The sun and blue skies greeted us early on Friday for our first day of class and orientation. We were welcomed by Ms. Benedicte Gilbert and Dr. Jasmine Champenois of the Graduate Institute, then Prof. Singh began the first day of class – an introduction to trade, technology and development. Our classroom is in the Villa Barton, a beautiful pink villa on the shores of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman in French), and as you can see from the photos of our picnic lunch outside the villa, the setting is truly spectacular.
Picnic lunch outside Villa Barton
Our picnic lunch and view of the lake, with Villa Barton behind us - not bad, eh?
Picnic lunch outside Villa Barton
In the afternoon, we walked next door to the World Trade Organization (yes, the WTO is just a few steps from Villa Barton!), saw the main large negotiation room (which is actually outside the WTO building), then strolled up the Avenue de la Paix where many of the international organizations are located. On our short stroll to the UN Office in Geneva, we passed UNICEF, WMO, the UN Office in Geneva, WIPO, and ITU – the latter two should of course be quite familiar to CCT students.
Geneva students, Heather and Prof. Singh by WTO and lake
CCT Geneva students in front of the UN Office in Geneva
After our walking tour of international Geneva, we then walked a bit more to the Mont Blanc dock, and took a one hour boat tour of Geneva and the surrounding areas. Meeting interesting people in Geneva is incredibly easy as so many are here for various kinds of travel and business with international organizations. The boat was no exception, and we met others on the boat who were traveling around the world and visiting friends who work at the WTO and other UN agencies. The great weather continued, and we had fantastic views of the jet d’eau , the water jet that is characteristic of Geneva, and Mt. Saleve, the mountain that sits closest to the city but is actually in France!
on boat tour - Janeace, Ani, Prof. Singh and Ashley
Farrah, Ashley, Stephanie, and Kathleen on boat
CCT Geneva women and Jet d'Eau - yes, we even are attempting to spell CCT with our arms!
As the heat of the day faded a bit, we gathered for a wine and cheese tasting by the lake. Geneva is a fantastic wine growing region and produces excellent wines that win international competitions. In fact, you can bicycle to vineyards just outside the city. However they don’t export their wines, so it’s a great chance to sample otherwise hard-to-get bottles. Cheese along with other agricultural goods is heavily subsidized, and while that may have trade implications, which we will study, it means that good cheese is inexpensive.
On Saturday, we met our fantastic guide and toured old town on foot for two hours. Geneva was essentially a city state for a very long time, and we discussed the Roman settlements here, the Protestant Reformation (Geneva was the center of the movement), and modern Geneva and the founding of international organizations. People were surprised to learn that Geneva was the home to Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose writing on equal rights helped inspire the French and American revolutions, as well as home to the inventors of meteorology and modern linguistics.
Walking tour of old town Geneva, led by your wonderful tour guide Ariel Haemmerle
We ended the evening with a welcome fondue dinner at Auberge des Saviese in the Paquis area of Geneva. We feasted on antipasti, salad, fondue, perch (small fish found in Lake Geneva), and, of course, caramel creme and coffee for dessert.
Fondue dinner
Looks like you’re off to a GREAT start! I just arrived in Brussels (from Seoul via Beijing). It’s sweltering and muggy here today (and T-storms tomorrow). My chocolate is melting!! (Fortunately, there is lots of cold beer around.) I hope it’s a bit nicer in Geneva.
I got to Jacky Ahn in Korea. CCT is everywhere!
Michael Nelson
CCT Georgetown University
Thanks for the message! It is indeed glorious in Geneva – not humid at all, but pleasantly warm and sunny. How great that you saw Jacky in Korea. We are indeed everywhere! (Hope you can save your chocolate…!)