ashleyd /

La Genevoise 5k

Today I finally ran my first race in Geneva! The Geneva 5k or La Genevoise 5k was such a fun race to run with the ladies!

Before the race we picked up Charlie from the airport who flew in from London early this morning. We headed back to the bib pickup area so she could grab her bib and shirt before a few hours of relaxation.

IMG_5894

A few of us decided to get the men’s shirts in place of the women’s as they are a longer cut. We stood out in the crowd of pink shirts during the race as many other women wore the pink technical shirt given out for the race.

IMG_5896

Before the race Charlie and I caught up over lunch at Mango Deck where we each had the goat cheese salad complete with pears and hazelnuts! The salads were HUGE but the perfect lunch before what will surely be an evening filled with bread and pasta.

2014-05-03 12.23.15

Fifteen minutes before the race we met Emily and the Team Naturally Run girls near the Flower Clock, a local icon, so we could run the race together. Most of us are running the half marathon or marathon relay tomorrow so our plan was just to enjoy the race together. 

2014-05-03 13.45.37

We made it into the corrals just in time to join the warm-up party. I kid you not when I use the word party as they had the techno music blasting and kept yelling in French that it was party time!

2014-05-03 13.56.362014-05-03 14.02.21

Just as the race started the blue sky and bits of sunshine broke through the ominous clouds allowing us to enjoy 30 minutes of sunshine during the race. The course took runners over the bridge and along the lake before turning around and looping back to Jardin Anglais. Emily and I pointed out sites along the way as this is our normal running route together.

As soon as we started running we were all very pleased with our decision to just enjoy the run versus racing it as the course wasn’t PR friendly. There were many walkers and slower runners which blocked the paths since the course was so narrow. In addition, for future reference, there is no water along the course so for those who like to drink water as you run, bringing your own water is a must.

Just how much fun we had during the 5k is hard to capture in photos. Needless to say, the five of us who ran together were laughing and talking so much that we were surprised how quickly the turnaround point came up.

photo (4)photo (5)photo (6)2014-05-03 14.14.06photo (7)2014-05-03 14.34.08

We finished in under 30 minutes, keeping just under a 10 minute pace for the race. After finishing we were greeted with medals, oranges, bananas, and reusable gold water bottles compliments of Tupperware.

photo (8)

What better thing to enjoy after a race than Laduree macarons?

photo (9)

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Big News – Part 2

Just about a year ago, to the date, we shared the big news that we were packing our bags and moving across the pond to embark on a great adventure.

bye

In order to accommodate both of our careers, we ended up establishing homes in two cities – Geneva and London. Bo pursued his career in finance with his current company while I moved into my new global role with Procter & Gamble.

People often asked us which city felt more like home and we would always answer that we were doing our best to make each feel like home. Even though our London flat came furnished, we spent time stocking a proper kitchen and adding a few prints and pieces of furniture to make it feel more homey. We have made some wonderful friends in London thanks to blogging and have spent many a weekend enjoying long runs, workouts, double dates, and brunches with these friends.

image

As much as we tried to make both cities work it was tough. We went to great strides to ensure we saw each other every weekend, taking more than 60 flights in the 9 month period and waking up at 4am on Mondays in order to get back to our respective cities in time. While our relationship was stronger than ever, neither of us were completely happy with the situation. We both missed having a friend and spouse to come home to in the evenings. This in addition to the fact that Bo found the environment at his company’s London office to be very different from New York which he loved.  So after many hours of discussions, talking with loved ones, evaluating options, and prayers we have officially taken a leap of faith together.

Bo has left his role in London and relocated to Geneva!

What does that mean for us? Well, it means that I have the joy of seeing him everyday which beginning yesterday was pretty amazing! For now he’s focusing on learning French, making some improvements to our flat, taking some time to evaluate his next move and considering options. Right now our plan is for him to start applying for financial positions in Geneva next month but we’ll see what happens. If something comes his way sooner, fabulous. We are being realistic about the situation and are thankful for the savings we’ve put aside for years which help make this move possible. This is the first time off he’s had since graduating from Georgia Tech in 2007 and we both believe it is the perfect time to consider career options.

While saying goodbye to London is difficult, we’re both thrilled with the fact that due to its proximity, we’ll be able to see our friends frequently either in London or during fun travel weekends throughout Europe.

Cheers to the unknown and establishing our life TOGETHER in Geneva!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Shrooms

I never dreamed of kicking off my vacation with a mushroom picking adventure. I guess that’s proof that I never went to Bonnaroo. Seriously though, this afternoon I dashed out of the office with Nico and Renaud for a morel mushroom adventure. These aren’t the mushrooms that will make you think you’re seeing cartoons on a concrete floor. Instead, these are the mushrooms that mushroom lovers like me dream about enjoying.

I learned online that this is one of the two mushroom seasons in Geneva.

Here’s the deal-When temperatures in your area in the Spring begin to climb into the sixties during the day and are no colder than the forties at night START LOOKING! Right after a rain is when I have found it to be the best. You should look in stream and river beds, wooded areas, around fallen timber that has been decaying, and don’t forget to look within brambles and thick underbrush.

We drove into France, about 30 minutes away from Geneva, in search of mushrooms. The drive alone was the perfect way to start vacation as I enjoyed 70 degree temperatures, sunshine, laughter and the wind blowing through my hair as we drove through the countryside in Nico’s convertible.510 512

After weaving through the country roads we parked along side the road in the midst of cheese farms and pastures.  The guys insisted that it was totally fine to walk through what seemed to be private property on our way to the woods where the morel mushrooms were hopefully hiding.

513As we hiked through the fields I asked the guys to share their tips which weren’t nearly as thorough as I expected. They did however share with me that there is an unspoken rule among mushroom pickers to not reveal the location of their mushroom hunt. Blonde morel mushrooms are narrow and blonde in color, standing taller above the forest floor than other mushroom types. Their blonde color camouflages them among the leaves which makes them hard to spot.

517519

We searched through the woods for 30 minutes before Nico screamed in delight. He found the first batch of 5 mushrooms. 520

A few feet away I found my first and only mushroom of the day, hiding among the leaves.521In between mushroom searching we enjoyed some sunshine and relaxation in the hills, basking in the gorgeous views. Days and weather like today make imagining living anywhere else, even New York, pretty difficult. 533535After an hour in the hills we headed back to Geneva with the fruits of our labor – six morel mushrooms. We split them between the three of us so that each us could enjoy the fresh mushrooms tonight. 537

Delicious morel mushrooms for the win!

Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Shrooms