Geneva – Champel, Eglise de Sainte Thérèse

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This attractive church stands on a street adjoining the Parc Bertrand (See: Geneva – Champel, Parc Bertrand). After our picnic I’d gotten tired of just sitting around – particularly since our dog, Harley was barking like crazy in the unfamiliar surroundings (there were lots of other dogs around) – so I went for a walk to see what I could find. The answer – not much apart from this rather nice church. Unfortunately, I’ve so far not been able to find out anything about its history.

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Sainte Thérèse I presume?

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Closer view of the window.

Geneva – Champel, Parc Bertrand

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Les Petites Amies. Statue in Parc Bertrand

According to the French version of Wikipedia (Translation from the original French):

The park, as well as the property therein, was bequeathed to the City of Geneva by Alice Noerbel, the widow of Alfred Bertrand, representative of a large Geneve family in 1933 (for a part) and then in 1940 ( for the rest).

In the park there is a paddling pool about 30 centimeters deep for children, a park for dogs, a soccer field, a slide space, a tennis wall, a pond, a small waterfall, a stream, a Japanese Garden, toilets and a bodybuilding space inaugurated in 2015

On the edge of the park is the Bertrand school (the former estate of the Bertrand family). This former primary school was transformed in 2004 into an early childhood centre, the former pupils and teachers being transferred to the surrounding schools of Contamines, Peschier and Crêts-de-Champel.

We went for a picnic in the park and spent a pleasant afternoon there while the kids took advantage of the facilities.

The above statue is called “Les Petites Amies”. It’s by Ursula Malbine and is dated 1956. We’d visited this park when I was last in Geneva in 2010. At that time I took some pictures of the same statue, but wasn’t at all satisfied with them. Most of the 2010 shots were close ups of the two heads. I much prefer this wider view and the inclusion of the real children playing with/around the two children in the statue.

We took our dog, Harley to the dog park. After he got over the initial surprise (shock might be a better word) of numerous dogs (some quite large) rushing at him from all angles, he seemed to enjoy the interaction.

Taken with a Sony RX100 M3.

Geneva – Augustins

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Augustins spreads out to the East of Rue de Carouge between Plainpalais and Carouge around the Place des Augustins. According to the website of the Republic and Canton of Geneva this square gets its name (translation from the original French):

…from a monastery, founded in 1480 by the brothers of “Notre-Dame-des-Hermits”, of the Augustinian Order, on the site of a hermitage (first references in 1461), at far end of the Faubourg Saint-Léger, very near the Pont-d’Arve.

It appears to have enjoyed the favor of the princes of Savoy. The largesse of Renee, bastard of Savoy allowed the order to build, from 1498, a new chapel in which they placed a renowned painting of the Virgin, which was credited with wonderful cures. The Reformation and the general demolition of the suburbs of Geneva (begun in 1530) was the death knell for the last monastery founded in Geneva. On August 9, 1535, a group of citizens went to the monastery church, “Notre-Dame-de-Grâce”, and completed the destruction: the painting of the Virgin was burnt, the large bell melted, and the sacred gold objects sold to meet the needs of the city.

As the main tram line between Geneva and Carouge passes through Augustins I’ve seen the area along the Rue de Carouge many times, but only from the tram while in transit. This time I decided to walk back from a visit to the Old Town/Parc des Bastions along the Rue de Carouge on my way back home.

I’ve never liked this area much. The Rue de Carouge is a long street with lots of small stores and numerous restaurants like the one above – with outdoor seating areas in Summer. There are a few interesting buildings (see below), but there are many, more picturesque locations in Geneva. However, it seems I’m in the minority. As I passed the restaurants were mostly full of people having a great time. We even went there one evening and had a lovely meal at an Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant: Meskerem.

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The Ville de Geneve website describes the Casino-Théâtre as follows (translation from he original French):

Venue for the traditional and annual “Revue Genevoise”, the Casino-Théâtre nowadays also hosts plays and operettas, concerts and comedy shows. The Casino-Théâtre is one of the cultural highlights of the City of Geneva.

The origin of the Petit Casino dates back to 1881. Eugène Henri Villard and his wife Joséphine Dubouloz built a brewery and a performance hall, called “Brasserie de l’Espérance”. Over the years, the hall has changed hands several times, before being bought by the City in 1983.

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According to Ville de Geneva website (translated from the original French):

The Community Centre of Plainpalais (parts of which – the Large Hall, the Assembly Hall and the kitchen located in the basement – are available for rental.) is ideal for a variety of different events. It is frequently reserved for major cultural events supported by the City of Geneva.

The Pitoëff Theater, on the first floor, is managed by the Department of Culture and Sport.

The maximum number of people allowed in the large hall is 1,000 without furniture, 600 with chairs and 500 with tables and chairs.

The maximum number of people admitted in the Assembly Hall is 200 without furniture, 150 with chairs and 100 with tables and chairs.

…

Built in 1908-1909 according to the plans of the architect Joseph Marschall, the Community Centre is part of the heritage of the City of Geneva. Here you can admire stained glass representing seasonal flowering and a mural by Edmond Ravel.

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The southern border of Augustins: Buildings along the Quai Capo-d’Istria as seen from the Pont de Carouge.

Pictures taken with a Sony RX-100 M3

Geneva – Mont Salève, Cable Car (Téléphérique) station

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After finishing our meal at the Café de l’Observatoire the kids wanted to go to a playground, which as it turned out was co-incidentally right next to a small kiosk, which sold ice cream – I guess they’d been there before. So we descended to the Cable Car (Téléphérique) station a bit lower down on the Salève.

There’s another restaurant (Le Panoramique) here with particularly impressive views of Geneva and it’s lake.

Above – looking down towards the municipality of Veyrier in Switzerland. If you know where to look you can see our older granddaughter’s school.

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View of Geneva with the lake stretching out to the right, the City of Geneva to the left, and the Jura mountains in the background.

Geneva – Mont Salève, The view from the other side

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So far the views from the Salève, have always been looking looking vaguely West i.e. across Geneva and surrounding France. This one is taken looking East towards the French Alps. Since I lived in this area for eight years, I’ve been to the Alps many times and had hoped to go again this year. Unfortunately, things got busy and we didn’t find the time to go. So this was the closest I got.

In the last post I mentioned that there was a great view from the Café de l’Observatoire. This is it.

Taken with a Sony RX100 M3