Yvoire and Au Revoir!

On the Boat to Yvoire

The weather was incredible today, so Ali and I decided to take a boat ride across Lake Geneva to Yvoire, a medieval village in France.  We took the bus to Nyon, where we purchased tickets to traverse the lake.  The boat ride was wonderful, with beautiful views of the Alps, the lush coast of Switzerland, and colorful French towns.  Once we arrived in Yvoire, I could not stop taking pictures.  The village was like something out of a fairy tale.  

Flowers everywhere!

There were vibrantly colored flowers everywhere: in the windows, outside of cafes, planted in pots, etc. Ivy covered the stone walls of buildings so all you could see were windows and brightly painted shutters.  We strolled down to the docks where sailboats were lined up in a row and swans approached the bank, greeting the visitors.  Ali and I stopped at a hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop and ordered double scoops.  I chose Ferrer Rocher and Kinder flavors; such a treat on a warm day! Yvoire is very historic, with a huge chateau towering over the town and giant walls surrounding the village.  It seemed like quite a popular destination, because the trendy boutiques, art galleries, and quaint cafes were filled with people.  At the end of the day, we sat on the rocks near the rock and dipped our feet in the water before taking the boat back to Switzerland.

Medieval chateau

I would like to give a special shout-out to Ali and her family to thank them so much for hosting me this week; my European experience has been absolutely incredible.  Check out the Pictures page on the right-hand side of the blog for more snapshots from the trip.  I hope you all have enjoyed reading so far, because the adventure has only just begun!  Tomorrow I will fly across the entire continent of Africa and start my Cape Town study abroad program. Au Revoir, Europe!

Lovely cafe in Yvoire