You can’t beat the beauty of Switzerland…the lakes, the snow topped mountains, and the cleanliness of all that surrounds you. It is amazing that even in a large city, everything is so clean! I can’t decide if I would recommend visiting in November. It was a bit chilly and we had several gray days, but the crowds were nonexistent. It was so peaceful to wander without getting jostled for space.

We arrived on a rainy day, so we waited until late afternoon to explore Old Town. One of the perks of staying in Geneva is the transportation pass that you receive from your hotel for the duration of your stay. We could travel on bus, tram, or yellow boat without paying. It made our time there so much easier. However, we walked on the first day and discovered the Flower Clock, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and Tavel’s House. Tavel’s House is the oldest private residence in Geneva. It was destroyed by fire (except for the cellars) in 1334, but rebuilt. There are several floors and each are dedicated to something different. My favorite was the 18th and 19th century apartment on the second floor. The wallpaper was magnificent. Also impressive is the Magnin Relief Model of Geneva on the third floor, which is made entirely of metal. It is the largest relief model in Switzerland and took 18 years to create.

One of my favorite visits was to the Meg. It’s an Ethnography museum, which means you get to see all kinds of neat artifacts from native people from all over the world. I was surprised at how many items they had from so many different types of people. There were samurai outfits, Aztec figurines, weapons, artwork, religious articles, and even a shrunken head! The permanent collection is free and so worth a stop! We went to five different museums that had free permanent collections, if you are looking to save a little money on your trip. The Meg and Tavel’s House were the best.

Of course, we had to try fondue while we were there. It was the perfect weather for it. After searching for recommendations, I found the Restaurante les Armures. As soon as you walk in, all you can smell is cheese. It was heavenly. We arrived at 5 and they were already frantically trying to seat people. They told us that we had an hour, which was not an issue for us, but it took at least twenty minutes for a waiter to come to our table. The fondue was yummy and very filling. A note about restaurants in Geneva, get a reservation. We either went to eat very early (which some places don’t serve food until 7pm) or tried to wrangle a table and promised to eat quickly (less than two hours!).