07 Nov.

Leaving Rome 08:15.

Sitting in train reflecting on the past few days in Roma.

Café not recommended in Wien is… Café Restaurant WESTEND on Marianhilfer Straße 128

Brendan was grumpy when he woke up today.

We are on the train and tired. Passing through Italy, it is foggy outside in our way to Milano to change trains to Geneva.

Castles castles everywhere, little ones, big ones, broken ones and pretty ones.

Well we arrived at the Milan Central Station and caught our train to Geneva.

Boy is this train filled with people and luggage. 12:45.

Arrived in Geneva, cool, dark rainy evening, beautiful countryside in Switzerland.

Noticed that by the railway lines there are many empty warehouses and factories.

In the rain the countryside does look beautiful.

In Geneve we arrived in the early evening to cool weather and drizzle. I used the gps on the iPhone to find the hotel. Checked into a room with a double bed and pull out sofa. We had the largest room available (not very large) that was irregularly shaped with multiple single step levels throughout the room. Comfy though, and warm. Back to the drizzle we went, looking for the river and a restaurant. We crossed over a bridge to the old part of town, housing numerous banks. The city was basically closed except for a few restaurants. Light drizzle, colder weather than earlier, Brendan was cold ( I told him to bring a hoody and his coat, but he gets stubborn sometimes and did not think he needed it.). Ah well, youth and learning through experience, We saw, ducks with long necks, as Liam put it. They were Swans swimming in the darkness by the bridges and under the docks, looking like ghosts floating on the water disappearing into the mist.

We checked out several restaurants and settled with one that looked more Swiss traditional – they had fondue, frogs legs, and escargot on the menu. I started with the escargot, the boys tried it – not to their taste – I thought they were a little tough, but with the garlic butter they were ok. Au Petit Chalet on Rue Beane served us canette, Marguerite, paupiettes de boeuf, and a t-bone steak, all a little pricey, but comparable to the prices in the area. Wish we had more time to search for restaurants.