A night in Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva, Switzerland

If getting into the French Alps was difficult to see my friends, getting out was even harder. It took over 3 hours to hitchhike out of the Alps and into Geneva, Switzerland. Then, from the edge of Geneva, I had to walk 5 miles to my hostel with all my luggage. Although it was a beautiful sunny day, the kind where everyone comes out to enjoy the sunshine, the weather and walk left me sweaty and sticky and tired.

I had to wait one hour to get a ride from someone in a village in the middle of nowhere. He was the owner of a car dealership, and even though he was a French white guy, he could speak Mandarin. I was surprised. He actually thought I was Chinese at first. He dropped me off by the freeway.

The second person to pick me up was an older hippie guy with a half African child. He smelled of weed, and he didn't take me to where he said he was going. I got kind of scared, because he was driving me closer to Italy than to Switzerland. He explained however he had some business for his kid there, and then he drove me 5 miles away from the Swiss border. I exited and walked to the freeway entrance to Geneva.

The third people to pick me up were an Indian guy from Madagascar and his wife. They were very pleasant and kind, and I was really happy to talk to them. They dropped me off five miles from the city center.

It was far. So, I stopped by a Swiss cafe called Pauly. I remember a documentary about it. The documentary showed how this baker wanted to make the best bread in the world for the world. But, the croissant was $4, and that was incredible! It tasted good, but it tasted just as good as my 50 cent croissant in France. This was crazy to pay so much for bread.

From the cafe, I got directions and walked toward the fountain and then across the bridge and to the only hostel in town on Rue Rothschild. The Rothschilds are some of the richest bankers in the world, and they are often behind conspiracy theories of world domination. Well, they obviously have enough money, if they have a street in central Geneva named after them.

When I get to the hostel, I'm glad I made a reservation at the hostel, because it was booked out. What I noticed here, was that so many people in their 40's to 60's were booking at this hostel, because Switzerland is so expensive! It was $36 to share a room. Incredible again.

The first night a few people wanted to talk, but I wasn't in the mood. I was tired from hitchhiking, baking in the sun, and walking 5 miles with my luggage. I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

For dinner, I had a sandwich. It cost $11! Prices in Geneva are actually unbelievable. And it is a lovely city, a lovely city indeed. But to me, it reeks of corruption. I saw all these rich people from other countries. I wondered if all of them came to open or access their secret Swiss bank accounts.

In the morning, I talked to an English guy and a Flemish guy and that was nice. Then, I took the train into the airport.

I was going to Stockholm, Sweden and then, home! It's been close to 15 months.