The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
December 4 - The Road to Geneva

After five days in Tanlay, it seemed strange to pack everything in the trusty Opel and head back to Geneva, about a four-hour drive.

What exciting can you say about a long car trip? It was raining off and on for most of the way. Michel Sommer, our host in Geneva, assured me that the road through the mountains would not be a problem, so we decided for a change of scenery on the way back. As you might expect, the road was windy, and while there was snow on the ground at higher elevations, the roads were just wet. We did pass a couple of ski areas that were doing a good Sunday business. It almost made me want to pull over and make a couple of runs!

Coming down the mountain into the valley, we arrived in the little town of Divonne des Bains, named after the natural thermal springs in the area. Divonne is in France, about 20km north of the Geneva airport and should make our 0-dark-30 departure on Tuesday quite easy.

We are spending the next couple of days with Michel and Monique Sommer, members of our Affordable Travel Club group. ATC is a group of people all over the world who open their homes to other members for a couple of days at a time.

Think of it as sort of a personal B&B experience, but at greatly reduced cost. We have enjoyed the hospitality of other ATC members in Belgium, the Netherlands, several places in France, Canada, New Zealand and all over the US. We have also enjoyed hosting members from around the world at our home in Gig Harbor.

We didn't have lunch, so Michel recommended we explore the town of Nyon, farther up the lake in Switzerland. The rain had started again, so we wandered around in the old town for a bit -- mostly in the dark -- and late afternoon found a little restaurant where we could address the hunger pangs. Being a cold and rainy night, the lasagna seemed like a perfect choice ... and it was!

Restaurants in France rarely open before 7pm, but the Swiss will serve you most any time of day ... and that fit our needs perfectly! Alas, no photos from Nyon today. Maybe tomorrow.

Margene folded up as soon as we got back to the house. I spent an hour or so sharing a bottle of wine with Michel and Monique and sharing ideas. We are travellers, not tourists, and it is the contact with the locals that really makes travel so eye-opening.

The Road and the Welcome at the End


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