Geneva = International. Of the ten families that make up my “Geneva Family”, twelve of them were born in some other country besides Switzerland.
After the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Paris Conference I took the TGV – the bullet train, to Geneva in order to spend time with my “Geneva Famiies”. The reason why Geneva = International to me is because of the ten families waiting for me at the train station with most of them being naturalized Swiss who were born in other parts of the world. Out of 20 people waiting at the train station, here are their countries of origin… 
Canada, USA, Scotland, England, Sweden, South Africa, Holland, France, Chile, Spain, Russia, Denmark, and Switzerland. In addition, they all have second, third, and/or fourth homes outside of Geneva. Here are some of the locations of their homes outside of Geneva: Caribbean, Spain, France, England, Thailand, Singapore, the Alps, USA, Chile, and more. So, even though we think of the Caribbean as a melting pot of the world, this special group of friends is the definition of international in living breathing form.
From the Geneva train station we all car pooled to Champery, Switzerland to my friends’ Swiss Alps chalet. This was my headquarters for a three day ski trip. This is one of my favorite European destinations for skiing. The Champery ski resort allows you to ski from Switzerland to France any time you want – which we did. Our lunch destination on one of the 
days was a goat village at the base of the French side of the slopes. What an adventure of skiing on fresh powder all the way down the mountain to this quaint village for more food and wine.
The men took a side trip one day to the Chevalier de Bayard Winery in Varen, Switzerland. My past views of Swiss wines are typically sweet white wines such as the Alsace region of France. What I didn’t know is that the Swiss do not export their wines so the world generally does not have the chance to enjoy the many varietals that they produce. The other surprise for me was visiting a wine region that was covered in snow! I have never seen snow covered vineyards. We shared a wonderful day with one of the owners, René Bayard. (The Knights Of Bayard have been in existence since the 15th century! Even the knight’s armor is at the winery.) After wine tasting, we eat a typical Swiss meal of Raclette cheese, fingerling potatoes and baby 
pickles – plus, more great Swiss wine. What a day of exploring new regions of the world and lots of new experiences – and some more great wines that I will never taste in the islands!
My last few days in Europe were spent exploring Geneva – the Old Town, the yacht clubs along Lake Geneva, and the many Swiss watch shops. I wanted to make sure I stopped by the yacht club that holds the Americas Cup – Societe Nautique Geneva. I still have a problem understanding how a country with no ocean is the holder of the cup. Another cold moment was showing off my Obama t-shirt in Old Geneva. A man from England asked where I purchased it. I told him San Francisco. He wanted a copy of it, 
so I decided to gave him the shirt off my back. Another magical moment.
I am blessed beyond measure to have such dear friends as part of my world’s extended family. And, I am sick of being so cold! The Caribbean is 85F degrees today. Varen, Switzerland is 28F degrees. I love Europe, but my next visit will be in the Spring or Summer. Now, back to sunshine, warm turquoise waters, and the warm trade winds. Contact me if I can be of any assistance with your Caribbean real estate needs. Until next time…fair winds.
