The change to Geneva, Switzerland after Brasil and Italy was dramatic. Life is much more exact here. Everything is clean, orderly, functioning, and controlled. Not that that is bad, I have merely gotten used to a much more relaxed style. For example, I walked up to a crosswalk here to stand with some other people, waiting for the light to change, and with no traffic on a narrow street, everyone still stood there waiting for the signal. Italians and Brazilians, on the other hand, will practically walk out into highway speed traffic without much thought. Geneva has the highest quality of life in all of Europe according to a recent survey. I can believe it if you are an uptight person. It could be a great place to live if you want everything to be perfect and you want to lead a nice orderly life. I have gotten used to a more relaxed existence and I like it.
In the marina of the crystal clear Lake Geneva there is the hard to miss Jet of Water fountain. It is only a single jet of water shooting straight in the air. That doesn’t sound like much except it goes 460 feet (140m) in the air, pumping 132 gallons (500 liters) a second! I saw it from the plane and the size didn’t make logical sense because it was so disproportionate to everything around it. The lake is huge, cold, and beautiful. The scenery is very nice.
I will leave tomorrow for Zurich and then Liechtenstein. I am not optimistic about Zurich being any more comfortable or less expensive than Geneva. I am eager to get to the Baltic states and save some money. Additionally, Swiss food is not helping me stay skinny. It was not my fault that I bought a large multi-pack of oh-so-delicious chocolate bars; they made me do it. Damn Swiss.
