Europe Trip

Geneva was another one-night stopover, as again there is little here for the tourist. I spent a pleasant enough afternoon walking around, looking at the lake, with its famous jet of water, and the cathedral, and the world's longest park bench (yes, really: 126 metres long).

The main thing you notice about Geneva is how like a seaside town it is, despite being in central Europe. This is because of the lake, which is enormous. The amount of traffic on the lake, plus the slightly rundown feel of the waterfront casinos and hotels, makes it feel quite like Bournemouth or something.

The best memory of Geneva for me was having a look at the Russian Orthodox Church (above), during the middle of a service. It was very dark inside, but very opulent: gold was glittering everywhere, there were very ornate pictures and decorations everywhere, and the singing and smell of incense made a great impression on me.