Well we are now at our next housesitting experience in Divonne les Bains. It’s a small mountain village in France right on the border of Switzerland. We are staying for the next week and a half at a beautiful home and taking care of an energetic Shorthaired German Pointer dog named Truffle.
Our hosts, Stefani and Frans are warm and wonderful people who are off on their holidays in Turkey. Stefani is a global health consultant and Frans is in international business. They are great supporters of African aid and development. Again, we are meeting wonderful people who are making a difference in the world.
We went for some great walks through the mountains in the area. In fact, on one walk we walked to the top of their street and crossed the border into Switzerland – it was as easy as that! Once you pass the rock, you’re in Switzerland!
Over the first few days, we made our way into Geneva and enjoyed the beautiful sights of the city. We were greeted by the Jet D’eau, or better known by the locals as jeddo, a fountain in the middle of Lake Geneva that spurts water 138 metres into the air.
Afterwards, we wandered through the English Gardens and stopped in front of the Flower Clock that tells the exact time – according to Swiss watch standards!
From there we wandered through the Old Town into the Place Neuve where we stopped to admire the museums and theatres throughout the square.
We wandered into the park and were pleasantly surprised to find a number of giant chess sets. We couldn’t resist. For the rest of the afternoon, we joined a number of other community members and played some great matches.
Afterwards we wandered further into the park to see the Reformation Wall with John Knox, Calvin, Théodore de Bèze, and Guillaume Farel — the four Genevese reformers. After learning about the Reformation in England and Germany – the girls are very comfortable with understanding how religion was reformed throughout our history. Impressive wall we must say.
We walked along the old wall of the city to the Hôtel-de-Ville (Town Hall) from the 15th century – it was all cobblestone ramps and really beautiful.
Of course no visit to the Old Town would be complete without visiting some Swiss Chocolate shops! Surprisingly, there were not as many as we encountered in Brugge, or Brussels in Belgium. Although there was some lovely chocolate artistry, there seemed to be more of an emphasis on chocolate bars and bark. Which is absolutely delicious too!
Of course, the views from everywhere we look are amazing! The mountains are spectacular and with the clouds and water – we are feeling like we are in paradise!
We are looking forward to the next week and sharing our adventures in this beautiful part of Europe!
Comments
17 responses to “Housesitting in Divonne les Bains”
It is a great City. When you were in the park, you were a few blocks away from a Condo we used for a couple of years. You brought me right back to those days. Geneva has a great University, where Mai spent a term improving on her French. I hope you get the opportunity to explore the Swiss Alps, the towns and villages. If you do, you must go to Gruyere. Famous for it’s cheese and a very interesting Castle. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Neil,
We were able to visit a number of small towns and villages. We tried to go to a different one each day…all of them were so beautiful. We did make it to Gruyere…Mikhaila will be writing that post. The cheese here is unbelievable!
always great stories. It is nice to read your blogs, being able to keep up where you guys are. I wish you all a great time in the south of France, while housesitting. The dog seems so nice. And yes, the scenery of the mountains is so beautiful. Take care, friendly greetings, Ingrid
HI Ingrid,
So nice to hear from you – we hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for your good wishes….you’ll see soon that Mikhaila had a chance to make your recipe for the Belgian mousse while here in Switzerland. It was fantastic – thank you again for sharing it with us:)
Wow! A week and a half at this house sit. That will give you a real sense of the place , a wee ‘rest’ and the girls a chance to have a pet for a while. Win / win all around ? And what a great place to spend this amount of time . You have piqued my interest in house sitting .
Hi Herta,
We’ve done a lot of travel in the past and we both agree that housesitting is a fantastic way to see places you wouldn’t usually go – it takes you off the beaten track. It also makes it more liveable. We all have our own space when needed. I especially appreciate the kitchen and just the routine of having a home while on the road. Check out Trustedhousesitters.com we have really enjoyed these experiences!
Hi Katina
What a lovely city! I was there when I was 12 but have little recollection of most of the spots you highlighted. Just wondering, is there a limit crossing the border into France for chocolate or just meat???? Hope you are enjoying your present adventure too. Love Doreen
Hi Doreen,
You can bring as much chocolate over the border as you want!!!! Who cares about meat – I’ll take Swiss chocolate any day!!!
Hi Katina
What a lovely city! I was there when I was 12 but have little recollection of most of the spots you highlighted. Just wondering, is there a limit crossing the border into France for chocolate or just meat???? Hope you are enjoying your present adventure too. Love Doreen
Hi, Katina, this posting has it all, lovely scenery, beautiful old buildings, lots of history, flowers and fountains, and you all, as always, smiling and enjoying everything – and to top it all – the chocolat. I want to be there too 🙂
Hi Oma,
Join us any time! It is absolutely beautiful here…it actually reminds us of Canada…BC as well as Northern Ontario. We just don’t have the same historical buildings etc…
Hi Kat,
Loved the blog! The photos are beautiful as always! How did the kids enjoy the chess game? Is there a story behind chess playing in the park? Love Mom
HI Mom,
THe kids love playing chess…we actually played in teams which made it fun – Oliver and I had great times teaching our girls different strategies! We’re very competitive as you know!
I guess the chess in the park is another way to get people from the community out and about. The park was full of chess players- especially Russians. It was great to watch them play too…we learned a lot!
I am happy to see that Zoe found a dog to look after! Quincy and Charlie miss both of the girls walking them. Eat some Swiss chocolate for me!
Amanda
No dogs will ever replace Charlie and Quincy…but the girls are having lots of fun taking care of the different pets. It’s been great experience for them. As for chocolate…we have done our share of tasting…it is fantastic! You would love to live here!
you know what guys ur trip looks amazing !you are a lovely family a great example to cs.looking forward to meeting you cheers!!
HI Jane,
So far our trip has been amazing because of the wonderful people we have met along the way. Couchsurfing and housesitting have been the best parts about our trip. We look forward to many more new friends as we roam!