Port du jour: Lac Léman

Geneva, Switzerland

Excerpt from Vetted: An afternoon border hop to Lake Geneva

Geneva was empty on the Saturday I visited, so I beelined for the lake after stopping for pizza at Côté Lac. Once the sun had burned off the layer of cloud, a stroll around Parc Mon Repos was just what I had come to do: walk around and see pretty things. The lake had an indigo aura that day, and I was delighted to see swans meandering along the lake’s edge. On a clear day, the Swiss Alps can be seen from the park, and on a cloudy day, they can be imagined.

After a few hours, I ended up at Plage des Pâquis, where the long dock stretches from the city center into the lake. Here I found where everyone had been hiding! The public bath houses turned outdoor eating establishment were filled with families bundled up with cheese fondue and beer. The changing rooms decorated with tiny dining tables and objets d’art tickled my interior design fancy.