Switzerland - Geneva

Diana and Nolan live just minutes away from Geneva. They took us to a fabulous park in the center of the city, next to the University of Geneva. We all agree we need something like this near us here at home. Matthew got to play chess with this larger than life chess set. I think it was one of his favorite parts of the trip. He played his first game with me. I think he was hoping for more of a challenge than a game with his mom, but he was a good sport. He won in a matter of minutes. Then we found him a "real" player. Phillip is a park regular. Man, was he fast making his moves. Phillip won both games, but Matthew held him to literally the last few pieces. Phillip competes regularly in Chess competitions and is a pro, but he must have considered Matthew a worthy opponent to ask him for another game. I would love to make a chess set like this in our yard, if we had the room. (Paul's cringing right now, thinking of what that project would mean.)

During our entire trip, the European Football (soccer) Games were going on. Several games were hosted in Geneva. We saw fans from several nations showing their country pride. One night the Czech Republic was playing. There were Czechs everywhere! I loved it! I wish I could speak Czech, but I was able to find a few that spoke English. The enthusiasm was contagious. Paul bought a fan scarf for France. I couldn't find one for the Czech Republic, darn it.

One other neat thing in the park, was the Reformation Wall. It is very powerful and moving. There are carved likenesses of men, such as John Calvin, who helped to bring religion to the common man.