Mea culpa, mea culpa

Dear loved ones,

I get the message - you can stop emailing me to tell me to update my blog! Wow, I never knew so many of you actually read this thing! (I guess I should be more careful what I write, huh? : )
I promise to be better from now on and, in that spirit, I give you last week's news. I actually started writing a week ago but then didn't get the time to finish:

Liz's week in review - beginning of December

Yay! First grad school application submitted - on time and everything!

In other news, winter is finally here. There's snow on the alps & the Christmas window displays are in fine form. Geneva really does know how to do shopping luxury, I tell ya. There's this really beautiful winter lights festival going on in Geneva this weekend, so last night my friends and I walked around last night and looked at the lights. We also found delicious hot wine, free coffee, an outdoor skating rink downtown and live music. It all was very picturesque and possibly a little cliche. But you know, in the best way possible. Here are some pictures, although they really don't do the gorgeous lights justice at all:





Skating rink!

You can't really tell, but these people are sculptures made entirely out of reflective chicken wire lit up by carefully aimed spotlights. They're also sitting on the top of a bank building that's about 20 stories tall.

Geneva was packed with people this weekend - on top of the light festival, there was also this big race called the "Escalade". The race tours the whole old town in Geneva and several thousand people participate. Why a race in December you ask? Well, let me tell you, but first let's go back in time a couple of weeks.

I've been seeing these chocolate soup cauldrons in store windows all around the city for weeks now, and it was driving me absolutely crazy trying to figure out what they were all about:

I mean, really - what in the world would do the people of Geneva need with thousands upon thousands of chocolate cauldrons? And then, my friends, I learned. I've been informed that in the something-or-other-century (16th?), when the Genevois were driving out some French invaders, a big and important battle ensued. And at the hight of all the hubris, a lady leaned out her window & threw a big pot of boiling stew onto the soliders, which apparently caused them to all run away. Hence, the chocolate soup pots (called "marmites") everywhere.You're supposed to get yourself a marmite, buy some marizpan fruit to put inside, and then get together with your loved ones and let the youngest in the group (me!!) smash the pot, before you all eat the pieces. Fun! Oh yeah, and they also symboically re-enact the battle every year by holding the giant race through the old part of the city. So happy Escalade everyone!

xox
Liz