Geneva/Lengnau,Switzerland

Geneva
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Switzerland...Clean, organized, eco-friendly, and progressive.

Did you know they have two buttons to choose from to flush the toilets?  It's to save water.  Take a guess which each one does for what.  They shut off washer/dryer usage at certain hours so people are not simulataneously doing laundry and cooking dinner.  When eating out, the table is yours for the whole night and the norm is to sit and chat after a meal for several hours.  Love the chocolate, and love the cheese (but not together).  There are also 3 types of Suisse one speaks depending where you live.  In Geneva we experienced a Suisse French language, in Lengnau it's a Suisse German language, thus the south you can expect to hear Suisse Italian.  We didn't know any. In Switzerland you will get a ticket if you pass someone on the right lane.  You will also get your fake Rolex taken away and be given a fine if caught wearing one.  They finish high school at age 16, and then are given a choice to further their education.  They can then choose to go to school Monday through Wednesday, for two hours longer than us in the states, and then go to their internship Thursday and Friday of their choosing.  Each of thee two years they must find a new internship, on their own.

Saint Germain built in 1218
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Our new friends: Juerig, Jody, and Marco (and Riley, their dog) were exceptionally accomodating and informative during our stay at their lovely home in Lengnau.  They took us out to dinner and we had Perch from none other than the Biel lake we were gazing at.  On the menu:  If it's not from the lake, it won't be on your plate.  Our new friends also have amazingly great taste in decorating. The parents and son get along really well; it was very refreshing to be around that kind of family love.  We cannot thank them enough for their help, it was perfect.

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"Do's and Doh's":  

1. After a long day of hauling luggage, don't get excited when you find out you'll be 1st on floor of your hotel room.  There is such thing as a Zero floor.  The 1st floor is up the flight of stairs (elevators are luxuries that the 1 star hotels do not have).

2.  When you can't 100% translate your train schedule...don't guess how it works, ask.  It could be an unwanted cost for the alternate detour.  (But it didn't happen to us, seriously).

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3.  When you see an open door leading to a continental breakfast in a one star hotel don't assume it is included in the cost of the room.

4.  In Europe, if you don't feel like lugging around an umbrella, fight the urge.  Rain comes unexpectedly even when it is 80 degrees outside and humid.

5.  Don't rely on mooching on free internet signals...there aren't many....that will work.

Our last day in Switzerland Jody drove us to Grindelwald.  The Alps are breathtaking; there are no other words to describe it.  We also got to go down a 2480ft. long, with a 675ft. vertical drop zip line reaching speeds of up to 55mph.

Geneva
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We loved everything about Switzerland!!!!