Finally, we bought a car last week after months of deliberating. We were torn between renting one for the ski season, leasing a car or using Mobility, a handy car share scheme that runs across Switzerland. But after looking at how much it cost to lease, we found it actually worked out the same price, if not cheaper, to buy a second hand car. 

So, we searched the classifieds on Glocals and WRS, along with used car websites autoscout anibis   comparis petitesannounces and ricardo. We ended up with an Audi A6 for CHF 3,000 - not bad considering it doesn't have much mileage. 

Our first trip was to Chamonix to check out the resort for when we go skiing next month. It's so beautiful, with lots of cute, traditional places to tuck into fondue or raclette. There are heaps of ski and snowboard shops to get the season's gear, although the price tags are pretty hefty. The mountain backdrop is stunning. 

 Wild camping snapshots from Vergeletto, Ticino 

Even though wild camping isn't strictly allowed in Switzerland, people shouldn't bother you as long as you look after the site and clear up after yourself. We found this beaut camp spot a few kilometres up the valley from Vergeletto. To make it even more perfect, a restaurant serving stone baked pizzas was only a hop, skip and a jump away.  

We celebrated Swiss National Day in a hamlet nearby.

Summer in Geneva offers a wealth of art, dance and music festivals. Here's just a taster of What's On.

 Fêtes de Genève July 18 ~ August 11 

Hundreds of concerts and activities make up this 25 day festival, with a huge funfair, more than 200 food and drink stalls as well as a multitude of arts and crafts stands. Bars open up along the lakefront and stages and tents are set up around the city.

There are three main stages:

* Scène des Clubs which plays out a mix of  caribbean, reggae and samba 

music

* Funkytown at Baby-Plage offering funk, hip-hop and electro

* Scène Wilson, with salsa and disco.

On August 10, there will be a spectacular hour long firework and music display over the lake.

For more information, go to fetesdegeneve.ch

 CinéTransat July 11 ~ August 18 

In July, film lovers welcome CinéTransat- six weeks worth of free outdoor screenings (Thursday to Sunday) in Parc de la Perle du Lac- a beautiful park on the lakefront in the Paquis quartier. There's a mix of cult movies, musicals and action flicks as well as some good old timely classics. Films are either in French or English, mostly depending on their origin.

Great to go with a bottle of wine, a picnic and blanket. 

July's line-up

11.07 THE GOONIES
12.07 BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY 
13.07 INDIANA JONES - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
14.07 SOIREE COURTS METRAGES SUISSES
18.07 BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM 
19.07 CRIMEN FERPECTO
20.07 SHAUN OF THE DEAD 
21.07 LES TONTONS FLINGUEURS 
25.07 THE TRUMAN SHOW 
26.07 JAMES BOND - GOLDFINGER 

The nearest bus stop is #1 for Secheron. For more information and for further film screenings, go to cinetransat.ch

Last night we walked through Paquis and came across dozens of cutesy restaurants and vintage bars. I'd been a bit dubious about this part of the city (because it's the red light district) but it doesn't have a seedy or sinister feel to it at all. Well, at least the streets we walked down...  
  

* Les 5 Portes, 8 Rue de Zurich, 1201 Genève. 

This bar/restaurant is really quirky inside, with a cabinet full of vintage keepsakes, including Micky Mouse memorabilia. It draws a young crowd and also has outside street seating for when the nights get warmer. Nice.

Another place I liked the look of but we didn't get to stop by was Creperie des Paquis. It's just down the road from Les 5 Portes at 6 Rue de Zürich. Sweet crepes come in anywhere between CHF 4.50 and CHF 8, with the fruity ones for around CHF 10.50.

We came across these cute pedalos at Les Corsaires when walking along Lake Geneva (Lake Léman)last weekend.

A pedalo with two to four seats will set you back CHF 14 for half an hour or CHF 22 for an hour. If you can't muster up the energy to pedal though, you can hire a variety of small electric boats. These come in at a higher cost- the cheapest being CHF 30 for half an hour and CHF 50 for the hour.

Located around 80 metres or so from Le Jet d'Eau, Les Corsaires also offers sailing and motor boat lessons.

For more information, go to lescorsaires.ch 

Every day I make my way through Place du Bourg-de-Four to my french school. It's a beautiful square in the heart of the Old Town filled with lively out door cafes, restaurants and gelaterias. 

Once a Roman cattle market, and then later flooded with refugees, the square is still very much the quintessential Genevois crossroads where people meet for drinks around the 18th century fountain.

Definitely the place to see and be seen when the sun is shining, with locals and tourists spilling out onto the terrace with a glass of wine or an ice-cream.

 Monday, 13 May 2013 2013 

On Saturday, we went to Bourse aux vélos in the playground of the École Jacques-Dalphin in Carouge. Bikes upon bikes make up this second hand sale run by Pro Velo Genève and you can pick up a cycle for anything between CHF 70 and CHF 800. There is a mixture of road and mountain bikes, and even some hybrids.

You have to be quick and decide what you want though, as it's pretty much a free for all when you get through the gates- especially as members of Pro Velo get to go through half an hour early! It costs CHF 40 to become a member which gets you discounts (-10%) at various bike shops around the city. 

We came away with these beauts.

We've found biking a great way to explore the city and see all the quirky side streets you don't get to experience on the bus and tram.

For more information on these bike sales, go to pro-velo-geneve.ch

Welcome to my blog, A Geneva Affair. I hope you will find this an interesting account of my time in this beautiful swiss city.