Now that I have been in Geneva for over a week, I am starting to feel like I am settling in and getting to know the city.
One thing I didn't realise would be quite so difficult is working out where to buy everything. The most simple-seeming items can actually be a lot more difficult to locate than you'd expect. For example, the other night I was looking for baked beans (for now I am on a budget when it comes to food!). For the life of me, I could not work out what they would be called. I couldn't even remember the word for beans. I found a supermarket employee who spoke English and she had no idea what I was talking about. I ended up finding them next to the tinned fruit - only one variety, haricots blancs (white beans). No idea what they are going to taste like! A colleague has told me that she has occasionally come across Heinz baked beans, so I will be keeping an eye out for those.
Another surprisingly difficult grocery item to locate has been chocolate-chip biscuits. I think I may actually be selectively blind, as the only ones I've seen are the Walkers' shortbread choc chip for 5 Fr. a packet, and there is no way I am paying that. I have been told there are other, cheaper choc chippies out there, but in the meantime I have discovered an acceptable biscuit-like substitute from Migros: Mini Karamell Waffeln. They are exactly what their name suggets; mini caramel waffles. And they are delicious!
My next concern was cosmetics and toiletries. I soon discovered that there is no "Boots" equivalent here in Geneva and that I would be better off going to the department stores. I managed to find the cosmetics I wanted at Globus, and then I found Manor, where I will be shopping from now on. It has I think five floors, and a large range of products from a number of brands. Make up, toiletries, hair dye.. all available in quantity. It also has electronics, a papeterie (so I could finally buy my Dad's birthday card), women's fashion, and groceries on the ground floor. There is a large range of attractive fresh veges and some of the cakes in the bakery were to die for.
I had to go looking for a EU-Swiss adaptor, as I bought an iron in France and sadly the plug doesn't fit the Swiss sockets (although funnily enough, the UK-EU adaptos do fit the Swiss sockets - the prongs are a little thinner). I found one for the ludicrous price of 15.90 Fr at InterDiscount, the Geneva equivalent of perhaps Maplin or Dixons.
There is still one thing I have been unable to find, and have no idea if it is available in Geneva. I know it solely as a "big stripy bag". In the UK you could get them from off-licences and those high-street pound stores, but I don't think I've seen any kind of equivalent store here. I even had a look inthe grand Carrefour, but asking the employees there for une grand sac plastique pour vetements netted me only puzzled stares (and fair enough, I'm well aware my French isn't exactly impressive!)
Speaking of Carrefour, that is another store I can highly recommend. There is a petite Carrefour in Ferney-Voltaire (which is actually quite a reasonable size) and then a grand Carrefour just outside the town (walking distance) which I would really call a hypermarket. (The locals described them to me as petite and grand). Shopping across the French border is well worth it if its easy enough to make the trip. The prices are all much more reasonable and I felt like there was more selection. Obviously you need to pay in Euros, not Swiss Francs!
My final observation on shopping for now is to remember to take your own bags - the supermarkets make you buy them if you need them. (Very similar to the rest of the Europe but the UK supermarkets are still giving bags out for free quite happily).
No comments:
Post a Comment