Geneva

Geneva was actually the first trip I booked for this year!  It wasn't a massively obvious choice, but my friends Debbie and Jess qualified to represent Great Britain in their respective age groups at the European Triathlon Championships, so we organised a trip out to support them and see what Geneva was like at the same time.  They were competing on Sunday morning and the elites were racing on Saturday, so we thought we'd make a long weekend of it and go from Friday to Monday.

Brits Abroad ... 

Although Debbie had sixteen - SIXTEEN! - friends and family out to support her, there were four of us who knew each other well from triathlon camp in Greece.  That was Julia, Susan and me as spectathletes, and Jess who was competing with Debbie.  With such a big group, it wasn't really possible to hang out all together, so Julia, Susan, Jess and I really spent the weekend together, which was brilliant!  We had so much fun.

Julia, Jess, Susan and me on the winners blocks!

We all arrived separately, but at about lunchtime on Friday.  Jess was staying just down the road in accommodation organised by British Triathlon, but Julia, Susan and I were altogether at the inventively named Hotel Suisse (see what they did there?!).  Geneva, as it turns out, is TINY so we were all super-close together in any event.  Once we'd checked in, we wandered down to the lakefront to see what was going on.

Not sure the ice-creams are big enough really

I can't say what Geneva's really like on a normal weekend but I bet it's not quite like it was when we were there!  The entire north shore of the lake was transformed into triathlon heaven - and had been overrun with lycra lunatics.  We spent a while happily wandering through the stalls and thinking about things that we could buy (even though none of Susan, Julia or I were competing.  But KIT!) before we met up with Jess and Debbie, who'd been setting up their kit.  We also hooked up with Debbie's parents, fiance and parents-in-law and the ten of us set off across the lake on one of the tiny ferries that go every twenty minutes or so.  These are brilliant - they're also free to tourists, because you get a little travel pass when you check into any hotel in Geneva.  We could quite easily have just walked across the bridge, but why do that when you can get a free boat instead?!

Jet d'Eau from the ferry

The other benefit of the boat was that it gave us the best view of the Jet d'Eau ever.  Since the Jet d'Eau is Geneva's biggest tourist attraction, we thought it was important to see it from every angle.  It's unbelievably impressive from any viewpoint - it was initially installed as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network (how exciting) and could only (only!) reach heights of about 30 metres / 100 feet.  However, in 1891, it happened to be the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation.  The Swiss realised that the Jet d'Eau was actually extremely aesthetic, and moved the Jet to its current location (which is just where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhone).  At that point, the maximum height was increased to about 90 metres or 300 feet.  The Jet was then renovated one more time in 1951 in order to get it to pump lake water rather than city water ... I imagine it was rather expensive before that!

Having made it to the other side of the lake, we had lunch at a tiny outside cafe.  Lunch was a definitely not very big, but it was delicious!  We had loads of different cheeses and meats, together with various breads.  It was delicious, but it reminded me much more of France than Switzerland really.

After lunch, we intended to head back to the hotel, but we made one more stop first ... the well-known tourist attraction of Lidl.  That's right folks, Lidl.  We'd discovered, somewhat to our shock, that down on the waterfront a 500ml bottle of water was five euro.  FIVE!  Euro!  For one tiny bottle of water!!!!  Given that it was a minimum of 35*C when we were there, Lidl was a necessary trip if we didn't want to spend every cent we had on hydrating.

Fondue.  Very friendly.

That night Jess, Julia, Susan and I hooked up for supper.  We found the most adorable little place just up the road from the lake which had the widest variety of French food we'd ever seen!  It also had the best menu, with tips like this to keep us occupied while we ate.  I had snails and steak.  Best.  Meal.  Everrrrrrrrrrrrr.

In the morning, it was time to head back down to the waterfront to support the elite women.  We met up with the troops for a lovely morning tea first, but I do like a bit of yelling and screaming for the elites (and I'd had to miss London) so I headed down to transition to watch the men in small trisuits whizzing past.  This was a fun pastime, but it soon got really crowded so that when Jess, Julia and Susan joined me there was no more room.  Fortunately, the stalls were practically empty still as we had an hour or so to wait til the finish, so we had a bit of fun hanging out with the box and generally soaking up the atmosphere.  Eventually the men started to finish, with David Hauss winning.

Julia, Susan, me and Jess

Susan's new man

Between the men's and women's races there was about an hour break, so we trotted off into town to get some lunch.  Once again, we found a lovely - if slight slow serving! - cafe to eat in and once again it was totally quirky and unusual.  It was kitted out like a cottage, with bookshelves lining the walls, lace doilies on the tables, and even a new boyfriend for Susan!  We finished up with ENORMOUS ice-creams before heading back down to the waterfront for the women's.  This time we'd learned our lesson and didn't even bother with transition, just headed straight for our new personal spot in the stalls.  It was perfect!  The atmosphere was amazing - so much fun!  The atmosphere was even more het up when the women came through and Nicola Spirig won, which was fabulous for the Swiss - especially as she hasn't even been racing the circuit much this year, so it was a doubly good victory!  Jess and I also managed to get our photo with Anna Maria Mazzetti (fangirling!) so that was fun.  It was surprisingly tiring watching in the heat, but we managed to cope(!) before heading back for a shower and change for supper.  In the event, supper that night was pretty lowkey - Jess was racing the following morning, so she didn't join us, and the other two and I headed for more traditional Swiss (rather than French) fare.  Fondue anyone?!  That is all ...!

Debbie starting off

We had to be up at stupid o'clock the next day, because Jess and Debbie started racing at the ghastly hour of 06:40.  Ugh.  We had decided that being Brits Abroad was the answer to all our problems in life, so kitted out in Union Jack tattoos and tshirts and wielding our British flags, we headed down to the waterfront to start shouting for the girls.  We saw them head off, and then spent a fun morning zigzagging between the transition, the bike course and the stalls.  They both had cracking races, with Jess coming fourth in her age group and first British woman!

Winning!

That meant we were all on a massive high after it, although we didn't get to celebrate with them for too long before they had to head off and rescue their bikes from transition.  While they did that, Julia, Susan and I headed off to have yet more food, this time in another tiny cafe where we could sit outside.  Geneva has the best food!

Hench

That afternoon, the four of us stayed back and watched the elite relays, which were also good fun.  The highlight was that lunatic David Hauss deciding to save about four seconds in transition and run in barefeet ... along the black tarmac in 35*C heat.  Madman.  It did provide a good talking point however!  Further, we were given clackers and flags to wave.  Poor athletes must've been terrified coming down the finishing chute with all the noise that we managed to create!  It was super fun though and we really enjoyed it.  Jess was shattered after her race, so we left for supper fairly early and went back to the same restaurant we'd been in the first night.  It was really lovely, and I'm so glad we went back as the staff were adorable!

Susan on the beach

The Monday was our final day.  Initially I'd had all sorts of grand plans about visiting Lucerne, just along the river, or otherwise doing all kinds of touristy things.  In a nod to actually visiting the city, rather than just seeing the triathlon, my run that morning took me over the bridge and past the English Gardens, then through the old cobbled town.  It was nice ... I feel like between that and the lake and the Jet d'Eau I've seen Geneva.  Especially since we spent the rest of the day at the BEACH!  There is the cutest public beach set up on the shore of the lake with a climbing wall rising out of the water, diving boards, and water polo courts set up in the complex.  We had loads of fun chilling out (with all twenty of us making it there at some point during the day) and chatting, looking back over the weekend and then, one by one, heading off to catch our respective flights.  Susan and I were the last to leave, as my flight was that evening and she was off to meet family who lived in Switzerland.

I feel like I can't really comment too much on Geneva itself - I'd definitely love to go back when the triathlon isn't on because I feel like it would be a totally different place.  I'd also like to do some of the more touristy things, although there isn't loads to do.  Mostly, it's just a lovely place with gorgeous weather, great food and the nicest, most polite people.  What more could you ask for?!

Sunrise over the lake