Geneva, Switzerland, Sun 9 - Tues 11 Nov 2008

Through a stroke of luck I was put forward to help out with a pitch that landed me in Geneva, Switzerland (my workmate who'd been working on the account had to be in Japan for karate champs). To be perfectly honest I didn't really know anything about Switzerland and didn't have time to do much research so I didn't know what to expect.

I was up at 5am Sunday morning to get to the airport on the other side of London and spent a fair chunk of the night doing preparation work with our partner (the jobs not always glamorous). However Reema (my workmate) and I did manage to head into town to have a walk around the lake front. Geneva was completely dead on Sunday,they seem to strictly adhere to Sunday rest day here, absolutely nothing was open and barely anyone was around. I have to admit, it was rather pleasant.

First impressions of Geneva, weren't the greatest, there didn't seem to be a lot there and it wasn't the prettiest of towns, even though it was on the side of a (very large) lake. That was until we found the old town, beautiful cobble street area with a small village feel. Much better and where Reema and I ended up spending most of our time (especially to eat with it's gorgeous cafes). Geneva is very French. It is right on the border with France so everyone speaks French, all the cafes sell French food (croissants, pastries and beef tartare!) and of course the attitude is very French too (and I don't mean that in a bad way, I kinda like the French attitude).

There was a beautiful church in the old town, an impressive town hall and lots of gorgeous buildings. Monday we were working all day so we headed into the old town at night for dinner. It was even more beautiful at night, with lots of pretty lighting and a quiet laid back feel. We had dinner at a restaurant specialising in meat (mostly raw, I didn't know you could have raw beef in so many ways) and I had a beautiful duck dish. Geneva had beautiful food, we didn't have one bad meal.

On our last day we weren't flying out till the afternoon so we took the opportunity to see Geneva in all it's day bustling glory. Finally the crowds were out, the shops open and the whole city was alive. Funnily enough I preferred it when it was eerily quiet :) We stopped in at a chocolate shop and I've got to say the smells were incredible. I bought some bars to take back home with me (and for the office) and then bought some single handmade ones just for me. They were delicious. Geneva has some of the best chocolate I've ever tasted!

We headed down to the lake front where we marvelled at the large fountain - a 200km/hr water shoot that reaches 140m in the air! It is stationed in the water at the end of a pier so you can walk down and depending on the wind direction get wet. Of course I headed down, it was like being a kid again running through the sprinklers. So much fun.

The rest of the time we simply spent wondering the streets and admiring Geneva. I was so lucky to have a chance to see this city but I've got to say the food (and mostly the chocolate) was my favourite part ;)

Brighton, UK, Sun 2 Nov 08

This was my second trip to Brighton and Nicks first. We took a stroll along the beach and the carnival pier. I still love this town. Even in winter it is absolutely beautiful. It was a much warmer day than our day in Rye which helped.

We actually spent most of the day shopping, after Rye I realised I was very lacking in the warm clothes department so I bought lots of merino wool and thermal gear! Nick found some awesome waterproof boots for snowy days in London. We found a great pub for lunch with comfy leather couches to chill on, needless to say we stayed there longer than expected.

The best part of the day was chilling on the beach as the sun went down. The red horizon was gorgeous and it was awesome to see the carnival lights which I missed last time because I'd left before it got dark. I imagine it'll be beautiful along the waterfront once all the Christmas lights go up.

Rye, England, Sat 01 Nov 08

We decided on an England day trip weekend and Saturday (1st - I'm behind in posts again!) we had picked Rye, a tiny little English medieval town on the Southern coast. Rye is famous for its picturesque cobble streets and quaint houses. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating and it pissed with rain and was freezing! Silly me managed to forget my umbrella so I got absolutely soaked.

We wondered the streets of Rye (which didn't take too long, it's a really small place!) and checked out the old church with its clock tower. The clock pendulum hung inside the church and created an eerie tick tock.

We visited the tiny prison castle museum where we sat in the prison cells, tried on medieval helmets, got very confused why there were fake wooden sheep on the top floor and had a big old chat to the museum guy.

The most famous street in Rye is called Mermaid Street and is full of cute English houses along a small cobble lane with pretty vine covered facades and a couple of old fashioned pubs.

By mid afternoon we were drenched, cold and hungry (well I was, Nick seemed immune) so we took shelter in a local pub and enjoyed some much needed warmth and wine. We found a great possie on a window bay bench and spent quite awhile thawing out and watching the rain outside. A pretty little English town to spend a day.