**LAST Geneva review**…read more
One of the things I like the most about Geneva is that hanging out in parks is an everyday activity, kicking a football around, throwing frisbees, or just lazing around on a blanket with a picnic lunch. Granted, it is probably because there's very little else to do on weekends, but it is this forced sense of leisure that gives Geneva it's distinct romantic European feel. I'm not much of a nature person myself (I don't really like any of the elements, be it wind, sun, grass, or sand), but I do go out of my way to walk through this park on my way to the Old Village from Plainpalais.
Parc des Bastions is a great respite from the city surrounding it. You don't just happen on it--the tall gated entrance that faces the Rath Museum provides a magnificent entryway into the wide promenade flanked on both sides by large expanses of grass, tall trees, and beautiful architecture. Just inside the entrance is the over-sized checker and chess boards that decorate the paved ground. You would expect tourists to be posing with the knee-high chess pieces, but instead, it's where the locals, young and old, play pick-up games with friends and strangers. As if it's the most normal thing in the world to be dragging enormous checker/chess pieces across a huge board with your feet. If you walk on a bit further, you'll find on your left a magnificent wall sculpture of the founding fathers of Geneva.
Being much of a city girl, I've never really figured out what people do in parks. But despite my own inability to enjoy spending hours sitting around in the grass, I am going to miss watching other people who have mastered the art of un-bothered relaxation.
