Summertime Hiking in Chamonix

This morning Emily, Bo and I met Renaud at 6:45 for a Saturday adventure in Chamonix. Renaud offered to take us hiking through some of his favorite paths on the way to Lac Blanc. He promised amazing views, wonderful weather, a gorgeous frigid lake, and some steep climbs. As you can tell from the pictures, the five hour hike lived up to they hype. My legs are more than a bit sore after yesterday’s 14 mile run and this morning’s hike but it was well worth it! We started our hike at an elevation of 1,800 meters and by the end of our hike we ascended 780 net meters and a distance of 5.9 miles. 

I still can’t believe that all of this is just 45 minutes from Geneva!

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One Month

When I close my eyes, I can’t believe that a month ago I spent the day in our closet laughing, crying, talking, and reminiscing with Laura and Theodora.

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One month ago Bo and I climbed the stairs to our new home in Geneva, Switzerland bearing 8 large suitcases filled with clothing, bedding, shoes, running gear, and a few other things that at the time I considered to be essential for living until my air and sea shipments arrived in Switzerland.

I don’t recommend listening to Lifehouse or Oasis on the Revolve Sunday Morning Spotify list when making a realization like this.

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It may just result in tears.

But then, a moment later, I realize that tears are natural but they are more from an emotional stand point. A lot has happened in a month. But, I have very little, if anything, to cry about. Sure, every moment isn’t puppies, peonies, and rose. People have asked how things “really” are outside of happy Instagram pictures. Seriously, they are going better than I could have imagined 90% of the time. 10% of the time I miss my family, friends, husband, and New York like crazy. I miss Sunday night dinners with Meg or random workout dates in the city with friends. I miss my work buddies. I hate that friends have to think whether texting and/or calling me will result in crazy phone bills. I miss peanut butter. But, that is seriously a maximum of 10% of the time.

Let’s focus on the other 90%.  If you told me I would meet two other American gals who are or have just gone through the exact same emotions I’m going through right now within weeks of moving here, I would have called you a crazy optimist.

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I found a running partner who is a morning person and lives less than a quarter mile away. My friends who are locals have been more helpful than I could have ever imagined. I mean seriously, have you ever taken a document to your office and asked someone to read it because you can’t translate four pages of a legal document that is in French?  Moving to a new city has been so humbling as I have no idea where to go for happy hour or much less a simple dinner with friends. Luckily, I have colleagues who have turned into friends and are willing to answer emails and text messages at all hours.  My air shipment arrived on the exact date the company predicted and even better, my very organized husband spent half a day unpacking it and creating a system while I was at work. So sure, there are ups and downs and moments that just make me laugh out loud but at the end of the day, I can’t really complain about the transition at the one month point.

Yesterday I saw this quote yesterday on a blog post and immediately shared it with Bo and Theodora because it really puts into words this crazy journey we’re experiencing.

Nora Ephron Quote

So there you go, life isn’t perfect right now but the Instagram, blog posts, Twitter, and Facebook posts are all pretty true, other than the cultural adjustments which are pretty normal and the few other things that have humbled me.

Thank you for being here and continuing to read! You all are one of my many support networks!

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Bains des Paquis

Good morning from the train!

I am heading to Paris this morning for my first customer meeting in my new role. It is very odd to say I’m heading to Paris for a customer meeting as it still seems so foreign and novel that I have the ability to take a train to Paris from Geneva! Bo and I were both up at 5am as he has a flight back to London this morning just 30 minutes after my train departs.

IMG_0171The main train station in Geneva is located near the city center and has 8 tracks leaving for destinations such as Paris, Lyon, Zurich, and Basel. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get to the station from our flat so we allowed plenty of time. Turns out I can make it from door step to train seat in 20 minutes! IMG_0172

As yesterday was a busy day at work and a fun filled evening, I am just catching up on your comments from yesterday’s post. Thank you so much for the positive energy and motivating thoughts. Some of you are right, I don’t have to run a marathon this year and realize that it is okay to take a break. For me, the benefit to running a marathon this Fall is the opportunity to experience it with my best friend Amy and other friends who have decided to come up to Hartford for a weekend of cheering, running and celebrating together. 

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After work yesterday a few of us headed down to Lake Geneva for a relaxing evening at Bains des Paquis. Most of us went home first to drop off our things so it was almost 7pm by the time we met at the lake. Once again I decided to run down to the lake versus walking or taking the bus. It’s hard for me to do anything else when I know it’s just a 15 minute jog but it would take 20-25 minutes via public transportation or walking due to the location.

IMG_0160It was another gorgeous evening though a bit cooler than previous days due to the heavy rain that came through Sunday and Monday. In fact, Bo was the only one in our group who actually swam yesterday. It was his first time experiencing Bains des Paquis and swimming in Lake Geneva so he couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

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Part of our group included two of my new girlfriends in Geneva, Sarah and Emily.IMG_0166

Sarah and I have met previously back in the States via work but never had the chance to get to know each other well as we worked in different cities and parts of the business. A co-worker reintroduced us via email before Bo and I moved over here. Luckily she and her fiance have been fabulous resources and friends while we were house hunting and now that we live in Geneva. While I love getting to know locals, it is nice to have an expat friend!

Emily and I actually met in person yesterday but have been talking via email for the past few weeks. She went to school with Derek, Meghann’s husband, and moved from Tampa just five days ago!    IMG_0170As you can tell by now this is one of my favorite spots in Geneva. In both the summer and winter months Bains des Paquis is a relaxing haven for sunlovers. During the Summer months there are floating docks, diving boards, roped off swimming areas for both lap swimming and leisure, along with a bar and cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also offer live music as the sun rises each morning in the Summer! Unlike some of the other beaches and yacht clubs in Geneva, entrance is just 2 CHF!For the views of Mont Blanc and the city alone that price is a great deal! Their food never disappoints and is reasonably priced for Geneva.  After hanging out on the docks with our feet in the water and chatting for a few hours we ordered dinner and moved up towards the restaurant area where there are more tables and chairs. Our entire group ordered the Greek salad which is my favorite dinner option. Huge chunks of tomatoes are tossed with onions, olives herbs, and feta cheese then drizzled with red wine vinegar and olive oil.IMG_0169

We didn’t leave until past 10pm but it was a perfect way to relax after a long day and enjoy the Summer weather.

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