The Last Trips: Geneva and Lyon

After London, I went to Paris for a day to see Caiqian. From Paris we took a train to Geneva, Switzerland. Since Seth had just landed in Geneva, we actually did not meet up with him there. We wouldn't see him until we met up in Lyon. Until then, Caiqian and I were just happy to spend some more time in Caiqian's favorite country.

A Quick Break in Geneva

Our visit to Geneva was so short we didn't even spend a night there. We arrived at around 10 am and left around 5:30 pm. During that time we mostly just enjoyed laying outside enjoying Switzerland's unnaturally good weather.

When we arrived to see Geneva's legendary lake, we were surprised to discover that it had an iconic geyser that shot water 500 feet into the air. According to internet research, it takes each water droplet coming out of the pump 17 seconds before it hits the lake again. I can't imagine how much that energy that takes, although I could probably calculate it if I wanted to.

Above: The Geyser of Geneva.

Above: Caiqian's reunited with Switzerland.

Above: I'm in front of yet another beautiful Swiss lake.

Most of our time in Geneva was spent just laying down on a nice grass field next to the lake. There Caiqian and I ate snacks, slept, and played cards.

Above: Lazy Shuffle.

The only other thing we did in Geneva was window-shop. We didn't buy anything besides snacks though, since Switzerland's prices are always at least three times what any sane person would pay. Can you imagine forking up $1400 for a Swiss army knife?

Above: The $1400 Swiss Army Knife.

Ok, ok, that was a special Swiss army knife. But what do you think about thirty dollar tweezers? Is that really reasonable?

Above: What could thirty dollar tweezers possibly do that a two dollar one couldn't?

And even the most financially-unaware person must recognize that a ball of yarn shouldn't cost twelve bucks.

Above: You can't possibly be serious.

After Caiqian and I were done gawking at Switzerland's prices, we took a train to Lyon to see Seth.

Lyon

After landing in Lyon, Caiqian and I went to Snack Cool. Snack Cool was an empty, large restaurant that gave off a kinda creepy vibe. We had doubts about the place, but when we bit into our scrumptious chicken alfredo pizza, all our fears about the quality of the food disappeared. The pizza was made on the spot with the freshest ingredients, and the waiter/chef was also extremely nice (I think he really appreciated our business) so he gave us a large pizza and only charged us for a medium. It was a great first impression of the food in Lyon.

Above: Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Snack Cool.

The next day we picked up Seth at the rail station.

Above: This is actually our parting picture, but you can imagine it's Seth's arriving picture.

Hanging out with Seth mostly involved walking around town.

Above: College Kids in Lyon.

While we were walking around, Caiqian found the following sign. Too bad the place was closed.

Above: The ten scoop option was pretty tempting.

At some point during our walk we arrived in Lyon's tourist square. While we were there we heard someone speaking on a speakerphone, but by the time we went to the source the crowd had already dispersed. I wonder what the gathering was.

Above: Lyon Square.

From here we could also see the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

Above: Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

Inspired by the sight of the basilica on the grassy hill, we made it all the way up the hill to the bascilica's front door. 

Above: The front of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

What was most impressive about the Basilica for me was the view from the backyard.

Above: The back edge of the basilica.

Above: Look! It's the square!

After a long walk down, we found a fountain that I decided was a wishing well. I had fun tossing some of my useless Scottish coins in it.

Above: Impromptu Wishing Well.

The Food of Lyon

The reason we went to Lyon was because it supposedly had the best food in France. So for lunch we went to a fancy place called Vilain Petit Canard, where every single meal on the menu had duck. I enjoyed my duck steak, which duck that had been prepared to taste like cow.

Above: Duck Steak.

I also enjoyed Seth's duck carpaccio, but that might just be the Italian in me.

Above: Duck.... Carpaccio?

At another restaurant we got frog legs, which I hadn't enjoyed since I the first time I had them in New York.

Above: Delicious Frogs.

At a fancier restaurant, we had some sorbets and chocolate for dessert.

Above: Seth liked the Lime Sorbet.

Above: Maxi-Finger with Sorbet.

Overall, I was actually not amazed with Lyon's food. It was good, but I believe the food in Paris was better. Surprisingly enough, my favorite dish from the entire trip was the pizza Caiqian and I munched on when we first arrived.

The Zoo and Garden Park of Lyon

The next day after our foodscapades, Caiqian, Seth, and I went to Lyon's premier public park. The park was divided mainly into two sections. Half the park was for plants and recreation, and the other half was a public zoo. First Caiqian, Seth, and I went to see the plants. Most the plants were flowers (they were nothing special, especially after the Keukenhof gardens), but there was one greenhouse for carnivorous plants that caught my eye. Everything in this greenhouse, even the flowers, looked sinister.

Above: This flower looks like death itself.

There were also just plain ugly plants here. Why do these buds look so much like brains?

Above: Brain Plants.

Then there were the standard fly-eating plants. I've always wanted to own one of these to see if it would serve as a pest-control plant, but I think they work by luring in insects with a scent, so it'd probably be counterproductive.

Above: This guy will devour you.

After the plants we all took a break in the lovely park. I had a good time learning new card games from Seth, like his version of Gin Rummy, three-player hearts, and Buck Euchre.

Above: What is Caiqian doing?

We also got some ice cream to cool us off after all that walking in the sun.

Above: Bryan's Gnome Face.

After a long break we got up again to see the animals. And they were cute. I enjoyed seeing the monkey exhibits because the monkeys were actually quite active. They were swinging from tree to tree, and munching on leaves and such. Very fun.

Above: Aww... he's eating like a human.

Above: I don't know any humans that can do that though.

Another fun exhibit was the crocodile exhibit. There was one crocodile that just had his head peaking out a door with his mouth open that was cracking me up. I think he was honestly waiting for lunch to just walk right in.

Above: Patience.

We saw other creatures too, but they mostly just stood where they were or were eating. Nothing special here.

Above: Wilda-beasts.

Lastly we saw the bear exhibit. When we first got there the bear was just pacing around, but then he surprised us by getting on his find legs and doing a little jig. It was pretty sweet.

Above: Do a little dance... Make a little love... Get down tonight!

After the zoo it was time for Seth to go back to work in Geneva. Overall the trip to Geneva and Lyon wasn't nearly as focused as our previous excursions, but at the same time it was more relaxing than our previous trips. For me the trip was more about seeing my friend Seth rather than experiencing all Geneva and Lyon had to offer.

After Lyon and Geneva Caiqian and I went back to Paris. We only had another week before packing our bags and heading home to Texas. The thought was exciting and scary at the same time. Because it's been a while since my last post about Paris, I'll do a post  to describe all I've done in Paris since February. Be ready, because in the upcoming post I'm going to cover the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Paris' most delectable delicacies.