small trips around a big world
Despite Lyon's reputation as a food and wine mecca, it can be easily overlooked as just a stop on the way from Geneva or Paris to southern France. After watching it pass by the window numerous times, we chose a weekend and began planning a trip to explore Lyon's world-famous sites and cuisine. Lyon's... Continue Reading →
If you're looking for great food, fine wine, and a world-class farmer's market in a laid-back setting, don't overlook Geneva's lesser known French neighbor, Ferney Voltaire. Downtown Ferney VoltaireImage credit: Daniel Gillet The New York Times has featured Geneva twice in its 36 hours articles (2007 and 2016), but Geneva's next door neighbor, Ferney Voltaire,... Continue Reading →
As I crossed the bustling square, I heard my name and looked up to see two smiling faces framed in the wooden shutters adorning an old stone building, now an airbnb apartment. My father and brother leaned over the iron rail, waving with one hand, a glass of wine in the other in an official... Continue Reading →
One thing about living in Switzerland stands out above all else, and that is the access to the outdoors. I decided to enter the winter sports scene by starting with low-adrenaline activities: cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. And after scouring the glocals website, I found all the necessary equipment for next to nothing. Now, fully prepared, it was time to hit the... Continue Reading →
My best friend Laura was in town, and I wanted to plan a weekend adventure befitting of nearly 20 years exploring the world together. Hiking around Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, seemed the obvious choice. Sitting at over 15,770 feet with magnificent valleys stretching into France, Italy, and Switzerland, the Mont Blanc... Continue Reading →
The Provence painted by Van Gogh and Cézanne is a dazzling palette of richly colored scenes. More than a century later, nothing has changed. A region famous for its pastis and pétanque, rolling fields of purple lavender, storybook hilltop villages, and picturesque markets, Provence offers so many enchanting landscapes and experiences that it would take a lifetime to uncover them all. We had a week. On... Continue Reading →
Our jaws still drop every time we realize that it is only a two hour drive North from Geneva to the Burgundy wine region of France. We decided to drive out during the grape harvest, staying in a lovely airbnb in a winemaker's home in the village of Pommard, 3km SouthWest of Beaune (pronounced "bone"), the wine capitol... Continue Reading →
A supersaver ticket that, when combined with our annual half price passes, let us travel for a quarter of the price of normal tickets on the Swiss rail systems, inspired another weekend trip. This time we headed north almost to the German border, then northwest into the Alsace wine region of France. The train took the familiar track towards Lausanne, which... Continue Reading →
As I toast a glass of champagne and slurp a briny oyster from its shell, I can't help but marvel at the French passion for eating well. This would have been beyond a fantasy a year ago and yet here we are, spending a weekend at "home" that feels like a dream vacation. This is owed primarily to France's... Continue Reading →
"Franzerland" is what I am officially calling the border area. And here are a few great things that we've discovered round these parts so far. 1) Bikes! We got bikes! There's an amazing site in Geneva called glocals that is essentially a pre-screened Craigslist for only people living in Geneva. It's how I found my apartment and... Continue Reading →