Jared Bloch
Mer de Glace as seen from trails below Brévent chair lift area
Chamonix, France - Tired of taking all of your out of town guests to Gruyere, Annecy and Yvoire? Chamonix, just one-hour drive away on the White Autoroute, offers a nice change of scenery and great day hikes. And what scenery!
The Chamonix Valley, in the heart of the Alps boasts several world class attractions including Mont Blanc, the highest point in the French Alps (4,810 meters) and the Mer de Glace Glacier.
Jared Bloch
Jewish quarters in Lyon - Photo ©Jared Bloch
Geneva, Switzerland – It’s officially summer and time for weekend getaways! And at one-and-a-half hours south, Lyon is a great shoestring evasion from Geneva.
Stuff your backpack with a toothbrush and a camera and catch a train at Geneva’s train station, Gare Cornavin. Change trains at Bellegarde, or get the local Poste bus from there to Lyon.
The ride itself is a panoramic plunge into the Rhone river valley, so don’t nap.
Make sure and grab an espresso on the way as the central train station resembled a gladiatorial contest on two recent visits.
More than mere metaphor, the city actually represented the ancient Gallic capital of Western Europe and boasts extensive Roman ruins on the edge of the old city.
Old settlement
Jared Bloch
Sans Voiture à St. Jean
View of Geneva from the Lake
Geneva, Switzerland – When I first came to Geneva, I arrived with three suitcases and a passport. My first weeks were spent walking from a rented room to my office, in typically cold and wet January weather.
While I lamented not having a car during those first ear tingling winter days, I soon found that Geneva was small enough to accommodate a carless existence. And by my second month, I began questioning the need for a vehicle altogether.