Sunday, Oct. 31-- All Saints Day, Geneva

Vs favorite day of the year, when we get to turn the clocks back and gain an hour of sleep.  Which we did.  And, because the international community can't agree on what time it is, we get to do this twice, once now and once when we get home. 

Began day with the Swiss version of a continental breakfast which is comprised of the basics of the classic form and adds all the ingredients of a full English breakfast, then for good measure piles on some extra meat.  This is my kind of meal.  Joined by Careen's youngest daughter, Clementine, pronounced Clem-awn-teen, a budding animator, her boyfriend, and Evelyn, Careen's mom.  I ate, they chatted in French, and it was good.

This being All Saints Day, a time when European Christians make special remembrance of loved ones who've passed away, and Careen's dad's birthday we all went to his grave and lit a candle in his honor.  The sight was something seldom seen in North America, row after row of graves and crypts, virtually all of them adorned with lit candles and/or fresh flowers.  We have seen this reverence for ancestors before in Europe, and are touched by it each time.

 Off for a walk along the banks of the Rhone, which, even this far from the Alps, is still that clear blue-green colour of glacial water.  The walk, a virtually silent stretch of parkland ten minutes from downtown Geneva, was splashed with fall colours.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.