THE HEART OF EUROPE
The landscape of Geneva is truly beautiful; those who love to travel must definitely visit this coty. Moreover, Geneva is also known as the Heart of Europe; it’s not by chance.
Geneva has a mild climate year-round, especially with its always clear skies, which is quite different from many European cities.This international city belongs to the same-named state – Geneva – where the winding Rhône River flows into Lake Léman, dividing the city into two parts with different appearances and characteristics. On one side, there is the ancient, solemn, time-stained part; on the other, the vibrant youth of a modern city that continues to develop.
TRANQUIL LÉMAN
Lake Léman is too vast, unlike West Lake in Hanoi which has an area of only about 5 square kilometers; it only resembles West Lake in that its waters are calm and peaceful year-round, and it is located in the heart of the city.
Lake Léman is the second largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, originating in France and flowing through Switzerland, but 60% of its area lies on the Swiss side – 348 square kilometers, while the remaining part is in France – 234 square kilometers.
In the middle of the lake, they built, since 1886, the world’s tallest artificial fountain – reaching up to 140 meters.This is the first place tourists usually visit when they arrive in Geneva.From the surface of the lake, a strong jet of water shoots straight up into the clear blue sky of summer, spraying white mist across a corner of the sky.
However, the fierce and powerful sound of the fountain seems to have little effect on the calm surface of the lake. From the shore of the lake, one can gaze at the distant Alps mountain range with Mont Blanc, approximately 5,000 meters high, the tallest among the mountains in France; closer, there are sailboats gliding gently and seagulls against the azure waters. The scene is like a watercolor painting. Going on a tour, rushing quickly and out of breath, you surely can’t appreciate it like that!
I’ve heard that the beauty of the lake has influenced the design of Geneva, a city with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants.And also of the neighboring cities. The city of Vevey, for example, has built an artificial canal to drain rainwater and floodwaters into the lake with sturdy embankments to create a landscape.The Front Beach of Vung Tau with its sturdy embankment looks similar to this embankment.
Along the shores of Lake Geneva, there are many charming cafes and restaurants lined up next to each other.We entered a café, sat with some old school friends who have long settled in this city, enjoyed a cup of espresso with its bitter-sweet taste, and chatted softly; Europeans are usually not loud…
Next, the old friends took us to the old town of Geneva.Back then, it was quite crowded because it was the warm summer days, and it happened to be the weekend as well.
The neighborhood looks like a maze embracing a hill with steep stone-paved roads, ancient walls protecting part of the old city, churches, and alleys filled with shops.So that tourists can get tired, they go there to sit and spend money.It’s a tourist spot!
Perhaps those who study philosophy and French literature history all know that in some house in the old town of Geneva, Jean Jacques Rousseau was born.Honestly, even the officials of the city of Geneva do not know exactly in which house this philosopher-writer was born.That’s why they came up with the idea of choosing a house that seemed to be on Saint-Gervais Street, and then declared it as the place where Rousseau was born!
According to the website www.tdg.ch/societe, there was once a researcher who attempted to record all the addresses in the old town that could possibly have been places where Jean Jacques Rousseau had been, and found as many as nine houses!
Although his birth certificate states that he was born in Geneva, Rousseau was actually French. He is considered one of the most important philosopher-writers of the Age of Enlightenment, the 18th century. His ideas contributed to the political events leading to the French Revolution of 1789.
Rousseau’s works also had a profound impact on literature and education in subsequent eras in Europe. If in the work “The Social Contract,” he addresses how to achieve freedom, then in the novel “Emile,” he focuses on happiness and wisdom in life…
When strolling through the old town of Geneva, one cannot miss the opportunity to admire the Saint Pierre Cathedral perched on the high hill. Built in the 12th century, this church has undergone numerous changes and took as long as… 400 years to be completed! At first, this was a church belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, but by the 16th century, it had become a Protestant church.
We climbed the 157 steps of the church bell tower together, enjoying the panoramic view of Geneva. At that time, it was already late afternoon, the wind was blowing from somewhere, getting colder, so we had to go down quickly.Thanks to that, we were able to see the relics buried beneath the church. A rather unique experience, learning about events before the church was built, before the religious era, and up to the time when religion became widespread in this city.
