Some shallow, scattered comments on Geneva
just a few hours before I head to the airport:
- The President Wilson hotel is superior to the Hilton Noga hotel, for slightly less money. Amazing service, and a good Internet connection. I don't know about other hotels.
- Speaking of Internet connections, they are obscenely expensive in Europe compared to the U.S. Expect to pay the equivalent of $35-60 per day for access from a hotel.
- Many European hotels have very heavy room keys. I mean like a pound of metal. You don't have to carry it around with you all day--you can leave it at the front desk when you leave and you can retrieve it when you return.
- Don't miss the scene beside Lake Geneva on a sunny Sunday afternoon. But remember your hat and sunscreen (I didn't).
- The city generally shuts down early. Stores are closed at 6pm or 7pm at the latest.
- Taxi drivers have no idea what you are talking about when you say "Take me to WIPO." In Geneva it's known by its French acronym, OMPI.
- You get a better exchange rate from ATM machines than from the currency exchange at the airport. There are a number of ATMs just behind the hotels on Quai Wilson or Quai Mont Blanc.
- People in Geneva are extremely nice and polite. Americans need to remember to be VERY civil here. Manners count.
- One way to be polite is to not ask about the local football (soccer) team. It's gone bankrupt, just after the city funded a beautiful new stadium.
- If you're going to be travelling to Europe often, get a GSM phone, like from Cingular. It makes things much more convenient. With Cingular, the roaming has worked flawlessly for me in London, Paris, Barcelona, Zurich and Geneva.
- They give out chocolate on Swiss Airways. That's better than pretzels or peanuts.