Roberto Zolotoff | 78 Magazine

Great Places to Relax in Geneva

By Roberto Zolotoff, Isabella Mujica

1. Introduction

Midterm week is a time of stress and studying for many students at Webster and all around the world. Given the need to relax during these trying times, we decided to find good places to relax that are also nearby campus. This way, students can take a quick break to compose themselves before going back to study for their exams. In order to help our peers with their growing stress, we chose 5 places that we thought could help them relax. After picking the places to visit, we also decided on the criteria that we were going to use in order to judge the places. This way, we could communicate better the pros and cons of these locations. To achieve this, we came up with the following traits to have in mind:

– Proximity	– Area	Noise
Crowdedness	Cleanliness

Before talking about the places in question, it is important to explain what we mean with the previous traits. Proximity is pretty straightforward; with this we simply judge how far or close a place is from campus by giving the time it takes to reach the destination. Area refers to how big a place is. Crowdedness, Cleanliness and Noise are the traits we gave a score from 1 to 10 for rating. With Noise and Crowdedness, the lower the score the better. A low score in crowdedness means that the place is pretty empty while a high score means that many people go there. Similar to crowdedness, a high score in noise means that the place is loud while the opposite can be said for a low score. Cleanliness differs from the previous two in that the higher the score the better. A high score in cleanliness means that the place is quite clean and well kept, while a low score is the opposite. With the places chosen and the traits explained, we know begin our report on the places and their effectiveness for relaxation.

2. Bellevue Lake

Being the closest location to campus, the area around lake in Bellevue is a perfect place to relax. This place is found just 5 minutes from campus and provides a wonderful view to the lake. Students often come to this area to relax and take a breather near the waters of the lake. One can walk around the shore or simply sit down in the benches that can be found around the place. Students may find ducks swimming around the shore to keep them company. Despite it being a medium size place, the Bellevue lake is a clean and quiet place where people can enjoy their time. During summer, the place can also be nice for swimming to fight the summer heat. Since the place is often frequented by students, we decided to interview one of them to learn more about the appeal of this location.

Do you go to Bellevue lake often, and why?

Yes, I tried to come to Bellevue lake pretty often usually when I have breaks in between classes and it’s nice and sunny outside and it’s pretty warm. I try to walk over there either by myself or with a friend and always usually spend around like 30 or 40 minutes there just kind of walking around the area or just sitting down and just being in the sun. It’s really important because after a long day of classes ahead you know you just want to kind of get outside and have some vitamin D and just some fresh air.

Do you enjoy going there and why? How far away is it?

I really enjoy going there because it’s a walkable distance it’s about like 5 minutes away. At most 10 minutes if I’m kind of walking more slowly or I’m just observing the nature around me or I’m with a friend we’re talking and I really like it because it’s very peaceful. There’s like some people there but it’s not super crowded its usually people who are also just relaxing and resting and with their family and friends and it’s nice to just see like the ducks and the water and just people kind of being at peace and having fun.

Where at Bellevue lake is your favorite place to chill, and why?

My favorite place to chill there definitely just has to be the benches by the water it’s really just relaxing especially there I like the inner pool it has I just like to sit there and kind of think about things and just kind of take a breather from all my classes.

3. Jardin Botanique

For our second place to visit, we went to the Jardin Botanique located in Chem. De L’Imperatrice. This place is a massive garden that serves as an ecological sanctuary to appreciate nature and its beauty. People can enter for free and admire the vast variety of plants that are scattered throughout the garden. Not only can one enjoy the sight of such magnificent flowers and trees, but they can also learn more about them by reading the notes found on informative boards next to them. Walking along the main path feels like being inside a mini fairy tale with how magic everything feels like.

To reach this place, one only need to take the train from campus heading to Genève Secheron and walk up the stairs from the station. The place is immaculately clean due to the caretakers that are often making sure that the flora of the place is being treated with due respect. Since it’s a public garden, it is not unusual to find other people walking or laying around the garden. Despite this, the place is so big that there is plenty of space to accommodate all these individuals without disrupting the calmness and quietness of the place. Overall, the Jardin Botanique is truly a beautiful place that people should visit given the chance. It’s the perfect place to relax or simply walk around with your friends at any point during the year. We recommend visiting the garden during summer since that’s when the place is in its full glory and beauty.

4. Geneva Lake Deck

The Geneva Lake Deck is perfect for students that, rather than just seating down, want to walk around to clear their minds. One can walk along the whole area around the lake near the Mont Blanc Bridge located in the main city of Geneva. This area is close to many shops where student can grab coffee or food while walking around the lake’s edge. While walking, students can observe many ducks, swans, sea gulls and boats that compliment to the water-like ambient of the lake. Not only that, but one can also sit down or swim in certain areas of the lake deck. The activities mentioned before are common things people do during summer time, when the weather is warmer and the heat is unbearable.

Given its centralized location, many people can be found walking around this area. People use it to walk across the bridge or get to other places in the city, so it can a bit crowded during the day. The noise is something else to have in mind given its proximity to the road. People and cars are the sounds one can expect to hear apart from the birds and boats. Despite that, the place is rather clean for such a transited place in the city. We recommend this place for walking while using headphones. The area is perfect to simply walk in circles while listening to music to clear one’s mind. Overall, a decent place that many people will eventually walk by if living in the city.

5. Ile Rousseau

The Rousseau Isle is a small portion of land that can be found in the lake area in the city of Geneva. Named after the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the island is a small place for people to sit down and enjoy the view of the lake and the city. Students can find many aquatic birds around the isle that add a nice touch to the ambiance. There are many benches around the isle where people can sit and even a statue of the philosopher that shares the name with the place. One can learn more about him by reading the notes on the statue and learn something while relaxing in the isle. This place is also used for some events throughout the year such as the light festival during early January.

To reach this place, one only needs to walk from Gare Cornavin heading toward Mont Blanc and use the bridge to access the isle. Given its size, one can hear the voices of people quite clearly, even if there’s not many people around. The small area means that everything is close together so the noise has a shorter distance to travel and spread. Despite that, not many people tend to go there as the place is quite small and, aside from sitting down, there’s not much to do. The isle is quite clean and has many trash cans for people to throw their wastes during their stay. Overall, the Ile Rousseau is a small but perfect place to

6. Jardin Anglais

Our final destination was the Jardin Anglais located in Quai du General-Guisan, just a few minutes away from Gare Cornavin. The English Garden is well known by many as one of the biggest parks in Geneva. Its distinctive flower clock is one of its many beautiful features and charms. Aside from that, the park has many areas perfect for picnics, events, and other outdoor activities. One can find many places to lie down beneath the trees or sit down on benches to enjoy their time here. This is also a great place to bring your friends and have a blast doing anything or nothing together. People can also find mini stores by the park if they wish to buy anything to complement their time at the garden.

The park is often visited by many people that are either walking through it or also enjoying their time relaxing among the trees. Due to the size of the park, you won’t feel like being in a crowded area despite the people around you. The park is also clean from trash, but one might want to look out old rotten pinecones. The many trees are home to squirrels and their food and sometimes that food might be nasty to touch after a while. As long as one checks the ground first, they can lay down on the grass and enjoy a sun bathe while taking a nap. Overall, this place was quite a calm visit and would definitely be one of the main places we would recommend to new students in Geneva.