Working the U.N. in Geneva, Part II

On the hunt for a late lunch on a Sunday after visiting the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, we finally settled on Molino Pizzeria located right on the historic Place du Molard. There were not many people out in the square so we were surprised this restaurant was packed full with a wait to get a table, all at 1:30 pm! We requested a table for 3 in the non- smoking section, which contributed to our wait of just under 20 minutes. But we were lucky as the line up stretched to the outside door by the time we were seated.

The non-smoking section is located in the back of the restaurant, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. This allows you to watch the food preparation in the open kitchen, including the pizzas made in the wood-burning oven. It took awhile for our server to arrive. I actually felt a little sorry for him because the servers were run off their feet. I settled on the large Pizza Diavola for 22 Swiss francs. The Diavola is made with tomatoes, mozzarella, hot salami, pimento, onions, garlic, black olives, and oregano. I also ordered an iced tea which set me back 5.10 francs for a measly 33 cl.

Everyone was starving and it was only made worse by the wait for the pizza. But when the pizza arrived, it quickly disappeared. This pizza was far superior to the pasta we had eaten the day before at Taverne de Madeleine. The thin crust was not greasy, the tomato sauce was not overpowering, and the spices were just right. I must have been really, really hungry because I almost ate the entire thing! One of my colleagues had ordered a small pizza which almost filled the entire plate. My large pizza overflowed the plate. The large would do well for 2 if you care to add a salad. And if you enjoy a good glass of wine, there is an extensive wine list.

While the service was slow on this very busy Sunday I would definitely recommend a meal at Molino Pizzeria. The fact that Molino's offers a large non-smoking section is a definite bonus to us non-smokers. I can actually take my time in this restaurant without having to inhale everyone else's cigarette smoke. And given that things seem to run a little slowly here, that is a great thing!

Molino's is open Monday through Thursday, 7am to midnight, Friday through Saturday 7am to 1am, and Sundays 9 am to midnight.

I was on the hunt for chocolate to take home for Christmas. There are many shops in Geneva to choose from and I chose Merkur Confiserien at which to make my purchases. I had passed by this shop a few times on my strolls down Rue du Marché. I was drawn in by the large sheets of chocolate and the truffles, oh the truffles!

Since I was in Geneva in December, the store was filled with Christmas-related items and the chocolate cauldrons commemorating Escalade. The store sells more than just its own chocolates offering other well-known Swiss chocolate like Lindt on the shelves around the store. Some of these items are run of the mill that one can find in Canada. But I did locate a special Lindt Christmas chocolate - a milk chocolate bar filled with a cinnamon and cardamom nougat. I wasn't sure how this would taste so I bought a couple 100 gram bars at 1.35 Swiss Francs each.

The Merkur line of chocolates can be purchased in pre-sorted gift packages. While it might seem convenient, it is far more expensive than choosing your own from the counter. If you have to pick up a pre-sorted box you might want to go for the unique Sushi chocolates! The staff is multilingual so you need not fear that you don't speak French. I picked up a 400 gram box of assorted pralines for 35.80 Swiss Francs. I picked up a variety of pralines, including a special ‘2007' chocolate, but ran out of room before I could fit in the truffles! I headed back the next day to pick up a 300 gram box of truffles! I swear the staff recognized me from the day before. No, they weren't all for me, they were for the family at Christmas!

I made sure to keep my chocolates in my carry-on luggage and store them under the seat to protect them from the heat of the overhead lights on board the flights home. The Lindt Christmas chocolate bars arrived a little worse for the wear but they still tasted the same - spicy and warm, unlike anything I've found yet in Canada. The pralines and truffles were a big hit with my family and we savoured every bite. We even saved the special 2007 chocolates for New Year's Eve, well except for the one my brother-in-law snagged on Christmas Eve.

If I make it back to Geneva I'll definitely pop in to Merkur to make another purchase. If I am back before Christmas I'll be sure to bring back chocolates for the family, but this time I'll buy a little box all for myself!

I love museums so it was only natural that on one of my days off I headed out with 2 colleagues to visit Geneva's Musée d'Art et d'Histoire. Entrance to the permanent exhibits is free but it was the first Sunday of the month, meaning free entrance to the temporary exhibits as well.

We headed downstairs to the archaeology level and took a wrong turn. No worries though as it took us out to the courtyard filled with stonework and grave stones dating all the way back to Roman times. We entered through another door and ended up where we had intended, ancient Greece.

The museum has a good collection of ancient artifacts, including some really lovely ancient Roman jewelry and glass. The museum was advertising a special exhibit on the ancient Kingdom of Nubia but it is really part of the permanent collection. I had just seen a program on TV about the unique nature of Nubian pottery so it was fantastic to actually see some examples in person. We moved on to the Egyptian collection, always a favourite of mine. I finally had a chance to see portraits of the Pharaoh Akhenaten himself and he looked just as bizarre ‘in person' as he did on TV.

We then made a quick stop at the bookstore/café to browse through the books, postcards, and various kitschy knick-knack reproductions. How about a sarcophagus magnet for your fridge? Yep, we skipped that one. We headed back up to the main level to check out the special exhibit on the history of Cyprus. It lead to a really interesting area of the museum focusing on Geneva and the surrounding area. There is a large and impressive collection of weapons and armour illustrating that Switzerland's neutrality came with a price. I think the most impressive room on this floor is the huge state council room with its original dark wood, lofty 3-story ceiling, and a massive council table set in the middle. No reproductions here; this is the real thing!

One of my colleagues is a huge art buff. We went upstairs to the fine arts floor and passed by the floor housing the rooms of the castle of Zizers and noticed the rooms were completely dark. Strange, I thought. When we got to the top floor we were told that the Zizers rooms and most of the fine arts floor were closed until 2 pm! What? How can 1/3 of the exhibits in the premier museum in Geneva be closed until 2pm? We weren't about to sit around for a couple of hours for the exhibits to open. It was a definite disappointment that even the museum website did not warn me about.

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is a great place to spend a couple hours. I definitely intend to go back but it will be after 2pm.

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 5pm, and is closed on Mondays.

Geneva has a ridiculous number of chocolate shops and tearooms. Finding one to sit down in, however, can prove to be quite the challenge. Our small group had passed by Martel Chocolaterie & Tearoom 3 times in an attempt to get a table with absolutely no luck. This is a popular place with the locals on the weekends and during the evenings. It was our 4th attempt that proved lucky. We did, however, have to hover around the tables waiting for someone to leave before pouncing on the empty table.

It seemed like it took forever for a server to come over to our table. It was not simply because the place was hopping. This seemed to be standard across Geneva. When she did arrive, she explained that we ordered our drinks, salads and sandwiches through her and the pastries up front at the counter. My counterparts ordered coffee and I hot chocolate. I was a little disappointed at my hot chocolate because it came in a package the contents of which you stirred into hot water. There was far more cocoa in the mixture than you would find in the typical package in North America so it tasted not bad but it was still disappointing.

To avoid losing our table, we took turns going up to the counter to order pastry. My colleagues chose chocolates but I decided on apfel strudel. My grandma makes the best apfel strudel, hands down, so I'm always on the hunt for something that matches hers. I got a massive piece of strudel with a mountain of apples enveloped in a thin layer of pastry. There was more than enough for myself. In fact, for 5 Swiss francs, a piece of apfel strudel would make a good deal for 2 (and it would prevent that ‘stuffed' feeling I ended up with). The strudel was good but I felt it was missing the warm, spicy taste of my grandma's. But if you did not have that perfect strudel to compare it to, it would be a good pastry choice.

I found everything in Geneva to be expensive and Martel was no exception. My packaged hot chocolate set me back 5 Swiss francs as did the massive piece of apfel strudel. All in all, this is no more expensive than any other tearoom along the main streets of the Old City. The popularity of Martel also made the tearoom very noisy. I found it difficult to carry on a conversation with my colleagues. Perhaps the noise was partly due to the fact that we were sitting right next to the bar area - yes, the bar! If you feel like a little alcohol with your chocolate or pastries this is definitely the place for you. In the end, I would recommend stopping in at Martel and will likely go back on a return visit after checking out a few more places.

Strolling through the Old City on a busy Saturday afternoon, our group was on the hunt for chocolate. We had passed by a few places and decided to return to the first place we had spotted, Chocolaterie du Rhône & Tearoom. Dozens of Escalade cauldrons overflowing with marzipan vegetables beckoned from the shop window. How could we refuse?

We passed by the very long counter full of pralines and truffles and made our way to the very small seating area in the back. The place was absolutely packed with patrons of all ages, definitely a good sign. The problem? Getting a table. We simply hovered around until someone left. Fortunately, a table for 2 opened up but we were 3. Luckily a woman at the next table said one of us could sit at her table. A wonderful gesture! We studied the menu while trying to figure out if the server was supposed to come to us or if we had to go to the counter. The two women serving the patrons were absolutely run off their feet so it took a while before we had our answer.

One of the servers came over and took our drink orders. As usual, this chocoholic ordered hot chocolate. We then moved to the counter to order a piece of cake. There were only 2 selections available. I chose the cake with raspberry layers. When we received our little trays our cake and drinks were accompanied by a wonderfully soft and creamy du Rhône chocolate. Maybe this would have been overkill for the average person (certainly my mom) but not for me. Bring it on!

Luckily this hot chocolate did NOT come in a package. Well, if it did, I never saw it. I usually like to add a little cream to my hot chocolate to give it that extra creamy kick. Luckily a little package came with our orders. I was also very grateful for the glass of water, no matter how small it was. I had been absolutely parched the entire time I was in Geneva and a free glass of water was a huge bonus.

The cake, hot chocolate and little chocolate hit the spot that afternoon. On our way out we paid the server at the counter. My choices had set me back about 10 Swiss francs. Chocolaterie du Rhône was definitely crowded and noisy making it yet another place where it was difficult to carry on a conversation. But if you are busy focused on your chocolate, you probably will not even notice.