Vineyards on the border

Finally, clouds that had been covering the Geneva sky decided to give us a break and unveil the sun. Therefore we took the occasion and went out for a walk down the neighbouring vineyards. We started off from Challex, a quaint village on the French side. There is really something charming about those lovely little dots on a map, life seems so peaceful there, everything is neat and tidy and there are tiny offerings at every corner. What do I mean by offerings? Things that you watch with pleasure, that sometimes trigger your thoughts on different subjects like history, human mankind, even our lives. Such things make you stop for a while and absorb the beauty of being. Ok, maybe that description is a bit flamboyant, I admit, but if you once see those petits villages you will understand what I mean.

We found ourselves almost immediately on the vineyard trail and we made our way to Dardagny – a Suiss village of wine makers. The grapevine we passed by were not yet in full gloom, well, not even in partial gloom, I would say – they were just waking up from winter. I guess these hills must look spectacular in summer, we will definitely visit the place again when they start to flourish.

From Dardagny we followed the trail back to Challex. It was even more spectacular and, as the sun went higher, hotter than our first part of the trip. First we passed by the village, watching the wine-vaults, stopping by a chateau and admiring the flowery mansions scattered all over the place. Then we turned right, off the beaten track, through yellow fields and vineyards again. When we reached Challex I was already pretty tired, not used to the sun and a bit rusty in joints after winter, so we went back to Saint Genis for lunch.

Geneva downtown

The weather is not very favorable for me during my stay at Radek’s. Today was more or less the first day with the sun shine long enough to actually get out somewhere further, so we set off to Geneva for a walk. The city itself is not new to us, but you can always discover something unexpected in large places like that.

We started from the old city of Geneva, with its St. Pierre cathedral. We also strolled through the narrow, cobble-stoned allays and enjoyed the first breath of summer.

Old town, although very nice, is not a very extensive one, so after a while we moved to Les Pâquis, the lake side district. First we passed by a must-see in Geneva – a flower clock. It seems like it looks differently in every season, always spectacular though.


Then we moved to the lake side, with an emblem of the city – jet d’eau – a water fountain of 140 m height.
First we marveled at it from the distance, but when we saw the impending rain clouds, we sped up a bit and walked close to the fountain pump. After a short discussion what would happen if someone pulled his hand over the pump, we rushed to the car, as the sky turned pretty gloomy.

83′ Geneva Auto Salon

Today I visited 83′ Auto Salon in Geneva. That was my first attraction during my stay in Geneva because weather has been preventing me from cycling and hiking. This year it was bit more crowded  then the last time in 2010. But still I was able to see all Geneva premier cars and to sit in all vehicles that I wanted. I was also warmly welcomed by Volvo Diplomatic Dealer. So let’s see all the goodies.

First Geneva beauty shown for the first time was Lamborghini Veneno.  For me it was one of the two most beautiful cars in salon. Too bad that they built only three of them. Second best looking car was Koenigsegg Agera S Hundra:

There was hundreds of cars and everyone looked beautiful with a polished paint and appropriately lit.

After I had asked Volvo hostess about the prices and told her that I was from CERN, I was taken to a very nice Volvo VIP lounge where I waited for a dealer.
During the salon you are surrounded by cars not only on the ground but in the air too:

Most disappointing for me was the new Ferrari – la Ferrari – ordinary name and ordinary look, like for Ferrari 😉

And this infotainment system looks familiar… 🙂

And that’s all. Auto Salon see you next year!