Geneva Week 3 (5/24 to 5/30) - Doggie Day Care, French Lessons, Caves Ouvertes and Aosta

This week started off with a beautiful Monday morning in Geneva and a Swiss holiday; therefore, Jason was off work and we all got to spend it together!

Jason and Natalie started off the day eating homemade crepes filled with fresh cherries and Nutella. We all then headed out to the back of our house where we met up with our landlords, Silvio and Christianne, and their dog Eliot in their garden.

I had a lot of fun playing with Eliot and today was the first day we broke ground together (i.e., digging), which is a good sign that our friendship is going to be a lasting one. Today was also the first day I ventured into the Swiss-French river, in which I eagerly swam and splashed around!

Meanwhile, Natalie, Jason and Silvio planted green beans. For lunch, Christianne and Silvio barbecued some fragrant merguez sausages on the grill in the garden. They (I didn't really get any this time) enjoyed sausage on crusty baguettes with whole grain mustard as the condiment, all of which was washed down with a Cote d'Rhone wine.


After we cleaned up from our excursion into the garden and surrounding play areas, Natalie, Jason and I ventured into Carouge and downtown Geneva for an afternoon walk. That evening, we had a restful dinner at home and I slept well in hopes I'd have another fun day ahead of me on Tuesday....little did I know this'd be my first day at Truffes and Co. doggie day care.


Natalie, Jason and I left the house somewhat early on Tuesday morning. This was definitely not my normal schedule, so I was quite suspicious. After sitting in the car for almost an hour wading through Geneva traffic (apparently, this is quite unusual), Natalie dropped Jason off near his work and we continued driving. About a half hour later, we arrived at Truffes and Co. in the town of Etoy. 


I recognized this place from our visit the week before and I realized I probably would be hanging out here for a while today. Natalie dropped me off (I was good and went along - I could've been stubborn if I wanted to) and she headed towards Saint Prex, which is right near doggie day care, aka 'DDC.'


While I was familiarizing myself with these new people, new dogs and new surroundings, Natalie was soaking in the sunshine on the Saint Prex beach. Since it had been a stressful few months with the move, etc. Natalie decided that she could have one day of rest and hang out on the beach for most of it, so, that's what she did.


The morning consisted of reading Harry Potter book 7 and getting the beginnings of a sunburn. For lunch, Natalie slowly made her way into the Saint Prex village and found a fabulous place to eat at. She had a buckwheat crepe, topped with mushrooms, bacon and vegetables. Apparently, it was quite delectable. The only downside was that Natalie sat in the sun for the entire lunch and got really sunburned! After lunch, Natalie's afternoon consisted of much of the same (reading, working on her computer, etc.) and then at 4pm she came to get me!

(A view of Lake Geneva from the Saint Prex beach!)

(Natalie's fantastic lunch in Saint Prex!)


I was very excited to see her and I'm proud of myself, because I only cried a little bit. We made our way back into Geneva (DDC is about an hour to our house; however, stopping in Geneva first cuts the trip in half) and met up with Jason for dinner. 


For dinner, Natalie and Jason dined at Brasserie de l'Hôtel de Ville in Old Town, Geneva.  Jason had a collection of Geneva sausages and Natalie had what she thought was traditional Cog au Vin; however, the 'Coq' was more like short-ribs, or something along those lines. Either way, they both immensely enjoyed it.


After getting through my first day at DDC (which seemed like forever; although I actually did have some fun while I was there), the rest of the week just flew by.  Natalie finally got the house 90% finished and has asked me to include some pictures, which are below. Jason and Natalie still have a TV, some bookshelves to buy and pictures to hang, but for the most part, they're done and can enjoy the home!

(View #1 of the Kitchen)

(View #2 of the Kitchen)

(The wood-burning fireplace next to the kitchen)

(View #1 of the living room)

(View #2 of the living room - me and my couch!)

(View #1 of the dining room)

(View #2 of the dining room)

(The 'decorative stairs' in the main room leading up to a loft/sitting area)

(The wood beam in the main room)

(A view of the bedrooms from the main room - thanks April for the suggestion on the chaise!)

(View #1 of the shower room)

(View #2 of the shower room - that's right, no curtain. I hear you get used to it, though.)

(The cozy 'toilette.')

(View #1 of the guest bedroom.)

(View #2 of the guest bedroom - the window overlooking the village rooftops.)

(View #1 of the master bedroom - Natalie and Jason never make their bed. It drives me crazy.)

(View #2 of the master bedroom - there is a workloft that Natalie and Jason use to store books currently, but it will eventually be an office.)


I went to DDC one more time on Thursday and, again, Natalie and I met Jason in Geneva after his work. This time, while waiting for Jason, Natalie and I sat at a wine bar in downtown and I looked out on all the ducks in the river and Natalie continued to read Harry Potter, while drinking a French Chardonnay. Dinner, this time, consisted of fondue at a little place in Old Town (I think Natalie and Jason like this part of Geneva!)

(Looking out over the water at the wine bar.)


Friday was a restful day; however, that evening Natalie left me to go downtown! Apparently, Natalie and Jason had their very first French lesson. It sounded like the lesson went well; however, Natalie was pretty sure the pronunciation was going to be a problem for her. After their French lesson, Natalie and Jason had a fantastic dinner at Cafe Jules Verne in the Plainpalais district of Geneva. Natalie had a wonderful dish of cod, topped with roasted tomatoes and served alongside haricot verts and a beet-cinnamon puree. Jason had a flavorful roasted chicken with hummus.


We all slept in a bit on Saturday morning and since it was a nice day out, Natalie and Jason took me to downtown Geneva and we all went for a very long walk along the waterfront.  Afterwards, we ventured into the shopping area and Natalie and Jason finally bought a TV! It's a 41 inch LG LCD flat screen, which they plan to pick up early next week.

(Checking out the Jet D'Eau! This is a large fountain in Lake Geneva and is one of the city's most famous landmarks!)


After we arrived back home, Natalie and Jason went off to join Silvio and Christianne for Caves Ouvertes. I stayed at home and rested as this particular outing is not really my thing. Caves Ouvertes is a once a year event where the local wineries open up their caves and let the public taste the previous year's vintage. It's quite crowded and I can't really drink wine (although I do like to sniff out the vines), so, I didn't have much interest in attending.


The first winery Natalie, Jason, Silvio and Christianne visited was in Chevrens, right next to their house. Chevrens is the actual name of the village Natalie and Jason live in. Anieres is the official city they're in and Geneva is the canton, or 'state' Anieres is in.

(A picture of the caves ouvertes sign, which were posted all over Geneva leading up to Saturday's events.)


This winery had really nice wines and a pleasant view of the lake. It was at this winery that Natalie and Jason discovered Gamaret. Gamaret is a local grape to Switzerland and it actually comes from a hybrid vine of Gamay Beaujolais and Reichensteiner. Natalie and Jason liked this particular variety so much that they bought a bottle - they will definitely be getting more though, as family at home (particularly Natalie and Jason's brother-in-law Ken) will love this wine!


After the visit to the Chevrens winery, everyone headed to the town of Anieres and visited three more caves. There they sampled more gamaret, chardonnay, muscats and pinot noirs, all of which are grape varieties grown in the area.


The final cave they visited had a jazz band and also raclette! Raclette is a type of cheese, but also a delectable dish of potatoes, pearl onions, pickles and the hot, melted alpine mountain cheese made to order. Natalie, Jason and Silvio all had the raclette dish and after a long day of drinking wine, nothing ever tasted so good.

(The raclette! Need I say anything more :-) )


Natalie and Jason made it back by early evening and since our car was in downtown Geneva (we left it there after our walk) and they were too tired to cook, we bussed it into downtown and had a nice Italian meal at Via Roma in Carouge of truffle pasta and crab tortelloni.


On Sunday morning, we all discovered the best bakery yet, which was in Veigy, France and literally 5 minutes from our house. The bakery produces crusty and chewy breads all day long and it's more likely than not you'll be leaving the place with hot bread in hand and almost any time throughout the day! Christianne told Natalie about this place and there is no doubt Natalie and Jason will be visiting this bakery frequently over the next two years. 


Sunday turned out to also be our grocery shopping and travel day.  Since stores are closed in Switzerland on Sunday, Natalie and Jason went to Carrefour in France to buy the week's groceries. 


After all the bakery discovery and shopping was done, we settled into the Qashqai and decided that it was time to venture into Italy! 


It only took an hour and lots of tunnels (plus one really long and expensive one - the Mont Blanc tunnel) and we finally arrived in the town of Courmayeur, Italy. Courmayeur is in the Aosta Valley and sits at the foot of the alps. It is primarily known for its skiing - since we are past snow season a bit (however, unfortunately not rain season), the town was somewhat quiet. We all stretched our legs and went for a walk and then found a great wood-fired pizzeria for lunch.


Now, we've all had good pizza in the U.S. and in Switzerland, but, nothing really compares to Italian pizza. The quality and freshness of ingredients are unmistakable, the saucy is tangy, the cheese is gooey, but not overly gooey and that crust...well, that crust is the perfect blend of chewiness and crustiness, with a slightly sourdough taste at the finish. Needless to say that, with my help, Natalie and Jason had no problem finishing their Italian wood-fired pizzas.

(Natalie's Parma pizza, which was topped with Parma Prosciutto!)

(Jason and his pizza! He chose fresh sausage and mushrooms.)


After stuffing ourselves to the brim, we got back into the Qashqai and headed to our final destination of the day, which was the town of Aosta. It only took about another 30 minutes from Courmayeur. A few more tunnels later, we were in the square of this very cute town!


We walked all up and down the streets and discovered lively cafes, many gelaterias, small boutique grocery stores, pastry shops, wine bars and even some small home decor shops. Natalie and Jason also discovered the Aosta Cathedral right outside the square. This Roman Catholic church was very ornate and Natalie and Jason just marveled at the amount of detail work that went into building these churches back in the 15th and 16th centuries.

(The village of Aosta against the Italian Alps.)

(A quaint little walkway leading to a restaurant in Aosta.)

(An image of the ornate detail of the Aosta Cathedral.)

(The Aosta Cathedral clock tower.)


After enjoying cherry, grapefruit and yogurt gelato, we all slowly left the village of Aosta; however, resolved to return very soon, especially with Natalie's parents when they visit in September.


Sunday evening back at home was a rainy one, so, we all stayed indoors and relaxed for the week ahead. It was yet another fun week in this new and exciting environment and I can hardly wait for the many discoveries that lay ahead.


Paws,
Sabrina