 Poster: A snowHead
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Flying out to Geneva Sunday morning and have 4-5 hours to kill before our resort transfer (joys).
Any suggestions on what to do with 4 adults and 4 kids (4-11)?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Go down to the lake and look at the jet d'eau - assuming it still runs on a Sunday and not energy saving.
Nice to have a walk down a street close to the river and window shop - sure shops will be shut - all the fashion and jewellery house
Easy journey in from the airport to central station
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thank you 
Meant to also ask for recommendations for decent family friendly breakfast places. I’m sure there are plenty!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was there in November on a Sunday and all shops were shut. I enjoyed a wander down to the lake, caught a boat across and walk up to the old town. Had a gorgeous hot chocolate in a little cafe in the old town that I think did breakfast - certainly sold pastries. Just found it on google maps - A.Pougnier Bourg-de-Four
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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What families should do in Geneva on a Sunday is go to church and then stay quietly at home with improving reading. I once asked, driving in from France, where I might buy a tyre (we had had a puncture and just changed the wheel). The border guard was absolutely shocked and assured me that EVERYTHING was closed.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w,  well that answers that then! Might just look at paying for a private transfer to resort and get us up to the mountains earlier instead!
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You are the perfect number to rent 2 cars and drive yourself - where are you going?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Walks around an old town in winter with four 4-11 year olds followed by a museum trip? If they’re anything like mine make it short and have a good cafe for hot chocolate and cake lined up to hunker down in or get ready for a rebellion.
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Its pretty boring on a sunday tbh and breakfast/ brunch will probably set you back half+ of the private transfer fee
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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One very worthwhile effect of insisting that kids go to church was that they become accustomed to sitting still and keeping quiet and being bored without making a fuss. I remember reading ALL the small print in the Book of Common Prayer and counting the archy things in the roof and getting a different number every time.
As an adult I am now NEVER bored.
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Thank you all for the suggestions, much appreciated
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You know it makes sense.
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@weirdonorskie, our niblings love the Natural History museum, especially the two headed tortoise.
Factor in train journey to and from airport - there is or used to be a free transport ticket machine just before you exit the baggage hall, will at least cover journey out.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@under a new name, that's good to know! Any ideas about luggage storage, I can see there are lockers available?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@weirdonorskie, not something I can recall having to use. I know my brother is storing luggage at the airport for a week, so there must be something?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| pam w wrote: |
One very worthwhile effect of insisting that kids go to church was that they become accustomed to sitting still and keeping quiet and being bored without making a fuss. I remember reading ALL the small print in the Book of Common Prayer and counting the archy things in the roof and getting a different number every time.
As an adult I am now NEVER bored. |
My daughter brought a book to church this week and sat second row reading it.....not a bible
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ah - I was absolutely not allowed to do that. That's cheating.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@under a new name, unfortunately that free ticket is now a thing of the past.
@weirdonorskie, there are luggage storage options in the adjoining railway station
All good suggestions above, the lake & old town are nice to wander around, as are the suggested museums (probably the natural history museum wins for small kids)
Alternatively quite near the airport is the Balexert shopping centre - yes the shops will be closed but the Pathé multiplex cinema shows quite a few English-language films and there is also a bowling alley there
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Here is the landing page for the CGN boat trips around the lake. You may find there's enough time to do a short return trip somewhere. There are two sorts of boat/route: the regular ferries and the Bell Epoch paddle steamers.
On a quick look for this coming Sunday, there seem to be two, 1-hour round-trips around the Geneva end of the lake, see here for a reasonable CHF 18/adult. There's also an audio accompaniment you can download. Looks like they depart 15:30 and 16:30, but perhaps worth your while wandering 'round the website just to see what else may be on offer.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Whitters, ah. I did wonder I think its demise had been mentioned here before.
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@weirdonorskie,
Is that time from landing or from guesstimated luggage pickup?
I assume things will be open in the airport, so get some breakfast/lunch?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Kenzie, land 8.35am then coach transfers leaves around 2pm-ish...
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We had a long stop in Geneva in the late spring- I think the Easter bank holiday We got the train into the city and we (me, Mrs Ed and 3 little eds) saw:
1. The interior of the WC in McDonalds near the Rue du Mont Blanc with its poo-poo stains up the walls and over the floors.
2. 4 lovely ladies at the bus stop on the Rue du Mont Blanc. All dressed up in short skirts, Louboutin heels and lippy- with their nice gentleman friend looking after them. They were awfully popular. Lots of very charming looking men drove up in very expensive cars to say 'good afternoon'.
3. Shops selling very expensive watches.
4. The fountain.
5. In the Old City- a man running along the street with a wallet.
6. About 2 seconds later- in the Old City- another man running along the street shouting 'au voleur'.
7. The official spring tree.
8. Back near the station- a big crowd around a fight in which it looked like someone was about to be kicked to death.
9. No policemen anywhere near the station.
10. The credit card bill for the awful lunch.
We've cycled around Switzerland for about 7 weeks- Geneva is not like the rest of Switzerland.
We live in Liverpool- less than a mile from Toxteth. We saw almost as much crime in progress on a Bank Holiday afternoon in Geneva as I have living in Liverpool since 1986 and certainly more serious violence. Oddly the most serious violence I've seen (out of my work- I look after mentally disordered violent offenders) was right opposite Belsize Park tube station in leafy NW3 circa 1985- someone was being beaten over the head with a motorbike chain in broad daylight- blood everywhere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having lived & worked in the Geneva area for the last 12 years I can’t say I’ve seen any crime to speak of so I’d suggest that you were either desperately unlucky or exaggerating a bit
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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But you stay quietly at home with an improving book on Sundays, @Whitters?
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You know it makes sense.
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I haven’t seen the criminality you mention @ed123, but I think its an overrated hole.
Zurich is much nicer 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I'd rent a car and get out to the resort, stopping somewhere nice en route if you can't get into your accommodation till the end of the afternoon.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A Wifi Hotspot should be all you need to keep the kids busy for 4 hours, as for the adults, drink your Duty Free.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, might be a better solution, could stop off in Annecy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Whitters, Hi- no that was exactly what happened. No exaggeration all that in about 4 hours- I'll accept that it wasn't representative / unlucky mind you.
@Nadenoodle, I agree Zurich is delightful, if eye waveringly expensive. I just liked watching the enormous fish in the river (chub I'm guessing). Actually we found almost everywhere in Switzerland to be delightful. (Not Felsberg near Chur).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| weirdonorskie wrote: |
| @under a new name, that's good to know! Any ideas about luggage storage, I can see there are lockers available? |
Used the luggage storage there at Easter as we had some time to kill. Lockers by the trains, really simple to use.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks all for your suggestions and somewhat amusing tales of Geneva experiences! We've sorted a private transfer to eject us straight to the mountains but at least we have some ideas of the return journey next weekend...
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