I'm back because it's too friggin hot out; the others here said that it's supposed to be 33 degrees today (in Celsius, of course - that would be about 93 degrees Fahrenheit), so an hour outside was perfect for me! Though, it's not nearly as humid here as it is in the Midwest, which is a bonus.
Okay, so where did I leave off? Oh, yeah, eating by the lake...speaking of, that is one thing I don't do very much here: eat. I know what you're thinking. Abnormal, right? I just do not like the food in France. I mean, I totally appreciate it and I do enjoy eating some items, but I don't love it. Nope, not for me.
ANYWAYS, we sat by Lake Geneva and ate sandwiches (I had ham and cheese with mustard - no butter, thank-you-very-much while Manu had a really good chicken and Chantal had cucumber with brie cheese). Chantal didn't know very much English (which was really a lie, I found out, she is was just very afraid and humbled by my fluency - at least I'm fluent in one language), so we didn't talk very much, but quite impressively, Manu's English has improved! He was very good at translating between us, but it became difficult to have a conversation when not all of us spoke and understood the same language. Also, Manu has grown up considerably; he looks and acts much older than what I remembed. When finished eating, we strolled around Geneva and saw the water jet (basically what Geneva is famous for - a huge fountain of water shooting up 100 feet in the middle of the lake) along with the old and new parts of the city. It was beautiful. We entered the Cathédrale de Saint-Pierre (the Cathedral of St. Pierre) and climbed up the towers to view Geneva in all of its magnificance. Just breathtaking. We could walk all the way around so as to see the entire city. Then, we stopped for a bit at a café near what I thought to be some kind of memorial to Julius Caesar or something. Manu told me that Caesar came to Nyon (the actual town Manu lives in which is just outside of Geneva) and it was already a village back then; he said it's really old. Anyways, this memorial had 3 huge restored cannons (Dad, you would have loved these) along with mosaics of scenes from centuries ago. Very cool.
After sitting for a bit, we walked back to Chantal's car and drove to the places they wanted to show me - Gland (pronounced gl-ah with emphasis on the last syllable) where Chantal and Manu live with her Grandpa, Nyon where Susanne's apartment is, and Marc-Henri's house (Manu's dad) also in Gland. Quickly, Chantal and Manu's room is very cute, I only very briefly met Marc-Henri, and Susanne's apartment is like a little dream. It's adorable and so quaintly decorated, like it was pulled right out of Martha Steward's magazine. Clean and sunny and bright with 3 rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a balcony.
Around 7pm, we returned from our "errands" to meet Susanne and Gabe for dinner up in a nearby mountain (really, it was a cross between a small mountain and a bluff). I was told we were going to have a traditional Swiss meal of fondue! When I saw Susanne for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion, especially since I had been so homesick the night before! Funny thing is, I didn't even recognize Gabe - he really is a man, now! Also (this is so sweet), he drove 100 km (a little under an hour) from where he lives and goes to school because he really wanted to see me again! How cute is that?
From there, we left for the restaurant. (I was DYING of hunger at this point.) Gabe drove and specifically requested that I sit in the front seatwith him. This ended up being funny because he does not speak or understand English, so trying to communicate was amusing for the both of us. He drove like crazy up that beast of a mountain (with Susanne in the back scolding him - Mom, she hates driving in the mountains just as much as you do!) and we briefly went to the top to see the tip where Mom, you and I will be hiking next summer. Susanne thought we could go really early in the morning, but I think it would be best before dawn or dusk so we could see the sunrise or sunset. We also stopped at a lookout point, which proved to be even more beautiful and breathtaking than my previous view of the city from atop the Cathédrale. Unfortunately, at no point during my stay could we see the Alps; they were blocked from view by the clouds. Finally, we got to the restaurant which is actually a little chaleigh (sp?) and enjoyed a gourmet meal of first, like an appetizer, some meat (bacon, salami, and slices of beef) with pickled olives (Mom, you would love these) and pickles. Then came our fondue fromage (cheese fondue) which we ate with bread - it was unbelievably good! Very yummy; I would recommend it to all - if you ever get a chance to travel to Switzerland, have the fondue. We laughed a lot, ate delicious food, drank some excellent white wine (called Fermant, I think), sipped some very strong coffee with cream, and all had a marvelous time in each other's company. We spoke English and French, and happily chatted inside the cozy little restaurant until 10:30pm. It must be known that this evening, in particular, was definitely one of the best moments of my life.
Sadly, the night had to end, so we got in the car and drove (much slower, for Susanne was at the wheel now) back to Nyon. Upon returning to Susanne's apartment, I freshened up (I was still wearing the same clothes I wore traveling that day) and we left to get a drink with a few of Manu's friends. This was funny because among the six of us (me, Manu, Chantal, Gabe, Peter, and Aurelia), 4 of us spoke English, so we didn't know what language to converse in.
I will finish later, I have to go into town to buy an international phone card!!
Salut!
Kelly
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