How to sell your bike and buy a new one - the SECOND HAND GENEVA BIKES MARKETS -once a month starting on March 12th

The Geneva second hand BIKES MARKETS take place once a month in several places in Geneva , the first one will take place on Saturday March 12th in Saint Jean, on the square close to the Maison De Quartier , Chemin Francois Furet 8 1203 Geneve.
If you want to sell your bike bring it between 10 a.m.and 11.30 a.m., if you want to buy one go there between 11.30 a.m. and 2p.m.
The other dates of the second hand Bike Markets are the following ones:

• on April 27th in HUG (Geneva Hospital square) from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m.
• on May 3rd at Uni Mail (Bl. C. Vogt, Plainpalais) from 10a.m. till 3 p.m.
• on May 29th in Carouge -behind the Temple Square from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.
• on June 11th at Grottes same timing
• on Sept 22nd at Uni Mail same timing

Te member of Pro velo can access the sale 30 minutes earlier . On those days it's also possible to get your bike repaired by qualified experts.
More info on the provelo website

photo Greg Clement

For mysteries lovers:the Mechanism of Antikythera, the astronomic calculator -free exhibition until March 3rd at the University of Geneva

If , like me, you like mysteries , then do not miss this free exhibition that takes place in the Exhibition Hall of the University of Geneva in Bld C. Vogt every day from Monday till Friday from 7.30 a.m. till 7 p.m.

The Antikythera Mechanism is consider the first analog computer in the world and it has a fascinating story. In 1900, the sponge divers discovered near the Greek island of Antikythera, an ancient wreck that sank towards 70 av. BC The ship was carrying a very heavy load of works of art and luxury objects , some of these were fragments of a strange astronomical mechanism in bronze. It included dozens of gears and arranged on several levels, the extraordinary thing about this object is that it was able to predicts the earth and moon movements and eclipses with a technology that was thought to have been invented in the Renaissance (!) . How this mechanism was created is a mystery that hasn't yet been solved ...

 A model of the mechanism and computer reconstructions complete the exhibition , free guided tours are available in French every day ,from 12.15 p.m. till 1 p.m.; visits have to be booked online.

Get your guests (family/friends) a Geneva private tour in their home language for FREE - the GENEVA GREETERS association

Have you just arrived in Geneva or do you have friends and family coming over and willing to explore the city ?
Now it is possible to get a private and FREE of charge  2-4 hours tour by someone who knows the city well and who talk your language (although this is not granted, it depends if they have a guide who speaks your language ) to explore the city's hidden gems and key monuments!
All you have to do is to get in contact with the Geneva Greeters association    and send your request  via the website specifying the date and number of people who will be joining (up to a max. of 6 ) and the ideal length of the tour, then just enjoy the experience!
The Geneva Greeters is an association of volunteers who offer this great service for FREE ; Geneva greeters are private people who live in the city and have a passion for  showing its beauty to tourists or anybody interested in it .

 a Geneva greeter who explains the host the Museum Ethnographie  copyright www.lemanbleu.ch

The greeter will decide the tour, so you have just to follow him/her and live the experience, however you can find useful information about possible tours in the website.

Geneva greeters is an association sponsored by the Geneva Tourist office, and at the moment teh greeters are about 20,  in the website you will find all information in case you would like to become one of the greeters .
Worth trying to have a tour !

St Valentine 's CRUISE on the Geneva lake-dinner included - depart from Geneva at 8 p.m.-places still available

I think that his is a very nice way to celebrate the lovers' day .
This romantic cruise is organized by the CGN , Compagnie General de Navigation , it departs from Geneva at 8p.m. and returns at 11p.m.; it costs 250 CHF per couple and includes a very special St Valentine menu
On line booking at the CGN website

How to sleep in an IGLOO -unique experience on the mountains -Chamonix 1 hr driving from Geneva until April 9

If you want to live an unforgettable experience, you should definitively try this one. 

The trip last 1.5 days and can be organized any day of the week, the experience starts at about 4 p.m. of day 1 at Chamonix train station where visitors get on the special train that brings them to the Mer De Glace ,the largest Glacier in Europe. The day continues with an aperitif and the discovery of the igloos , then visitors wear snowshoes to reach the historic restaurant of the Glacier to take a typical dinner . After an unforgettable night in the igloos (7sqm) , on day 2 they have the opportunity to admire the dawn and to have a nice breakfast before visiting the Ice Cave and returning home.

Reservation has to be done online, prices vary based o the period, starting at 124Euro per person per nigh

www.alpes-bivouac.com

The fabulous igloos

www.alpes-bivouac.com

How to find Venice in Annecy - ANNECY VENETIAN CARNIVAL from February 16th till February 21st

In one of posts I talked about the beauty of the Carnival of Venice, however if you don't have time to go that far , there is a very simple way to enjoy the Venetian Carnival atmosphere.

It is enough to take your car and drive for 30-40 minutes to arrive in the beautiful small town of Annecy, also called the little Venice ,because its historical center is surrounded by canals .

Every year in Annecy la Carnival of Venice takes place in small scale, in fact  many hundreds of beautiful masks walk in the center giving the visitors the impression to be in the real Venice; it is an event free of charge and definitively worth going to admire masks that are as beautiful as the Venetian ones !

And, like for the Carnival of Venice , the best thing to do it's to just walk around the narrow streets of the historical city center and with the mindset to live the moment.
The Carnival of Annecy takes place from Feb 16th till Feb 21st , however masks are walking around only as of Feb 19th , so Feb 19-21st are the core days of this event.

Definitively a very unique experience !

Detailed program of the Carnival of Annecy is available on the Annecy tourist office