Off to Switzerland (and Beyond)

We have arrived!  After about 24 hours of flying/airport time our plane landed safely in Geneva, Switzerland.  The flight from Minneapolis to Washington Dullas airport was uneventful.  The crew on the overnight flight to Geneva was truly international.  Jean Phillippe was French, Julianna was from Cambridge, England, Sven was from Sweden and Annie was an American.  The seats reclined to an almost horizontal setting, the food was good and we had a reasonable smooth flight.  The only problem was that I had trouble getting to sleep.

A table made of logs decorates the lobby

Our hotel is the InterContinental, near the Red Cross Museum.  Both of us took naps, and now we are going out for lunch and some exploring. The first thing scheduled for us is a group 

meeting tonight.  Tours start tomorrow.

Along with our room we each got a bus pass for the days we are here in Geneva, so we took the bus downtown to look around.  All the buses are "articulated" so they can go around corners better.  There are also streetcars powered by overhead lines and running on tracks.  Some of them have up to 5 sections!

This streetcar has 5 sections with an accordion-like
section between each section

 There is a mixture of old and new buildings with a lot of "green space," small parks even in the heavily built up areas.  They even have green couches at the bus stop.  However, some of the users of these do not hesitate to pollute the atmosphere.

One building had a design on the side.  I suspect it lights up at night.  Notice all the motor bikes parked there.It seems strange to see men in suits carrying briefcases going down the sidewalk on scooters like we used as kids.

This tall fountain in the lake on the Rhone River has become the symbol of the city.