Switzerland: Umea to Geneva

Kim's 3rd Floor Home

The trip from Umea to Geneva was to be an all day affair, since we needed to return to Goteborg via Stockholm to continue our cheap transatlantic ticket through Frankfurt to our destination in Geneva. What with layovers and multiple flights, it took all day.

We were meeting Jeff's cousin Kim there. She's great fun, and was taking most of the week off to guide us through some of Switzerland she had not seen since moving there 3 years ago, and some of her favorite parts that she wanted to share. What a great way to see a country - joining a local guide with a good command of the local language (French in this part of Switzerland - she can and does walk to France from her condo to grocery shop), who is also good friend and family member.

Our plan was to travel to Gruyere and Murren with Kim at the beginning of the week, then return and tour Geneva the last two days of the week when Kim had to be back for meetings.

Our Home-Away-From-Home at Kim's

We left Umea at dawn as the rain was ending and the clouds lifting, and were rewarded with lovely sunlit views  of the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland from the air. We could see the ships plying the sea, shafts of light piercing the clouds, the fine lacework of waves below. After a beautiful approach over the many islands of Stockholm (we have to get back to Sweden some day to visit there), and some confusion as we missed the Swedish instructions to leave the plane, then re-board, we landed again in Goteborg where our connecting flight to Geneva departed. Five hours layover in Frankfurt (what is this, the O'hare of Europe?) after a wonderful aerial view of the industrial heartland of Germany, and we finally landed in Geneva at 10:30 pm to a madhouse. Everyone must have been returning on the red eye that Saturday night.

Bison Graze Outside Geneva.

But my cousin Kim found us quickly at the baggage claim and expertly guided us through the terminal (she, an inveterate traveler for the WHO in Geneva), avoiding the worst crowds, to the bus terminal and the proper transfer downtown to her condo. Tired and happy to see her again after several years, we climbed the stairs to her home, and dropped into bed.

In the morning we were greeted with a fine breakfast of musli, fruit, cheese, and tea (man, those 240 volt European electric tea pots heat fast. No one seems to use microwaves to heat water over here - the tea pot is faster), and a lovely view of the surrounding farms on the outskirts of Geneva. Wait, are those North American bison grazing the foothills of the Alps? Sure enough. Exotic meat sells well everywhere, I guess, and this Swiss farmer has found a higher margin product I bet.

Without dilly dallying, Kim gets her cats set for our absence, we grab our bags again, and we're off on another leg of our adventure.