My trip to the Jura began with a flight into Geneva (via Paris). As with most US to Europe flights, you leave late in day and arrive in Europe the following morning. A word of warning regarding the Geneva airport. The airport sits on the border between France and Switzerland, creating basically two airports; the French side and the Swiss side. If you need to get to the Swiss side from the French side (or vice versa) you can’t without leaving the airport and having a taxi return you to the other side. This move costs you approximately $40 US and takes about 15 minutes. Amazingly frustrating and maddening. I was told that up until two years ago, there was one door where you could walk between the two airports but the locals came up with a scheme to support the taxi business and closed off the door.
I traveled with a friend from our days opening Murray’s Cheese Shops in SoCal, Karol, who stayed in Geneva while I traveled to The Jura with the Comte Association.
You can purchase Comte AOP online by clicking here.
Geneva was in the grips of a heat wave that would cause Al Gore to say “I told you so”. It was in the high 90s and humid, a combination of weather that doesn’t agree with me. Of course, this raises the question of why I chose to live in NE Georgia where the humidity of the summer is sometimes so intense you feel like your eating water when you breathe. Another story for another day.
A couple of stories: 1.) The UN was in session and several diplomats were staying at the Intercontinental, where we were also staying – thank you Kroger – making it one of the safest places in Geneva… police and bodyguards everywhere (also across the road were many Embassies… protection lined the road) and 2.) When Karol, and I told the hotel concierge we planned on walking to the downtown area, he politely suggested we were “nuts” with the heat and humidity… turned out he was right. By the end of the day, I was dripping sweat and exhausted.
All of the hotels in Geneva provide complimentary passes for the local rail system and Day 2, we used it to get around the City Center and the Old Town. The easiest rail system to navigate – a stop was right outside the hotel door and we sped from Museum to Museum throughout the day.
Like the French of The Jura, I found the people to be friendly, helpful – with most speaking English fluently. Every time our phone GPS failed me (or we simply couldn’t read it), someone would stop and point us in the right direction. Karol and I spent the day museum “hopping”, including The Patek Phillipe Watch Museum and the Museum of Modern Art (which was not air conditioned). We were not allowed to take photos in the watch museum, which houses more than 4000 watches dating from the 1500s. I found this video on youtube which features some of the beauty of the watches, all owned by the Stern Family.
Our first night in Geneva, we walked up “embassy Row’ and discovered a small restaurant behind a hedge, Chez Ma Cousine, quite unassuming… but wow… a limited menu; basically roasted chicken and potatoes served with a salad, family-style. The place was packed, but we were able to get a table within a few minutes. The meal was 16.40 Swiss Francs per person. After looking at the prices on the menu at the Intercontinental, this place was a bargain. The food was simple but amazingly tasty. The wait staff was accommodating and friendly.
After dinner we stopped in a local convenience store (with its own espresso machine – common in Europe) and checked out their cheese, which included many AOP cheeses, pre-packed.
We also discovered a local Alpine ice cream, Movenpick. We bought a couple containers and took them back to the hotel to enjoy on the terrace. Alas, the Intercontinental had no terrace where we could sit, without ordering food or drink. Even though the outside temperature was in the 90s, for some reason the pool was closed. In retrospect, probably a security issue with all the UN honchos hanging out at the hotel. (Movenpick so creamy and smooth, we returned the second night and bought more flavors.)
While wandering around Old Town Geneva, we stopped in a Lebanese restaurant where the owners spoke no English. We ordered off a menu with pictures. I tried to order chicken but all they had was Beef Shawarma, the big side of beef on a rotisserie (we worried how long it had been cooking, but I’m writing six months later, so we can assume it was safe). The meal included salad, rice, a feta-like cheese, veggies and flavorful sauces. Again, no air conditioning – the Swiss are into this global warming stuff and it must be working, the air was crystal clear. Karol, remained in Geneva while I was off on my Comte adventure and learned that starting in 2020, no new building will be allowed to have air conditioning and current law limits commercial buildings to setting AC thermostats at 5 degrees C less than the outside temperature. With the temperatures topping 90, why bother? 
(After over-heating the first day in Geneva, I never cooled down again until well… November…) I waited until we returned to Lavonia to share this with The Man. I wanted Karol to see his reaction to those laws… it wasn’t pretty; but it was funny.
Back to the Lebanese restaurant, it had the most intriguing view out the window of the dining room. Just had to share. While we were enjoying our meal, someone tossed a pail of water into the alley. Overall, Geneva was a clean city with a lot of graffiti, which thrilled Karol, who took pictures every time we saw graffiti in Geneva and Paris.
After my Comte experience, Karol and I spent an afternoon, while waiting for our train to Paris, riding public transportation, wandering through a flea market and eating at the Annual Tomato Festival.
We found a large skateboard park and cheese playing in another city park.
I purchased a Swiss watch for The Man – a version only sold in Switzerland. He wears it most days – score…
While not my first choice of a return trip to Europe, I would enjoy a few more days in Geneva (after a month in Paris, of course) when the temperature is more temperate…
In addition to being an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
As an authorized Amazon Influencer, there are affiliate links within this posting which can result in income for me. Please visit my Amazon Storefront; your support contributes to the overhead required to keep this website alive and updated.
Follow me on:
You must be logged in to post a comment.