Geneva Rumblings
Somehow I only feel the urge to post here when away from Romania. All in all, Geneva is quite a bore. Not that there aren't places to have fun, things to do, mountains to climb and plenty of jazz music to listen to. Even friends are fairly easy to come about and excellent sushi places are quite the treat.
The big bore is the ubiquitous lack of people. It feels drained, too quiet, too neat, too brisk, too proper and definitely too smarmy. The streets are empty, the bars half full; shops close at 6 and if you're lucky you get off early enough on a Thursday to make it in time for the 9 PM exceptional closing time.
The border of Hungary and Ukraine gets more action than the Geneva Red Light District. I think Coelho dreamed about the 11 minutes on Rue de Berne.
Unlike Zurich, Geneva is France, not Switzerland. Physically it's about 20 minutes give or take from the French border. And unlike Zurich, the Geneva Swiss seem to have embraced the laisser-faire attitude of their neighboring country from work ethics to servicing industry. I am starting to believe the Swiss efficiency is built on the backs of foreigners and German Swiss.
It is a city for kids, families, older people and highschool trips to the UN. So far I seem to have missed its vibe, if any. I'm off on an exploring city trip in search of the extra sparks of life. I may just come back with the conviction that Geneva is the Truman Show of Europe, only this time Truman is MIA, probably away on a sky trip.
posted by Alex @ 1:04:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
1. what kind of action were you lookin for in the Red Light District? :p
2. I'm havin some troubles understanding the 'laissez faire' & smarminess combo; perhaps you could elaborate on that? I mean, I've had experiences pertaining to both realms tho never seen them co-acting...
3. so how do you spend your evenings/weekends, then?
1. my hotel, albeit 4-star, is smack down in the middle of the 2-block RL district.
2. laissez faire is just a polite word for laziness; smarmy - i'm referring to the excessive level of proper behavior that is expected of people and if you don't comply well you're just downright rude. how do they combine? imagine a 9-4 employee, defensive, highly gullible and offended by 2-hour questioning meetings.
3. movies/ dinners/ reading/ Mr. Pickwick
Mr. Pickwick seems juuuust fiiiine to me! :)
how about them movies? what do you have to recommend?
how about friends? :)
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