Geneva – My First journey into Switzerland!

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For years I have had this rather extreme fixation about Switzerland. It was a childhood desire to explore this beautiful and enchanting country for myself figure out why PT Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India would called Manipur as “The Switzerland of India”. Needless to say I was more than in love with Manipur – My Birth place in the North Eastern corner of India. As I grew up, nothing would surpass my homeland in terms of beauty of the land and its people. At the same time I have always felt a certain amount of pride while repeating the lines of Nehruji on the many conversations I had. But the Switzerland I can only see and feel was within my country and my dream of seeing the real Switzerland have always remained a dream from which I had to wake up many countless mornings. Years went by and any prospects of travelling beyond Imphal remained farfetched. However things changed as they usually do for those who persevere. Few years in New-Delhi then a year in the UK, I was coming closer to my dream destination. Excitement grew in my heart and one summer evening while exploring a few travel options with some friends, Switzerland was mentioned. Now did I see that coming? This is happening! I felt elated with intense emotions within me and the urge to see this country grew stronger than ever. Being on student visa in Bournemouth, I had to check the visa and travel restrictions. I got shaken a little as I was worried about whether I might not be allowed to travel. The disappointment was however brief as I learned that my UK visa will allow me to travel for a maximum of 40 days. The next thing I knew I booked my flight and was all set to venture into a land which I have anticipated over so many years. As I was entering few details about my travel plan in my diary and packing, I felt the excitement of my childhood days when I was given my yearly sets of clothes for Christmas. As I looked back, all I could see was myself with my wandering thoughts about this mysterious country which was suppose to be similar to my homeland. The sight that met me when I first set my eyes from the plane was magical. I could see the White Mountain tops with a clear view of the lakes below and the rivers meandering through the valleys. Looking around I could see a few resemblance from the sky and couldn’t wait to land and explore the city. Geneva was my main destination for this trip and as the thrill of discovering the city awaits, I landed after 2 hours flight from London City Airport.

So here I am! This is Switzerland! Just had to pinch myself a wee bit as a reminder that I am in Switzerland! With its fascinating sight and location, Geneva lies between the Alps and the Jura Mountains and coming out of the station I had my first glimpse of Mont Blanc. A few minutes’ walk down the Rue de Mont Blanc, the famous Lake Geneva welcomes you with its crystal clear water and all the dynamic human activities. As the day came to an end, I settled for a Swiss fondue and head back to my accommodation for an early night with much anticipation for tomorrow’s expedition within the city.  

Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and I start looking at my guide book over a cup of herbal tea and sliced salmon toast. Part of my preparation, I bought a French phrase book but much to my surprise I didn’t need it for most of my stay. Geneva has a population of 188,000 people out of which 45% of them are foreigner representing 180 countries. So keeping my phrasebook aside, I began touring the city. Apart from its natural beauty manifested through the lake and surrounding mountains, Geneva is a city of Arts and Culture. Museums, libraries, art centre’s and the architecture are impressive. It has many parks in and around and with an area of 310 hectares of parks it is also known as the City of Parks. However, with very limited time on hand, I decided to see the city from outside and above. The View of Geneva and Lake Geneva from the top of the Cathedral of St. Peter was an amazing experience as I look across the city from its roof. Then I spent an hour strolling around the park where the statue of Jean Henri Dunant a Swiss businessman and social activist who was the founder of Red Cross is situated. The old city where all the government buildings are now is very impressive with the old architectures still dominating the vicinity. After an hour walk around the old city, there was much more to see so I headed towards the other side of the lake to visit some of the many international organization present in Geneva. Geneva plays host to around 200 international organizations and I went to see the UN European headquarters and the World Health Organization (WHO). Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to go inside so I came back after counting the 192 flags in front of the UN Building. Now back to the lake and one feature that I was fascinated about the lake was Jet d’eau – The Water Fountain. To see half a cubic meter of water projected up to 140 meters high was mind blowing. I was told that it looks better at night so I went back the same evening after dark to enjoy the spectacular display of water and the night lights around the city coming together was a treat to one’s eyes. For the locals and tourist alike, the lake is the centre of all activities. Children running around, skaters showing off their skills, couples old and young on a romantic walks, people eating on the side cafes and restaurants, tourist posing for that  picture of the trip shot and even for some finding a place just to sit and reflect from a hard day’s work. These are the simple things the lake stands for apart from some of the major music festivals and water sports held at different times around the year. Geneva is a small city but there are plenty of shops and it stands alongside London and Paris as a major shopping destination in Europe. Geneva specializes in the finer things in life and they don’t come cheap so not a lot to do with my student budget apart from window shopping. However me being me I managed to get some bargains and holiday souvenirs.

Switzerland is best known for its beauty in the form of mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and its landscape. Now during my entire stay I couldn’t stop thinking of Manipur and the comparison. Kept wondering why Jawahar Lal Nehru would compare Manipur and Switzerland. Then I realize the similarities in landscape and its natural beauty. This is what Nehru saw when he called Manipur “The Switzerland of India”. So, Manipur has the landscape and its beautiful natural environment like Switzerland and one day it will be able to realize its potential, preserve its past and build a nation like Switzerland- Clean, friendly and a destination for people from all over the world.