Back to France!

Mauro had to work today, so I got up and went to the bus station. Isabel, Mauro's girlfriend, wanted to show me around her city, and some of the surrounding villages, so I took a bus to Devoine, France. If you look at the map below, you will see that Geneva is almost completely surrounded by France. There is one road between France and Lake Geneva that is part of switzerland, but other than that, Geneva is blocked in by France and the lake. The bus took 30 minutes to get to Isabel's city, and she was eagerly waiting for me at the bus stop.

We started off in Devoine, which sits on the lake. We walked through the old town, along the waterfront, and then went to the grocery store to buy stuff for a picnic. We then continued to a small village further down the shoreline, and had our lunch of cheese/tomato sandwiches with chips, grapes and Coke. I had to buy some mozzarella cheese, because it is ridiculously cheap here compared to the US. It evens comes in bite size balls! It usually takes more than that to fascinate me, but I'm a sucker when it comes to Mozzarella. Amanda met us at the lake and we fed the ducks and swans a lot of stale bread that Isabel brought with her. The swans were impatient and actually tried to climb up to where we were. When they realized we were out of bread, they quickly dispersed. Everything about this place was peaceful... absolute peace.

After sitting out on the edge of the lake for a long time, just talking, we finally decided to move on to an even smaller village. It is called Nernier, and is approximately 5 streets "big."

My middle name

Mauro had made plans for him, Isabel, and myself to eat fondu around 7, as this is apparently the best region to eat it. Cheese is one of the area's biggest productions, so he said I couldn't leave without it. Isabel had to work for a few hours so I went to a little pastry shop to read while I waited. I used my translation app on my phone to ask the owner if I could sit for awhile, and I grabbed a croissant to snack on. After a while, a little boy came in to buy candy. He pulled his money out and didn't have enough. I watched him search his pockets, to no avail. He said something to the lady, and she began to put each piece of candy back into it's respective container until it got down to the weight he could afford. The look on his face as he tried to decide which candy should go back first but just so sad and forlorn. Although I don't speak French, I walked over and held out a handful of coins. The cashier picked out what was needed, and the boy was able to get his candy. He looked up at me with such joyful surprise, gave a quick but sincere, "Merci, madame!!" before leaving.

I walked over to the restaurant that Isabel told me to meet them at, and once again used my translator to ask where I could sit to wait for friends. This app has been so useful! When you have internet, you download each language that you want (all for free). Then, when you're offline (like in the middle of Europe) you can use it to translate any of the languages you previously downloaded. I can type in English and have someone read what it means in French, and then they can take my phone and type back to me in French. It also says the words aloud if you want it to, so that you can hear the pronunciation of different words. I'm in love with it!

Finally, it was time for fondu! Mauro and Isabel arrived, and we began our meal. We chose a pot of cheese and mushrooms, and then we dipped bread into it. It was delicious! We were all full before the pot was empty, but the tradition is to empty the pot, and then crack an egg into it. You then eat the cooked egg mixed with any remaining cheese. There wasn't an option... we HAD to finish it all! Let's just say, I was stuffed.

My stay in Geneva has been wonderful, and has allowed me to rest and prepare for the fun filled, action packed, adventures that await.