Some of other people from dinner last night were headed up the Alps today, but I opted to do some wandering and take some photos instead, which you can see by clicking on the photo slideshow in the right-hand navigation bar. Some of the more interesting ones are below.
The first is a picture of both Geneva's famous water fountain (Jet d'eau) with Mont Blanc (Western Europe's highest mountain, not the pen) in the background. Back in the 19th century, water was pumped throughout town to run hydro-powered machines in workshops. The fountain was originally a pressure release valve for the distribution network when power demand dipped, e.g. at night.
Today it's powered by a pumping system that consumes an incredible 1 megawatt of electricity, shooting 132 gallons of water per second up over 450 feet at an initial speed of over 120 mph. At any given time, there are almost 2,000 gallons of fountain water in the air.
Some tourists getting soaked.
The Horloge Fleurie (flower clock) is another famous Geneva landmark, a reflection of Geneva's heritage as the watch-making capital of the world. The flowers and arrangements change seasonally, so it's never the same clock twice, making it living art in more than one sense. Fun fact: The second hand is the biggest in the world, measuring 2.5 meters.
I also think I found the entrance to purgatory.
And what I thought was just a cool photo.
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