Friday, April 18, 2008

IN CALVIN'S LAND

OLD TOWN GENEVA - OCTOBER 2006

A 2007 survey found Geneva to have the second-highest quality of living in the world. If it's true, it's excellent!


"RUE CORRATERIE - Swiss and Canton flags along the street. Switzerland and the USA are probably the two countries where national and state flags are more often displayed..."


"CONSERVATORY - The Byzantine-style building located on the Place Neuve was constructed between 1856 and 1858, with two wings added in 1920 to expand its facilities"


"THE GRAND THEATRE was inaugurated in 1879, but on May 1, 1951, was reduced to ashes. Actually, during a rehearsal of Wagner’s Walkyrie, when Brunhilde is encircled by flames, the stage and the rest of the theatre took fire. It took ten years to restore the building"


"THE RATH MUSEUM, built as a gift to the people of Geneva by the two Rath sisters, Jeanne-Françoise and Henriette, was inaugurated in 1826 to be the first Swiss museum devoted to the fine arts"



"POST TENEBRAS LUX - The 100 meters Reformation Wall, backed against part of the ancient defensive walls that surrounded the city until the middle of the 19th century, started to be built in the Bastions Park in 1909, the year which marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of Jean Calvin. It covers 450 years in the history of Protestantism and has, at its centre, the four great figures of the movement: Guillaume Farel, Jean Calvin, Théodore de Bèze and John Knox"


"UNIVERSITY - The second largest university in Switzerland, plays a leading role in diplomatic and international affairs studies, and it is also considered among the top scientific research universities in Europe on planetary science and genetics"


"CALVIN'S COLLEGE was created in 1559. It had a busy schedule: ten hours a day, six days a week was the rhythm imposed by Jean Calvin. Initially a theological seminary, it also taught law. An academy was added later, and Théodore de Bèze became the first rector. The academy became the University of Geneva in 1872. For many years, the Calvin College was the only school building in Geneva"


"ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM - Constructed between 1903 and 1910, it was designed as an encyclopaedic museum to cover the whole of western culture in three main sectors: Archaeology (prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman); Fine Arts (paintings from the Renaissance to modern times); and Applied Arts (objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century). Henry Moore joined later..."


"KINETIC ART - Jean Tinguely (born on May 22, 1925 in Fribourg, and passed away on August 30, 1991 in Bern) was the creator of some astounding sculptural machines in the Dada tradition"


"LEDA AND SWAN - According to Greek mythology, Zeus took the form of a swan and raped or seduced Leda on the same night she slept with her husband, King Tyndareus. Result: Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband Tyndareus, the King of Sparta..."


"RUSSIAN CHURCH - Consecrated in 1866, after three years of construction, the Church of the Orthodox Russians living in Geneva is a masterpiece in the Byzantine Muscovite style. The financial contribution came from Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna Constancia, sister-in-law of Tsar Alexander 1st and aunt of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort Albert. The superb gilded cupolas were restored in 1966"



"ST. PETER'S CATHEDRAL - The first phase of the cathedral’s construction dates back to the year 1160 and lasted nearly a century. After that, many restorations and reconstructions took place, modifying its original design. Furthermore, with the advent of the Reformation, all interior ornaments were removed and the coloured decors whitewashed, sparing only the stained glass windows"


"CHURCH"


"PLACE BOURG-DE-FOUR - The oldest square in Old Town Geneva was magnificent. 26º degrees Celsius on October 27, 2006 in Geneva... of course there is global warming!!"


"TEUSCHER - The best chocolate champagne truffles you'll ever find and a lot more. A must before saying goodbye!"

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody. Thank you for your much appreciated visits and comments. This weekend, I’m going to take a musical break, as we have some kind of a «Music Fest» in Lisbon, with almost seventy concerts at the Belém Cultural Centre and I’m going to spend most of my days there… Furthermore, next week I’ll probably have to make a short professional trip (transatlantic south)… Thus, the answers to your comments and my visits to your blogs may suffer a bit delay. Anyhow, I’ll try to catch up with your posts in the gaps and will try to return regularly to the blogosphere as soon as possible…
Thanks again. Have a great weekend and an excellent week!

JO said...

I love the pic of that cottage and the Russian Church is amazing! St Peter's looks spectacular!

YUMMY! I want a truffle!

Enjoy your trip!

JO said...

WHOOPS! I wrote "cottage" I meant College... lol! Great pics!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Je te souhaite de très bons concerts et une bonne semaine.
Le montage des éléments de cuisine IKEA n'aura bientôt plus aucun secret pour moi.

Anonymous said...

Good morning, Gil!
Such beautiful old buildings also in Geneva, thanks for showing them.
I have never been in Switzerland, but I believe their abundance.
Have a enjoyable music weekend and interesting trip!
We will leave Joensuu next Friday for the Black Sea cruise :)

Lara said...

beautiful post, showing so many aspects of the city!

Stella Bella said...

Your photos made me want to go back there!!! I went there once when it was freezing cold and no sunny days! That was in Jan 2001.

The picture of Calvin's college looks very nice. And... I wanna try those chocolate champange truffles. :P I fancy something sweet right now. lol

Miss Kim said...

I LOVE the photo with the Henry Moore statue! Such fantastic contrast!!

Have a great weekend Gil. I know I will since I'm in Vienna again!

Oman said...

Another set of great pics and travels. Wish i cud go there sometime.

Kerry-Anne said...

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, Geneva looks different. :)

Your pictures are beautiful, as always, and really give an insight into the character of the place.

PeterParis said...

When you visit a place you do it thouroughly ... and you visit so many! ... and soon you will bring some new ones from South America (which will see in a year or two?)! :-)Have a nice musical WE and a nice trip!

Tawnya Shields said...

Hello Trotter,
Glad I stopped by to view and learn about Geneva.
That was very interesting about the Grande Theatre. I suppose they did not perform Wagner's, "Ride of the Valkyries" again?

The autumn foliage there is very beautiful.

I would not pass up on those chocolate truffles. A true decadence that I can never turn down.

S-V-H said...

Teuscher is #2 Confiseur in switzerland beside Lindt&Spruengli. I LOVE the "Champagner-Trueffs" as we Swiss say...:-)

Thanks for sharing all these wonderful places and corners in Geneva - I wish i were there!

alicesg said...

Hi Trotter, Thanks for visiting my blog. Switzerland is one of the place I wanted to visit when I get the chance. I see you have widen your blog's width and the photos looked huge and beautiful. Nice job.
Have a nice trip and hope to see more photos. :)

Ming the Merciless said...

Calvin College is gorgeous especially that photo with the plant covering the side of the building.

When I was in Basel three years ago, I "discovered" Confisserie Sprüngli and the Swiss version of macaroons. Oh! They are sooooo delicious.

Nikon said...

I like Calvin's college, too - very nice composition to the shot.
I'm still trying to figure out who gets the house in the Leda & the Swan tale :-)
I've never had a truffle, but they look good!
Have a good trip.

alice said...

26°C? Garde bien les chocolats au frais, Gil, si tu ne les as pas tous mangés...;-) Fais bon voyage la semaine prochaine et reviens-nous avec de belles photos!

Anonymous said...

This is truly too much information for me to grasp in one visit. All of your photographs are nice and colorful and very impressive. I like your work. I will have to return again.

Dawning One said...

chocolate champagne truffles! totally delicious!
enjoy the music and the cruise and thanks for your visit to my blog, I always look forward to what you have to say. :-)

chanpheng said...

Beautiful tour of Geneva. I've never been there but I feel I know it a little bit now, from your pictures. Enjoy your music tour - sound is difficult to photograph!

Anonymous said...

Ah, here they are, the truffels. I had to scroll a lot to find them ;-) Have a nice weekend, Gil.

Noushy Syah said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely pics and the details,wow I love those truffles!!

Enjoy your music festival and be back soon with gr8 pics and info.

Have a splendid weekend and safe journey.

Tinsie said...

I have almost identical pictures of Rue Corraterie and the Russian Church! Some places are too photogenic.

Of the others, the one I like most is the statue of Leda and the Swan - beautiful and decadent at the same time ;-)

Have a good musical weekend and a great week!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the chocolate champagne truffles. They were fabulous! About Tinguely's art.....hmmmmm? :)

Emilieee said...

oh I'm drooling on it.. it surely will make my lonely soul feels better than it should be..

Azer Mantessa said...

yummmmmyyyyyyy

thanks for the chocolate champagne truffles!

a special treat while admiring the pictures as always :-)

lyliane six said...

Merci Gil, tu me régales autant avec les chocolats Suisses qu'avec les magnifiques photos et les très instructifs reportages, moi qui adore l'histoire et la géographie, je suis gâtée avec tes posts.
Bon week end musical à Belem, magnifique quartier de Lisbonne, je passe toutes mes après midi, dans une maison de repos où se trouve ma maman pour quelques semaines.
Mardi je vais retrouver une jeune bloggeuse Portugaise qui habite Nazaré et viens à Paris.

Sally said...

Thanks for visiting on my Blogbirth-day Yoir comments ar emuch appreciated.

Now, I really like thos epics of the Guggenheim Bilbao. I have only ever seen the shots from the river, and the architecture of the building itself - I was quite surprised to see the first pic showing where it sits with buildings on either side.

Anonymous said...

All very picturesque. I like the photo with the statutes. I think I'll help myself to some chocolate. Thanks! ;-)))

Best,
Paz

lv2scpbk said...

Love all your photos. You have a great collection here. I like the wall with the four in front of it. It really caught my eye. And, after looking at all that and reading, I'll take a piece of that chocolate please.

Anonymous said...

love me some teuscher!

Lynette said...

The variety here is astonishing. Great photos and facts.

Olivier said...

belle visite de geneve (que j'imaginais plus froide comme ville). Avec un coup de charme pour l'eglise orthodoxe et les musées. c'est superbe

 gmirage said...

Gil, thanks for the truffle =D Please send me an email at dog_lapss@yahoo.com so I can send you the html code for your layout! Have a great vacation!

Indrani said...

So this is the chocolate truffle you were talking about... mouth watering indeed. :))

Have a great musical break and Wish you success on your professional trip.

Lakshmi said...

Wow..what a beautiful route to get to the truffles..they look so tempting .
lakshmi

travelphilippines said...

wow calvin college was sooo beautiful i love to study there hehe.

NormanTheDoxie said...

I always wanted to go to Geneva and your photos are so inspiring. I love the one of Calvin's College....the building with the ivy....cool!

hpy said...

The calvinistic school looks interesting. It's surely worth a visit.

Rune Eide said...

I missed a congress in Geneva a couple of years ago - I see that I should not have done that.

Although I must say that the POST TENEBRAS LUX reminds of a cross between Tolkien and Star Wars.

Shionge said...

I trust what you blogged about Geneva Gil and guess what? I almost wanted to shake my computer screen just so I can grab hold of the champagne truffles ;)

indicaspecies said...

Hi Gil,

Another set of artistic pictures here. Hope you have a wonderful break. You so deserve it. :)
- celine

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos! I like that first and the last photo best. Looks like it is a really nice city.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Marguerite-marie said...

superbe promenade à Genève qui est une belle ville.

lyliane six said...

J'ai rencontré Raindrop à Paris avec 2 autres de ses amis. Ils viennent de Leiria et elle a une maison à Nazaré où elle m'invite avec la gentilesse caractéristique des Portugais, je reviendrai sûrement.
j'aime beaucoup la statue de Leda, elle a les canons de la beauté féminine.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what beautiful pictures to remind me of my stay in that place. I am back. Have been reading all your posts but couldn't come & comment as I was traveling.

Wendy said...

Gil,
hope your travels are pleasant even if for work! I bet those truffles are pricey but worth it.

Ash said...

Wonderful place and images. Please send some champagne truffles over!

virtualjourney said...

Thanks for calling in - it's been all hands on deck recently! I need to come back and have a closer look at the sculptures. Stunning photos - do you simply stretch them out to this format?

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody! Thanks for taking your time to come here and comment while I was away! Hope you have a great weekend!

Jo,
The college is an interesting building; the Russian church is a must see in Geneva, and the truffles a must eat… ;)

Daniel,
Merci. J’ai eu une petite expérience avec IKEA quand ma fille a acheté une armoire pour la salle de bain ici à la maison… Après elle a acheté tout pour son nouvel appartement, mais heureusement elle a acheté aussi l’assemblage… ;))

Leena,
Black Sea cruise! Tell me Odessa, Yalta, Sochi, Sinop, Nesebur, Constanta…? I’m so envious… ;))

Lara,
I’m glad you enjoyed!

Stella Bella,
«Pasteis de Belém», truffles… I’m noting! ;))

Kim,
Again in Vienna? Ok, forget the Sacher, take the Imperial; the «Torte», I mean… ;)

Norman,
I’m sure you will get there one day. Don’t hesitate…

Kerry-Anne,
I’m so glad to see you back here!
Geneva is actually not quite different from what I’ve shown… ;)

Peter,
Not that much from South America: imagine flying on Tuesday morning and coming back on Thursday evening to land here on Friday at 6:00 a.m. Have taken some pictures though… At the present pace, we’ll see them in 18 months time… ;))

Titania,
Maybe they perform the Ride, but I don’t think they light the fire…
Those truffles are having a lot of demand… ;)

Sue,
I know Lindt and love the Excellence Extra Thins, but for champagne truffles, that’s Teuscher!

Alice SG,
With the help of some Blogger friends I managed to enlarge the pictures… and Switzerland looks nicer in cinemascope…

Ming,
That college is a VIB (very important building)! ;) Sprüngli is also great; can imagine your party with the macaroons… ;)

Paul,
Zeus takes it all… ;)
Next time a truffle comes by, grab it!! ;))

Alice,
Truffes? Toujours au frais! Photos? Pas beaucoup, mais quelques unes, quand même… ;)

Abraham Lincoln,
Thanks! I’m flattered by your comment, being a (somehow silent) visitor of your fabulous blog, which has some of the most beautiful pictures I’ve seen! Hope to you see you back here and commenting!

Dawning One,
I wonder whether I should franchise those truffles… ;))

Chanpheng,
Thanks! Difficult to photograph, but makes the whole difference; at least according to an experience made with a documentary with three different sound tracks; it seems that people felt they were seeing three different movies…

April,
The best is hard to catch… ;)

Noushy Syah,
Today is another day for truffles and champagne! José was right to have Michael on the pitch… ;))

Tinsie,
No wonder the Russian Church and the flags of the Corraterie street claim photos from many visitors… Also love that Leda and the Swan!

Lynn,
You’re welcome! Maybe we should try another Tinguely; experience the Stravinski Fountain next to Pompidou Centre in Paris, with the co-operation of his wife Niki de Saint-Phalle! Beautiful colours… ;)

Emily,
Do want me to pack them straight to Malaysia? ;))

Azer Mantessa,
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the truffles… ;)

Lylliane,
Cette fois j’ai apporté des bonbons, parce que les fleurs c'est périssable et puis les bonbons c'est tellement bon, bien que les fleurs soient plus présentables… surtout quand elles sont en boutons, mais moi, j’ai apporté des bonbons…
Quand j’avais seize ans il était mon chanteur de langue française préféré!
J’espère que ta maman va mieux!
Bon, alors que tu as la chance de faire des vacances à Nazaré, on espère te voir beaucoup plus souvent au Portugal!

Sally,
Glad to see you back here! Long time, no comment… ;)
My pleasure to go down under to the Sydney DP!
There might be some optical illusion on the buildings around the Guggenheim, as the picture was taken with a zoom; but you have a lot of buildings just across the street from Puppy!
Hope to see you commenting back here more often!

Paz,
Barb,
You’re welcome to treat yourself with all those champagne truffles… Just leave some to Piika… ;)
The Reformation Wall is actually an impressive monument!

Piika,
There are still some truffles left… ;)

Lynette,
Thanks!

Olivier,
Tu sais, Genève, même si calviniste, est le sud de la Suisse, le coté méditerranéen du pays… ;)
L’église russe est absolument à voir, mieux, vaut le voyage! Notation guide vert Michelin… ;))

Gizelle,
You’re welcome for the truffles; but if I were in Vienna, I would be having some pieces of the Imperial Torte (forget the Sacher…)!
Thanks, I’ll send you an email as soon as I finish this!
Unfortunately, it was no vacation at all; just a short professional trip…

Indrani,
Thanks! Back, safe and sound…

Lakshmi,
So you know where to stop for the truffles, next time you travel Europe… ;)

TravelPhilippines,
Glad to see you back! Study there? But probably not under Calvin’s regime: ten hours a day, six days a week… ;)

Citygirl,
HPY,
Calvin’s college is a becoming the highlight of this post (except, of course, for the truffles)… ;)

RuneE,
Congresses are things that should not be missed… ;)
Post Tenebras Lux for the 400th anniversary in 1909; just imagine what you may get in 2009 for the 500th anniversary… ;))

Shionge,
You make take the truffles, provided that you leave some for dessert here… ;)

Celine,
Thanks! The music was nice: duos, trios, quartets and other companies… Heard (and saw) some good concerts! The trip was far from being a break… too short and too busy!

Alex,
It’s a nice town, and there must be an easy connection between Manchester and Geneva… ;)

Marguerite-Marie,
Merci!

Cuckoo,
Glad to see you commenting here. Hope you had some nice travelling!

Wendy,
Thanks! Those truffles are not a bargain, but once you taste them… ;))

Ash,
Now that you’re much closer, it’s not that difficult to get them… ;)
How’s everything in Cardiff?

VirtualVoyage,
Thanks! With the help of some Blogger friends I managed to enlarge the pictures by changing the html code from s400 to s640!

di.di said...

*sigh*
as i said before, too many nice places.. too little ka-ching!!

Anonymous said...

Di.Di.,
I think I understand what you mean with «ka-ching»... ;))

indicaspecies said...

Ah..you should make another trip, purely on leisure, and only for pleasure. ;)

Anonymous said...

Celine,
You're right, but anyhow Brasília, though I have some friends there, is far from being a truly exciting destination...