Montreux experience

Barely starting on its routine dance across the Genevan sky, the blinding sun took a peek over the horizon; defyingly eating the darkness that had shrouded the city. A single long shadow was cast as a man stepped off the train onto the railway platform, littered with leaves and coloured into a darker shade by the condensation of morning dews. He looked over his shoulders to admire the city's mountainous backdrop. He had come with a single objective.

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

He grinned to himself as he recalled the words of Sir Issac Newton; repeating the words to himself as if it was a personal resolution. His eyes were keen and piercing, but the pronounced eye bags under them betrayed his weariness. It had been 2 days since he had a good sleep, but he has no time to lose. Like clockwork, he whipped out a map and began planning his attack. He allowed adrenaline to consume his body, rejuvenating it. Placebo effect is how the mind beguiled the body to wok harder. 10 hours was all he had and that was all he needed. Any delay would jeopardise his exit strategy; and postpone his much needed rest.

He took his first step towards this objective.

Rochers de Naye - 5hrs 15min. He brushed aside this misleading information. He was sure that he would be able to scale the mountain is less than 4hours. If he stuck to his plan of a 4hour ascent, 2 hour at the summit and 3hours descent, he would have an hour to spare.

His climb was fraughted with fork roads which would each lead to an unknown destination. Anxious to reach the top, he instinctively chose the path that leads upward. Along the way he met a old lady who encouraging told him that when she was young, it took her slightly over 3 hours to scale the mountain. Hunched and frail, old but experienced, she gave him no reason to not believe her. Caringly, she asked about the load on his back. Confidently, he smiled at her and told her it was not a problem. She responded with a kind smile, supportive but not convincing. Having lived her all her life in the mountains, she should know better. But she just waved him off, letting the man discover the secrets of the mountains himself.

view from the half way mark.
Lunch time - sandwiches for the stomach, feast for the eyes.

There was a biathlon at the top of the mountain range!
just a little bit more.
awesome.
Took me 5hours to reach the top. Nearly literally on top of the world, I remembered the old lady. Our acquaintance was brief, but my admiration for her is deep. 3 hours are all you need. The old lady must have been a heroine of some sort when she was young.

I was there standing on the shoulders of Giants.

Montreux Paranomic

The paramonic view from the the mountain. Unfortunately, the full extend of the beauty has been limited by the width of the blog. Photos are unable to fully capture the breathtaking view.

From 500m.

From 700m.
From 1000m.
Peak.

Geneva Reformist

The history of churches is often intertwined with the histories of European countries. Thus to first understand the country's history, it is inevitable that we have to know the church history. Not surprisingly, the first museum that I stepped into in Geneva is their reformist church museum. Inside the dimly lighted rooms, shrouded by a air of mystery, I was brought back into the 16th century Geneva. The historical artifacts that had withstood centuries of ravages is, ironically, being guarded by security technology that was probably a recent invention. Reading the small stenciled prints and admiring the intrinsic artworks, I learnt about the treachery, anarchy, nepotism and betrayal. i was mesmerised.

The 10 commandments.
The chapel.
16th century Bible

A reformist board game.
Masterpiece of J.-S. Bach, Orgelbuchlein. Vers 1740

The reformist wall.

Geneva Intenational

The are numerous museums in Geneva, but not all comes with a history as illustrious as the Reformist Museum. Nonetheless, they are reputable for the causes that they stand for. Home to the United Nations and International Red Cross, Geneva is synonym with humanitarian. You can buy a 20swiss francs ticket, that would allow you into every museum in Geneva.

The United Nations.
National colours.
can you spot the Singapore flag?
chair?
Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Too bad this was closed when i was there..

Geneva Souvenirs

The swiss is famous for their watches, clocks, chocolates and their knives. This is the last post on Geneva. Up next, I will present to you Montreux, the highlight of my trip. Paranomic pictures awaits.



The longest Swiss Army knife measures 20cm long.

Geneva waterfront

This post marks the first of a series of posts on Geneva which will be introduced to you in a bite size manner. Geneva, Switzerland's third largest city, is often mistaken as the Swiss capital. Any one has any idea what is the name of Swiss capital city? If you are thinking Zurich, you are equally wrong. Think Bern instead. Just 2hours from the French border, Geneva is made up of a french speaking community. But English is good enough ticket to help you find your way around this this safe, clean and cosmopolitan city. Probably the most global city in the world it is the headquarters for many multinational companies and many United Nations agencies.

The Geneva waterfront is probably the highlight of the city. The 140m iconic Jet d'Eau is the world's tallest fountain; shooting water upwards at a speed of 200km/h (just about as fast as your Ferrari can go). Initially used as a safety valve for a hydro power generator, it has now become the city's landmark.

Rainbow. Mountainous backdrop.
life's like a boat.

Geneva sunset.

Geneva churches

I have a personal interest in churches, so I went church hunting again in Geneva.
Cathédrale de St Pierre. Notice the blend of Roman and neo-Gothic achitecture.

The Auditorie.
Temple de Madeleine.
Basilique Notre-Dame.