The one day we had planned for Geneva was cold, rainy and windy, which is the downside of going in November! Still, we did as much as we could handle with a 3 year old.
It was difficult to see all the grandeur of Geneva as the mist and rain created a cloud of fog over the lake and surrounding countryside. However, the magic of the city was not entirely lost on us.
We made our way into the historic town of Geneva and wandered through the narrow, lined avenues that were largely absent due to the weather. The historic city was much larger than I expected, and it was fascinating to think that once theologian John Calvin had walked these very streets.
The highlight of the historic city was going into John Calvin’s church and standing by his chair. To be in the very spot where a large part of the Reformation began and where I, as a Protestant, trace my history, was a special moment. Unfortunately, due to time and Philip, we were unable to go to the Reformation museum. Also, underneath the church is an archaeological site where remains of two 4th century Roman Christian sanctuaries have been discovered. We really wanted to visit this site, but again were unable. I guess we will just have to go back!
Next, we drove a few miles to a “suburb” (not how we understand suburb in the States but rather like a village) of Geneva to visit the Martin Bodmer Foundation. This place is amazing! Martin Bodmer was a wealthy man who collected important historical manuscripts. He is now deceased, but his collection is in a museum for people to see. Unfortunately they would not let us take pictures inside, but he had pieces from ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman periods, early New Testament manuscripts and Jewish/Old Testament manuscripts, just to name a few. If you ever had of the Bodmer papyri, that is where they are (Gospels). When we visited, only one other person was in the museum with us. This meant that we could take our time and enjoy the pieces. The museum had free wi-fi and lots of seating areas for Philip to sit and watch videos while we walked around. It was a neat experience.
We left Geneva after our visit to the museum as the weather turned worse and Philip was ready for a nap. While there are not many pictures from our day, I hope you will enjoy these few.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Geneva
