My first weekend in Switzerland was fabulous, although I can’t say that most of it was spent in Geneva, or even Switzerland.

The fun started Friday night, when my boss and his wife (who also works at icmh) had everyone over for fondue. I ate so much! They have a lovely home in a small village nearby, and a giant ball of a cat named Canela (and yes, me and Canela= instant best friends). I really enjoyed the chance to socialise with everyone outside of work, eat absolutely amazing foods, and to settle in to the suprisingly comfortable mixture of English, French, Spanish, and Chinese, that accompanied the evening.

Saturday, me and one of my friends from work (a fellow Tulanian) made plans to visit Annecy in France, along with a few interns from WHO (including another Tulanian- we’re everywhere!!!). My friend Fabi, who lives in the south of France, planned to meet up with us as well. After a few abortive starts on all ends, due to some late arrivals, a forgotten passport on my part, and strikes by the bus and train workers on the French side of the border, we finally made it over. Annecy is a gorgeous, quaint little town, with a small canal running through it, filled with swans and ducks. Unfortunately, the day which had begun grey at best, soon turned to rain, and we spent most of our time there indoors. Fabi took us to a great restaurant for lunch though, and we sampled the cuisine and wine of the region. We spent much of the rest of the afternoon at a nearby pub (where fabi and I predictably felt the need for caipirinhas), hoping that the rain would soon stop. When it became clear that the skies were not going to clear any time soon, we decided to brave the rain, and wandered through slick streets and a nice park. We headed back to geneva that evening.

Saturday night I spent with yet another Tulanian. Me and him grabbed a late supper, and then went out for a drink, all in the area that I’m living in. He’s working on his Portuguese, so I took him first to a Portuguese bar, literally on the other side of the foyer that I call home, and to a Brazilian bar, that I knew of from my last visit. I think we mutually agreed that the Brazilian bar was more fun. Plus, there I introduced him to his first caipirinha ever. We also made friends with a drunk brazilian woman, who was mostly amazing. I’ll have to go back there soon!

On Sunday, I met up with the same Tulanian friend from the night before and we went hiking. I now believe that the best thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. Seleve is a large hill just across the border outside of Geneva. We took a bus to the bottom, hiked to the top, and took the cable car back down. Seleve is covered in trees, and the varying hues of bright orange, were absolutely gorgeous. The air was crisp and cool, and I had a wonderful time. Me and Josh have decided that we will become adventure partners, and I’m looking forward to more amazing trips across Switzerland and France!