11-OCT-2006
Advertising.
All of the very old buildings that line the streets surrounding the lake have huge, colorful company signs on their roofs. They look great at nighttime, when the lights reflect on the lake - I'll have to get down there some evening and take some shots for you. But among the Rolex, Gucci, and Hilton signs - this one in particular caught my eye (Most of you might even know why!)
10-OCT-2006
Side streets.
Just a view of what a typical side-street looks like around the Lake.
09-OCT-2006
Commuters.
It is such a common thing around here for people to zip around on motorcycles, scooters, bikes... and even the occasional ATV (These four-wheelers are even registered with regular license plates!!!!). The weather is decent enough most of the time to warrant cruising around on two wheels, and even rain doesn't keep the bikes off the road. For a city that is relatively small (about 250,000 people), the streets are usually quiet. However I'm starting to get annoyed by the tiny scooters and small (less than 200cc) motorcycles - They're like annoying little knats or mosquitos - For some reason their exhaust note is much louder than the cars (guess that it's legal), and they sound like bugs as they come whining down the road.. Overall, though, the cars and bikes seem to get along nicely, with mutual respect on both sides. This is much unlike the States, where most car-drivers (cagers) never know to look for people that might be on a vehicle a bit smaller than them (bikes). For everyone who reads this post, make sure you always check EVERY corner of your mirrors and blind-spots for motorcycles - So many bikers die each year because the person in the car simply "didn't see them".
08-OCT-2006
My Town.
A picture says a thousand words.
Ferraris parked on back roads, women that know how to dress...
Amazing.
07-OCT-2006
Some of our group.
Most of us were able to make it, but we did not have a complete lab group at this cookout, so I'll wait until we can get a proper lab picture before I give the names, etc. Of all the beers that we could have had at the cookout, we wound up sipping on Pilsner Urquell - This Czech beer is pretty popular around Trenton as well - I really felt at home this weekend; Familiar beer, familiar food, and everyone (given the international mix) spoke English... and a good time was had by all!
06-OCT-2006
Cookout.
This weekend our lab group, and two other groups, got together for a 'honest-to-goodness-traditional' cookout. It was a great chance to meet the other people doing research in the labs surrounding ours. There was a limitless selection of meats, cheese, salads, wine, beer... The forecast was calling for scattered showers, yet we had nothing but sun and beautiful weather. I found it quite funny that our boss picked up bread with a bag labeled "American Hot-Dog Buns". Aside from this, the rest of the food was delicious. I had a hamburger (very rare thing around these parts) for the first time here in europe as well!
05-OCT-2006
Coffee.
This little machine is the highlight of the morning. "Nespresso" is a pretty popular brand around these parts... And they make these wonderful little machines. The coffee is pre-packed in tiny little tins, and each type of coffee (different strengths and flavors) has a different tin color. You simply lift up the black 'spout' and drop in the tin, close the spout and out pours a cup of piping hot, and very delicious and aromatic, European coffee. Now, the mug in this picture is about 3.5 inches tall, total volume can't be more than 6 ounces. But, every morning it is 6 ounces of some of the better tasting coffees I've had. And, you'll never believe who is the big front man celebrity for this coffee line - He's shown sipping this coffee in all of the magazines and billboards and yes, even TV commercials... George Clooney!
04-OCT-2006
Downtime.
This weekend I spent some time relaxing on the bank of Lake Geneva. I was surprised at the amount of swans cruising around all over, it was like some scene out of a story-book. Back in NJ I think the closest you could get to this is feeding Canada geese on the canal in Lambertville. There were a bunch of families with young kids; it was enjoyable watching the children feeding the swans, ducks, and other random birds.
There is a lot of activity around the border of the lake. The bank is lined with nicely manicured parks and walkways, and there are plenty of outdoor cafes selling ice-cream, drinks, coffee, and even some pretty decent food. I wound up staying there for over 90 minutes, and didn't even realize how much time I spent there...
03-OCT-2006
Work.
Many of you asked me to start this picture of the day album to keep you up to speed with the things I see and experience here during my stay in Geneva. Well, today I spent most of my time staring at this scene, so why not share that with you too. It was another dreary day, and the rain was coming down in buckets. I spent most of my day in lab trying to catch up on the various computational projects I have going.
Things here are moving along nicely. There is plenty of lab work to do, and since I don't have to head home early to cut the grass or work on my car, I've been spending more time here at school, trying to stay organized and on top of my projects. In other news, my apartment search continues, day after day. I've seen about seven of them now, and have applied to almost all of them. Keep your fingers crossed, I came across a few that are pretty decent - we'll see what happens.
02-OCT-2006
Corner Shops.
This is more of an atypical scene around Geneva. Many of the corner shops are small, and have a very limited selection of produce. However, you'll run into a place like this about once every 8-10 blocks, and it is well worth stopping to pick up some fruit. As many of you might know, I have pretty severe allergies to apples, and in the States I cannot eat them, given that they inflame my throat and prevent my ability to breathe! During my first week here, while I was eating lunch at the University, I decided to buy a fruit salad. I noticed the pieces of apple, and decided to eat them anyway, just to see if I might be able to handle the apples here. Sure enough, I was fine with these tiny pieces. The next day I bought, and ate, an entire apple! And ALL of the produce around here is so delicious, it seems as if there are not as many (if any) chemicals used in the growing process. So, whenever I see a tiny shop like this, I always stop and drop a few francs on apples, peaches, oranges or pears....
01-OCT-2006
Architecture.
You won't see much of this in Philadelphia, New York City or even San Francisco. The age and history of this town are evident everywhere you look. This is a view of a street closer to center city, not far from the lake. This Saturday I headed out with my camera and just walked and walked and walked. There is so much to see and do, so many little shops (Yes, they even have hobby shops, cool toy stores, art supply stores, great book stores...) to visit, and an endless variety of restaurants and outdoor cafes. Many of these buildings are wrapped in sculpted facades and intricate, artistic brickwork, accented with elegant ironwork. This weekend I treated Geneva as a photographer, next weekend I'll give it a try as a "local", without my camera...!
30-SEP-2006
Downtown.
On a Saturday, this place comes alive. Almost everyone that lives in Geneva must be here... Given that all shops are closed on Sundays, Saturday seems to be the only day to get all of your shopping and relaxing done in a style such as this. I would say this street is about 2 miles long, and every single block is filled with big-name designer shops. This must be a woman's paradise for shopping, it would take a person weeks to visit all of these stores. Speckled in amoung the shops are outdoor cafes packed with people. One thing that may not be as obvious in this picture; everyone knows how to dress around here! I've been here three weeks and have yet to see anyone wearing sweatpants, baggy or dirty shorts, old sneakers, etc. It is obvious that people tend to care about self image (There must be a hair salon and clothing store on every single block in Geneva). And, the average "size" of a pedestrian in Geneva is noticabely more "petite" than the size of an average American. This is an entirely different world over here.