February 8, 2017 - Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour - Day 3 - Geneva to Chamonix - National Kite Flying Day 2017

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 65 days
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Celebrating Kite Flying & Tanya in Geneva

Happy Hump Day! How's your week been going?

Mine is moving right along.  A few things going on today that I wanted to chat about.  First, it just happens to be National Kite Flying Day, a fun and festive celebration.

And then, of course, we've got some piggy backing to do with Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour and her first day in Geneva!!

​SO, LET'S GET STARTED...

​KITE FLYING!!!
Here's a question - do you remember flying a kite when you were  a kid?
I remember, clear as day, going to Astoria Park in Queens as a very little girl with my parents and my dad getting that kite up in the air.

I also remember other people doing the same thing.  Doesn't it seem like the art and joy of simple kite flying has been lost?

Well, i have news for you, it hasn't!  Maybe it's not as prevalent as it once was because kids today are so involved in organized sports or spending lots of time on their electronics. But, kite flying is a time honored leisure event that is still going strong around the world.

That's right, in fact, today is National Kite Day!
Observed annually on February 8th, this unofficial National Day is a celebrated by kite flying enthusiasts across the country.

What do people do to celebrate? 
Just go outside and fly a kite!! If the weather does not allow this - then stay inside and make a kite for flying another day!!

Kite Festivals in the US
There are truly some amazing kite festivals around the country.  In fact, according to the American Kitefliers Association have a full calendar of events throughout the year.

(credit: matadornetwork.com)

Tips for Getting Your Kite Up in the Air and Keeping it There:
​
Be sure the kite is assembled correctly.
Check the wind.  Some kites require more wind and others less. Picking the right day for your kite is key.  A light breeze (5-20 mph) is generally optimal.
Be safe.  Don’t fly the kite near power lines, trees or other sky high obstacles. Wide open spaces are best.
Be safer.  Don’t fly in the rain.
When launching the kite, be sure to have your back to the wind.  If the wind is light, have a friend hold the kite down wind and hold your line taught, reeling in slowly until the kite launches.
Don’t let the line out too quickly.  Let the line out at the same pace the kite is gaining altitude.

(credit: Coffemix)

Moving right along...
Yay!! Tanya is in Genva, Switzerland!

It has been over 30 years since i was last in Geneva.  It was part of my high school senior year trip to Europe. Unfortunately, I lost  my camera on that trip and I don't have many photos to share with you (insert sad face).

But, the pictures of this beautiful city will always be in my memory!

I am so excited for Tanya and gang and to seeing her gorgeous shots!!

So, how much do you know about Geneva?

Let's take a look at

17 Interesting Facts About Geneva, Switzerland

1. Geneva is a city in Switzerland that lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).

2. The city is the second most populous in Switzerland as well as the most populous in Romandy, the French Speaking region of Switzerland.

3. The city is the world's center of diplomacy, rivalled only by New York and Brussels. It is home to Red Cross Headquarters, a number of UN agencies as well as several other
international organizations.

4. Lake Geneva, located adjacently to the
city, is the largest Lake in Europe.

5.  About 40% of Geneva's residents come from other countries, making it the most international city in Europe.

The Jet d'eau - the tallest water fountain in Geneva (credit: geneva.com)

6. A Geneva Switzerland fact that not many may know is that the World Wide Web was created in a laboratory in the city.  

7. The best place to take photos in Geneva
is at the The Jet d'eau, the tallest
water fountain in the city.

8.  French is the predominant language spoken and the Swiss Franc and the Euro
are the currencies accepted.

9. Geneva, located in the western part of the country, is the Gateway to the Alps where
skiing, hiking and breathtaking scenery
await locals and visitors alike.

10. One of the best Geneva attractions is the
Flower Clock, located in English Gardens.
This was first built in 1955 and is an
ode to the watch industry, of which
Geneva sets the standard.

11. Geneva is a city and a canton which was created in 1815. However, Switzerland
was not a confederation until 1848.

12. Geneva is, and always was, an international city. Marauding barbarians, Roman conquerors, exiled religious leaders, immigrant workers and refugees have left their traces on the area.

The Flower Clock (L'horloge fleurie) in Geneva (credit: wiki.org)

13. A Genevan businessman, Henri Dunant, shaped the Geneva Convention of 1864, setting down for the first time rules for conduct in war. This led to the creation
of the International Red Cross, designed
​to help soldiers or civilians caught
up in war or natural disasters.

14. After World War I, Geneva was chosen
as seat of the League of Nations and 
later as the European headquarters of the United Nations. Since then, the city has looked outwards for inspiration, away from
the rest of Switzerland and towards the international community. 

15. Evidence of human settlement in the Geneva area dates back to about 3000BC. However, it was not until 500BC that
the Allobroges—a tribe of Celtic origin, established a permanent village
​in what is now the Old City.

16. The first written reference to Geneva appears in Julius Caesar's comments
about the Gallic wars (De Bello Gallico), which detail the Roman army's victory
over an advancing Helvetii tribe in 58 BC. 
 
17. A middle manager with a bachelor's degree and 10 years of experience earns about $10,460 a month in Geneva.

Well, my dear peeps, I'm going to bid you adieu!

Catch up on Tanya's side!!!

See ya back here tomorrow!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
GENEVA, CH & CHAMONIX, FR

From Canada to Switzerland

Good Day to you and GREETINGS from Geneva!

However, let me not get ahead of myself.

Good ol' Montreal was just fabulous...yet again.
​Our yesterday began with stepping out to breakfast at the quirky Le Cagibi - as much as I personally would've gone to tour the Notre Dame Basilica prior to breakfast, I knew that in order for me to get some good attitudes and perky personalities I had to feed the beasts (Dave and the kids).

(c) travelincousins.com

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Our next stop in our day was over at Parc du Mont Royal where we caught some glimpses of cross-country skiers (a great activity for those not interested in downhill skiing - as Elisa reported about on Monday)  
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February 7, 2017 - Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour - Day 2 - Montreal, Canada - A UNESCO City of Design

(c) travelincousins.com

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After a lovely tho rather COLD stroll in the balmy "feels like" 1F degree weather we got rewarded with the absolute BEST VIEW in all of Montreal!​

You won't believe what came next - I just had to scratch an itch...Last year when we were traveling here in Montreal I was super excited about a new Expo that was located downtown - a Barbie Expo!

​However when we went to go check out, the soon to be permanent museum fixture had not quite opened to the public yet. Well I think it was high time to right this wrong and off we went to go check out some Barbies! 

AT THE BARBIE MUSEUM, MONTREAL (c)travelincousins.com

Barbie Museum - "Times Square" (c)travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

While Dominic wasn't the most thrilled about the idea of this little adventure, when we got there both Dominic and Dave was thoroughly impressed by the collection on display. As far as Cosette and myself - I can pretty much say that we were like two little girls in a doll house - it was darn cool and some of the dolls were outrageously fancy and just crazy!

Then after warming up during the car ride back to Old Montreal, we parked the car and walked over to the breath taking Notre Dame Basilica Montreal and spent some time appreciating the absolute gorgeous interior. THIS IS A MUST VISIT!

NOTRE DAME BASILICA MONTREAL, CANADA (c) travelincousins.com

​Then came a bit of store hopping in hopes of Dave finding the perfect postcard - which didn't happen and he opted for just mediocre. *You'd be surprised at how many times that we just cannot find a really great postcard - ya know...one that describes your trip or your experience to a "T". 
​
Anyhow after settling on an okaaaay postcard, it was finally time top head into the Ming Tao Xuan Tea Salon. We scored the perfect corner table with a view - directly across the street from the Basilica. And enjoyed a lovely warming tea experience in a beautiful setting. And as I've stated before - I highly recommended this experience - Could it be that I just LOVE tea time? 

TEA TIME (c) travelincousins.com

Look at the size of that cup!! (c) travelincousins.com

SUSHI DINNER (c) travelincousins.com

(c) travelincousins.com

YAY!  ARRIVING IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND!!
Geneva is a city in Switzerland that lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). ​And this is a first time visiting this very cosmopolitan city that is surrounded by the Alps , the Jura mountains, and with views of dramatic Mont Blanc. 

ARRIVING IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (c)travelincousins.com

STROLLING THE STREETS OF GENEVA (c)travelincousins.com

Then as we wrapped things up, our timing couldn't be more impeccable as we were perfectly on schedule for our dinner reservations to Sushi Momo - a restaurant that I've bee eager to try for well over a year - but just haven't quite been able to.

As we sat down at our table by the window, the waitress had suggested that since we were a party of 4 that we opt for the dinner special that came with either soup or salad, choice of 2 appetizers, 64 pieces of the chefs choice sushi and dessert - I figured that this would be a good start. Let me tell you that we were beyond delighted!!!

I'm not usually one to trust the chefs choices and generally prefer to order on my own - but one bite into this sushi and it was like biting into sushi heaven (sans the raw fish of course). Wow! We were astonished and just could not get over how amazing the sushi was. I wish we had time to order more. Not necessarily because we were hungry, but because it was the best sushi that we've ever had. But lo and behold it was snowing out and we had a flight to catch. So off we went to the airport, playing tunes along the way and with each song that had come on the radio the kids had changed the lyrics to the likes of how Sushi Momo was the BEST SUSHI ever! 


So after a really GREAT day in Montreal we hopped aboard a red-eye, got some shut-eye and before you can say "Bob's your Uncle" we arrived refreshed and rearing to go!

Now it's time to go check out Geneva and then head out on over to Chamonix!

Come back tomorrow for the full daily scoop LIVE from Chamonix.

Nothin' but Jet-Settin',
-T