Sport | 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.

First Ascent: Falling for Climbing

First Ascent

Falling for Climbing

“Don’t look down,” Jay yelled up at me, his voice already far below.

Well, that’s not helpful, I thought. I couldn’t bring myself to look down anyway, I’d always had a bad head for heights. I could only focus on my hands in front of me and making sure each hold was within reach.

“Three of four on the wall, you won’t fall.” An old climbing mantra I learned from a children’s book ran through my head, reminding me to move slowly, one hand at a time.

My legs began to shake, slowly at first and then so intensely it hurt. I called down for tension to be put on the rope and rested against the wall until the shaking stopped. I later learned that this phenomenon is called “sewing machine leg,” an embarrassing thing that happens to every inexperienced climber.

I refused to look up or down, focusing only on the wall in front of me. When I reached the top, I made the mistake of looking down to tell Jay I was “falling” and done with the climb. My stomach dropped and twisted into knots. Suddenly the idea of letting go of the wall seemed ridiculous, I could just climb down right? Nope. The muscles in my arms and hands had had enough and my grip let go.

I let myself be lowered until my back was flat against the mat and I was staring straight up at the route I had just navigated. I tried to untie the rope from my harness, but all of the strength was gone from my fingers. I just laid there trying to catch my breath with my muscles on fire and bright red hands that were peeling even through the layers of chalk.

I had been climbing for hours and my entire body was exhausted, but there was just one thing going through my head. I want to go again, I can do it better this time.

I’ll never forget that feeling of intense satisfaction when I completed one of my first “projects” (a route that you work on for several sessions) and hearing my belayer, the person who holds the rope for a climber, say, “Your mask comes off when you climb, I’ve never seen you smile like this.”

He was right, I was grinning like an idiot without realizing it. That was the exact moment I knew I needed to keep climbing in my life. It’s a very high intensity sport that is a full body workout, but also requires complete mental focus. If you think about anything other than your climb and where your body needs to go, you’ll fall.

The first time I set foot in a climbing gym was to study muscle groups for a high school anatomy class. My teacher, a climbing fanatic, used this and subsequent trips as an excuse to get back into a gym. I will always be grateful for it. That day changed my life.

Growing up, I was never one for sports, especially team sports, but I was suddenly immersed in a whole community, meeting new people and learning new slang. It taught me to trust my body and my abilities, but more importantly, I learned to place complete trust in others. As a belayer, the climber’s safety is in your hands, which can be very scary and potentially dangerous. I’ve experienced the dangers of having a distracted belayer, which only adds appreciation for the truly good ones.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve completely gotten over my fear of heights but now the fear turns into adrenaline and excitement. The holds feel more solid in my hands and I wonder how I ever struggled on such easy climbs.

Now I tie myself in without looking as I evaluate the route in front of me. I play out the moves in my head until I know exactly what beta (sequence of moves) I need to use. It’s just a warm up climb, something to loosen up my muscles, but it’s miles more difficult than the climb I did with Jay three years ago.

I don’t have the opportunity to climb as much as I want to anymore, but my love for it hasn’t faded. I now understand when people talk about their passions, because this is one of mine.

My first-hand experience in Martial Arts

I started learning martial arts when I was five years old. At the time I was also in a ballet class and, thankfully, I continued karate until I was 15. I don’t regret this as karate taught me so many things over the span of 10 years. However, I had to stop training in the second dojo as my family and I moved to Geneva.

When I first started, it was difficult to see any benefits or practical application of the skills I was taught in the dojo. It was just more rules to learn and abide by, on top of the ones in school. In my case it was also weird because of the change in training grounds, I started out in my first one with karate, and the instructor changed martial arts styles, to kick-boxing, which was more violent than karate. I stayed there until sixth grade and then changed dojos. I practiced at the second one for about three years, the instructor taught karate, and it was also where I got my black belt.

Looking back, I learned a lot in these 15 years, but here are the main three lessons that have stayed with me over the years.

First, I learned that when you’re learning something new, even small improvements are a success. There is no need to rush yourself to learn something at the same pace that others do. Taking a longer time to understand something and gradually improving yourself is vastly better than rushing to learn or understand something in a very short time span and being so-so at it.

Secondly, mental strength and focus are vital to help you overcome difficulties in the learning process as well as in other situations. You will do much better if you take the time, to calmly analyze the situation and develop your strategy than if you for instance think of a solution to your dilemma/problem in five minutes and then call it a day.

Lastly, the most important lesson I learned was not a lesson in itself; it is a fact. One does not need to learn and improve only by observing the teacher, one can learn and vastly improve by observing and practicing with fellow students. Practicing for hours with others gives you an idea, a way to do things that the teacher doesn’t “teach” you to. You compare your advantages and drawbacks with the other students through friendly competition, and occasionally not so friendly. In summary, learning is a life-long process and you can learn at your own pace.

Not only are martial arts in general good to learn for any person of any age, gender or skill level because of the improvement of their physical condition, but they are also good for the improvement of your mental fortitude. Martial arts teach people different mental skills such as patience, endurance, focus and perseverance, as well as physical skills like control, flexibility and coordination. Personally, karate practice was also a stress relief activity for me, especially during the time just before finals week.

I highly recommend to everyone of any age or skill level to start learning martial arts because of all the physical and mental advantages that they can get through practicing them. No one is too young or too old to learn how to protect themselves or to kick some ass when it is needed.