on the 36 hour tour. The World Intellectual Property Agency is (or at least used to be) open for lunch. The view from the top floor dining room is spectacular. The lobby floor, walls and fountain are a collage of stone from almost every country in the world. The Art Museum doesn't compare with some of its great European peers, but still worth a visit.

@MDCooks8 I once flew in a day before an International Conference on the Future of Palestine. Talk about security... starting with the fastest descent and hottest landing I've ever experienced in years of commercial flying. Armored personnel carriers and machine guns next to the runway. Armed escort off the plane to the terminal and directly to a metal detector. Long lines at immigration. The man in front of me had an Egyptian passport, and the official was giving him a hard time. When I finally stepped up, he looked at the cover of my US passport, looked at me and waved me on. More soldiers with automatic weapons outside. I was on edge for the entire week.

I do want to add that once the plane landed in Geneva, there weren’t any customs or security we had to pass through. This may have been because we were traveling through London from New York and went through customs at Heathrow.

In addition, I experienced first hand about the precision of Swiss time tables and traveling by train. From the airport we boarded a train early to Montreux at the adjacent train terminal. Thinking I had time to use a restroom I told my traveling companion I would be right back, but more than 3 hours later, I found out that no sooner that I stepped off the train, the doors shut and the train left the terminal. I had to wait nearly 2 hours for the next train and when I finally arrived in Montreux an hour and half later, I learned of Swiss time.