Help, I'm Stuck in Geneva and Can't Get Out [Part I]

I've always wanted to travel around Europe. I never thought it would be with an eleven month old and squeezed into one week. This past Easter break, Kirby, Juniper and I caught a cheap flight to Geneva, Switzerland. We spent a day in Geneva checking out the old city and the jet d'eau (400 foot fountain). We shared a quaint, less than double-sized bed, ate at a cute fondue cafe, and saw the United Nations headquarters. We had yummy Ethiopian for dinner. All-in-all, a nice one-day visit to Geneva.

The next morning, we took a two-hour train to Lyon, France. We spent two days in Lyon and ate at lots of great outdoor cafes. We saw the oldest Christian church in Europe outside of Rome, where Juniper devoured a bunch of fresh French strawberries from the farmer's market. We climbed the hill over the city to the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere. We visited a botanical garden, zoo, and giant park. We walked along the two rivers in Lyon-the Saone and the Rhone. Kirby tried some very French sausage called Andoulette. He had enough wine to like it but when I tried it, I just kept my mouth shut until later. It's made out of pig guts. . .and tastes like it. We enjoyed Lyon and the weather was fabulous.

On our way back to Geneva, we decided to forgoe another day in Geneva and took a train to Montreux. It's across Lake Geneva and in the Alps. Montreux was beautiful. We spent the afternoon walking along the lake, looking at flowers, palm trees, and snowy Alps. It was a great place for photography. We also checked out an old castle on the lake called Chateau de Chillon. This is probably when we should have gone home.

To be continued. . .

Art Appreciation

I was at a "museum" called Kettle's Yard the other day with a few friends, which included Juniper's friend Yoram. This "museum" according to them wasn't a museum. It is an old house that a couple whom collected art opened up each weekend when they were living to allow people to come view the art and sit amongst it. It was a really neat place because it was simple, old, had lots of wood, art and they used many natural object arranged in an artistic fashion. Oh and the natural lighting was amazing. I really don't know why people don't build with skylights more, they are so worth it (we have one here at our flat and really could have used one at our apartment in Vermont). I really did like the place. It is now owned by the University who open it up each afternoon. You have to ring the bell (pull the rope) to ask to come in. There were old chairs all over that you were allowed to sit in to relax and find peace and quiet, just no touching of objects (we did get in trouble for that). I like the concept, but there were too many people for it to be peaceful, and that is not why I was there anyway. In one area it was a little solarium with a few shelves of plants. Hanging down in front of them was a pizza size place of clear glass that was a magnifier. We were trying to look through it with the babies and we touched it as I was trying to steady it, the lady behind me said, "No touching". No big deal, just funny. Here is the story part of this: in another area, the more modern addition that is very spacey to allow small musical concerts, again with amazing natural light, there are lots of paintings and some sculptures. Throughout the "museum" were people there to answer questions (and tell you not to touch things), so in the one area there was a lady selling postcards because you can't take pictures unless you pay a few pounds per picture. Well at this point the babies were getting restless so we were walking around a bit trying to entertain them as everyone finished up looking. So that lady says to me, the old English lady I should point out, "Little young to appreciate art." She wasn't being mean, but rather very English. So I said back with a big smile, "Never too young to appreciate art, the younger the better to get started." She just smirked at me, maybe even rolled her eyes, but probably not, that is too revealing. Anyway it didn't bother me more than to tell one of my friends. But this morning I was lying in bed looking at some paintings on my wall thinking about how I read art is good to have around babies to help their development, the more exposure to different things the better. I got to thinking about what that lady said. When I go to art museums, well I just realized a little distinction maybe. Let me rephrase that, when I go to galleries, which is more what the place was, I don't go to appreciate the art so much as to enjoy it. When I think of appreciating art, the way that lady put it, it would mean appreciating what the artist accomplished. I appreciate what an artist accomplished when it is really good work, something that takes some artistic skill and talent and time. I do appreciate modern art when it is really strange and must have taken a long time to do, but I would call that amazement rather than appreciation maybe. I go to enjoy art for me to get something out of it, to see different things, let me brain think a little differently, not to oohh and ahh at what the artist was able to accomplish, which is how I felt that lady was telling me I was there to do. Now don't get me wrong, I really to like artists, I often feel bad for them because I think it is so important to follow your passions, and it has to be so hard to do that as an artist and to need to make money from it. I appreciate that. Anyway, I was there to expose Juniper and I too something different, for us. I think it is good for her little eyes and brain to see different colors and shapes in out of the norm forms, if she did actually look at any of it. Too bad she couldn't touch; now that would have been really great and enjoyable! I am glad they even let the kids in, you never know with the old English ladies, a force to enjoy but to also be reckoned with.