i was just about to give up on geneva, really. don’t get me wrong – i love living here and i love my little belgian family here, but i was so sure i’d never experience anything remotely cool in this town. until last week that is, when SWISS invited me to discover their new taste of switzerland summer menu. it was created by michelin star chef dominique gauthier of le chat-botté, the restaurant at hotel BEAU-RIVAGE. that hotel has been a landmark of luxury for almost 150 years, so i knew i was in for an exceptional evening. but still i didn’t expect to be completely blown away ànd fall in love with this city in an entirely new and exciting way.

you see, not only were we treated to a delicious four-course menu, inspired by the one served to passengers traveling swiss in business or first class, but we were whisked away for an intimate get-together on the roof of one of geneva’s oldest and grandest hotels. no event had ever been thrown there before – so the crew of the hotel pulled some magic tricks out of their sleeves to make it a cozy (and safe!) place for the evening. and let me tell you – magic is exactly what they achieved. the view from up there was amazing (do you see the top of the mont blanc bathed in the pink light of the sunset? do ya?) and tasting the food in the brisk spring night air was just perfect.

afterwards we drove up to the airport where we witnessed the swiss maintenance crew check up on two planes (an airbus and an avro, for those fellow aviation geeks out there) and where we had dessert inside one of the planes. we took a peek inside the cockpit, and we caught a glimpse of a few nice little jets sitting outside the hangar, waiting for a new day and a new destination to announce themselves.

you take a girl out for great food, breathtaking views and magical travel dreams, and the deal is pretty much done. swiss, if you were a guy, my husband would have every reason to be jealous.

photos by stephanie duval