lisbon, portugal to geneva, switzerland

We had a flight from Lisbon to Geneva, Switzerland on Nov. 2nd, so we headed back to Lisbon for the one night so we could catch our early flight the next morning. We've found it really pays to check the internet for cheap flights, because it can really save you a lot of time. It would have been awful trying to get back to the other side of Europe through Spain again. We wanted to stay at the same hostel as we did the first time we were in Lisbon, but it was full =( The guys there were super cool though, and we hung out there for most of the night using the internet and stuff instead of at our own hostel, lol.

We had to leave and catch a bus to the airport at 6:00am, and coincidently there were two other girls from our hostel up and going to the airport at the same time as us and we split a taxi with them instead. The taxi was unbelievably cheap once we split it, cheaper than it would have been for us to take the bus! We got to the airport a little earlier than planned, but that didn't matter. Our flight was supposed to be at 9:00am, but it ended up being delayed and we didn't leave until about 1:30.. UGH. Then it was bye-bye to Portugal. We both really loved it! It was beautiful,surprisingly cheap, and had awesome food!

Our next destination was actually the south of France, but since we found a cheap flight from Lisbon to Geneva, we decided to go there for one night as a sort of stop-over. It would then only be a short train ride into France. As soon as we stepped off the plane we were shocked with cold air. Oh man was it cold in Geneva! That night and the next morning it was -1 I think.. It was awesome though, the air was so crisp and clean when you inhaled.. I love Switzerland!

We dropped off our things and walked around to see Geneva at night. It was beautiful down by the lake. It was so cold I could barely take pictures, so I went to H&M and got some cheap gloves. We had planned to go to the grocery store on the way back to the hostel, but when we went there it was closed. We were so confused because the sign said they didn't close for another hour, but then we realized that we still hadn't adjusted our watches to the time zone change, lol. That explained a lot.. and also why the sun was setting "awfuly early at 4:30..hmm" hehe..

In the morning we checked out at left our bags at the hostel before going to see the Red Cross Museum and The United Nations buildings. The UN headquarters is in New York, but the other is in Geneva, with most of the smaller sub-organizations like UNICEF being stationed there as well. You can only see the UN building by guided tour for security reasons. After putting your things through an x-ray machine like at the airport, you have to show your passport and then you get a cool little photo ID visitor badge to wear too. The tour was neat, and we got to see a few of the huge conference rooms.

We spent the afternoon doing some more walking around, and saw some birds that we had never seen before.. they were as big as swans, but they looked like ducks! It was so bizarre, we had no idea what they were and were a little freaked out, lol. We also went to this cafe called Central Perk.. you know, like on Friends! haha.. The logo was the same and everything.. In the evening it was off to catch a train to Lyon where we were connecting to Avignon, France.