22 - Cheesin' it - Geneve

Saturday, March 15

The forecast today: 9mm of rain over the course of a cold, overcast day.  As such, I opted to sleep in and recover; my commutes home had shown me how tired I was when I started reaching REM sleep between stops on the train from La Plaine to Gare Cornavin.  So I afforded myself a bit of grace today and stayed in bed till I was good and ready to take on the day.  

Once up and at 'em, I had a quiet, quick breakfast at the boulangerie/patisserie down the street before making a few stops at some stores to examine clothing options.  Turns out, I'm having a hard time finding small shops with clothing for men, so I might need to make a visit to a bigger store if I really feel the need to add to my wardrobe.  I'm reaching the half-way point of my stay so maybe I'll get by on the few outfits I brought; though it would be nice to add a few new threads to my collection if the price isn't too outrageous.  Everything I've found is either an American, French, or Italian brand porting a Swiss price tag. 

For the little lunch, a café and a cross-like pastry.  It was intrigued by the wrapper on the chocolate bar accompanying the café: instead of "Phillipe Taillé and son," it was "& Daughter".  It'd be a nice touch if the daughter's part wasn't basically off of the chocolate bar.

But looking at the awnings, it looks like young Stephanie got the last laugh on her old man.

Having struck out on my quick foray into clothes shopping, I stopped by the Saturday marché to stock up on groceries.  Today's haul included: three types of cheese (a classic Mont D'Or, un tomme vaudois, et un tranche épais de vacherousse), plus des asperges, un peu de dent-du-lion, un peu de jeune chicory, des fraises cifleurette, un quail farci, des saucisses de veau, et du pâte-en-croute.  A nice haul and I'm eager to try them all out.

I didn't notice the shelf of Gruyere in the back of the van until after I'd finished my purchases; don't worry, I'll be back for more.

"We forgot the cheese, Grommit!"

As I finished up with the market, I received a WhatsApp message from my friend asking if I'd be interested in rejoining some people I'd met in France for lunch.  Avec plaisir!  I met ces Français during the holidays of my stay in France, and I'd say it was a turning point for me with regards to feeling à l'aise in French environments; it was also through them that I got the official word about the mariniere and a recommendation of where to buy one.😆

So after dropping things off in the apartment, I snagged the next tram over to the Paquis district of Geneva and walked the few blocks to the baths.  Apparently, les Bains du Paquis is a veritable institution with its spa and restaurant.  We were lucky to snag a decent table indoors as the place was completely noir du monde.  Out of the rain in a canteen heated by wood stoves, I could see the appeal of this place as a giant pot of frothy fondue was set down in front of me 😋 Hands down, this fondue was waaaaay better than the other two I've had thus far in Geneva: it was well seasoned, the use of sparkling wine lightened the texture, and the staff was able to lift the cheese crust from the bottom of the pot for a final, cheesy treat.

This place was alive on a drizzly Saturday afternoon; people would place their order and then find a spot indoors to eat.  Waiters were constantly walking by with big, red pots of fondue calling out peoples' names, while those who ordered items other than fondue simply carried their trays from the service counter to the table of their choice.  

Say, "fromage!"

After lunch, I had an afternoon coffee with my friend in the BelAir part of town.  It was interesting getting insight into her transition from scientist to manager.  There was a stark shift in usage of skills and the responsibility of a team called a quote to my mind: heavy hangs the head that wears the crown.  Having gotten a feel on the pulse of the culture in Geneva, I can empathize with having to worry about politicking.  My own boss is so cool as a cucumber that I figured maybe we've got things easier on our little "island" in New Jersey, but I suppose it's always a question of what's happening behind the curtain to the side of the wizard's visage.

I did some wandering around in the old town after coffee.  It's neat that almost all fountains here are potable water, like both this bathtub and the flowered fountain had potable water! 

I suppose it's truly springtime if the forsythie is in bloom; this one overlooks the park of Place de Neuve and would feature a view of Salève if not for all the clouds.

Gotta love the blend of old streets with modern, mini supermarkets.

With coffee done, I had just enough time to swing by Maison Tavel, which is a restored house in the vielle ville dedicated to Genevan history.  I ended up making a very abridged visit and will have to read through a few expository panel pictures I took but I enjoyed the museum: it featured multiple levels with different approaches to Genevan history.  I think the layout and explanations could have been a little better but I do recommend it for those interested in the area's history.  

Hmm, you know what, I don't think I encountered a plaque explaining why the city's crest features half a two headed eagle and a key.  Now that I think about, the eagle was mentioned somewhere as a leftover from a previous occupier's crest, but the key remains an enigma to me.

In the basement, there was an exhibit dedicated to the history of coinage in Geneva.  I was in a rush and didn't read everything, but if I got the gist of this diagram, the ancient Genevois would spend the year enriching nobles before sending them through the mint press at the end of the year to extract the precious coins and celebrate. 

The top floor of the museum was completely dedicated to maquettes of the city in the 1800s.  Geneva had originally started on the hill to the south of the river mouth but eventually expanded to engulf the entire base of the lake.  It's a shame the highly packed island district has gone the way of the dodo, though from what I eavesdropped from a guided tour, it was the city's abattoir.  

It's weird to imagine the city as I know it to have once being covered in defensive moat structures.

The guillotine was left here in Geneva compliments of the French government when Geneva got absorbed into France.  With its own independence, Geneva ended up doing away with this device and abolished the death penalty way ahead of most places.  I though the basket on the business end of the machine was a nice touch; we wouldn't want things getting messy now, would we? 

With the museum closing at 6, I made a quick stop by the Wall of Reformers, a memorial dedicated to the key moments of the Reformation with relation to Geneva.  The use of languages and the arrangement of dates confused me a fair amount: the entries kept swapping around between German, French, and English.  Still, I think I got the point: with the retraction of the Edict of Nantes, Geneva received a massive influx of Huguenots, Geneva became a bastion of Protestantism despite Catholic French control of the surrounding area, Anglican puritans went off the Americas, while a Transylvanian was victorious in Hungary with a battle that more or less ushered in legitimizing the Reformation; finally, Geneva staved off the Duke of Savoie and declared itself politically and religiously independent of France.  

So per my new knowledge from Maison Tavel, Place de Neuve used to feature a gate house for entry to the city over one of it's angled moats.

The Wall of Reformers is much more impressive by daylight than the previous time's I'd passed it at night.  

For dinner: a salad of dandelion greens, the vacherousse cheese, and a horse steak.  I was surprised that the dandelions weren't nearly as bitter as a I expected, maybe that's a testament to how young they were.  With the steak, I could definitely begin to notice differences with beef: in the texture and a slight nudge to the flavor profile.  And the cheese 👌