Geneva, the city in the armpit of mountains
Flying to Geneva, Switzerland, can be a sweet experience in clear blue weather while the sun caresses the mountains encircling the city in the valley. Or it can be full of crushing feeling of anxiety in poor weather conditions when you know the mountains are all around you but you just can’t see them. Either way, Geneva is a place worth visiting for.
Mountains everywhere you look
The magnificent scenery everywhere you happen to look can be really breath taking. Green grass, leafy trees and of course the mountains. White, snow covered mountains all around you in this little city with nearly
187k population amongst the Alps. Geneva is quite in the middle of everything. Looking west and south-west, you know that behind the mountains there is France and all their baguettes and berets. Looking east you can almost taste the wienerschnitzels of Austria. Dreaming towards south or south-east, you can imagine all the warmth and the smell of all the pizzas in Italy. Looking north, you can see the only passage out from the valley, towards Germany and their million and one beers. Not a bad placeto be in really.
Loads of cash and diplomacy
Geneva , situated by the Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French) is living in the shadows of the highest mountain in western Europe (all Europe if not counting Russia to Europe), Mont Blanc, 15,771 feet / 4807 met
ers. As most of Switzerland, Geneva is fully loaded with cash, managing for example assets of about 1 trillion USD in their private banking system. Switzerland being highly focused in Finance, Geneva is along with the city of Zürich the financial centers of the country. Geneva is also specialized in the arts of Diplomacy being the most important international co-operation centers of the world with New York. The most famous result of this is the signing of the Geneva Conventions that set the standards in international law for humanitarian treatment of the victims of war.
Martians having a vacation
With high finance and diplomacy comes also the high prices. Geneva is not really the cheapest place to go to. In 20
09 the city was ranked the 4th most expensive city in the world. As for the common Martian tourist, you can expect to pay for example a meal, consisting of 2 pizzas and 2 beers, about 50 Euros (about 65 USD). Been there, done that. But if you like the most amazing views and in the winter time prefer really awesome skiing resorts, despite all the cash pouring out of your wallet, it really might be worth all the money.
Article and Photos by : Wip
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