The home in Carouge: my personal goodbye
The home in Carouge where we spent the last three months is the one we enjoyed the most in Geneva. I leave a piece of my heart there.
I practice Linguistic Empathy and I expect you to do the same. Please bear with me if my English is not perfect.
By now I should be used to leave homes. But besides the fact that I deeply hate goodbyes, the home in Carouge has been a different experience, and leaving it is a bit painful. Everything in this home is beautiful – inside and out. Its position, to start with. The romantic Carouge is a neighbourhood rich in history and culture, and of stunning elegance. It has a distinct character and is different from any other place in or close to Geneva.
My fear of going to live in a bubble was immediately replaced by the sweetness of the mornings at the fruit and vegetables market, such an intimate place, by the efficiency in the organization of the neighbourhood, the cultural vitality you breath there, and the energy of the nights, when bars fill with people who enjoy the breeze chatting and drinking a glass of wine.
The home in Carouge is old and preserves the taste of the past. The stone stairs, the iron handrail and the original doors create a peaceful and sheltered atmosphere.
The attic is beautiful because everywhere you look, you find something to make your eyes and soul happy. On one side, windows look at the houses in front, with their well preserved blinds, the pastel colours and the neoclassical architecture that brings you back through the centuries.
On the other side there a delightful garden, which the landlord takes care of with love. She is a woman of amazing kindness, who communicates love and passion for this enchanted place.
Her presence has certainly contributed to make us feel welcome. Meeting her in the garden and chatting a bit has helped us discover so much about Geneva. From time to time she would leave a postcard with a special message on our door, nurturing a personalised relationship, which, I am sure, has gone lost in the big Geneva buildings.
The cat has also loved this place. She has spent hours at the window, looking outside. When the night fell, she went on to the roof, came back in the morning, and slept the whole day in her favourite corners of the flat.
The time spent in the home in Carouge coincided with beautiful things for me – important trips and new professional ideas. The creativity I accumulated was stirred whenever I went back to that enriching place.
This has been the house where we could finally invite dear friends for dinner – in the previous ones there was no space :-). So, we enjoyed beautiful evenings in this wonderful place with Philippe, whom I had not seen in centuries, with Jorge and Bernadette, with Piwi, with Alessandra and Alberto, who fed us on several occasions during our stay in Geneva, with Gunther, a dear friend of my husband, whom I had heard a lot about and I finally managed to meet, and many others.
Every house witnesses a piece of our lives. I am sure it retains the feelings of those who live there, albeit shortly. I am happy to leave the nice couple that among the many rent demands has chosen us, all the joy of the beautiful moments we spent in this home in Carouge that will always remain in our hearts.