Promenade1 de Saint-Antoine (It takes its name from a chapel2 consecrated3 to Saint Anthony that once stood against the gate of the same name at the entrance to today's rue4 des Chaudronniers.)

Switzerland's second-largest city has an idyllic（田园诗的）setting on one of the biggest alpine⁵ lakes and within view of the pinnacle（山顶,山峰）of Mont Blanc. Filled with parks and promenades⁶（散步场所）, the city becomes a virtual garden in summer. It's also one of the healthiest cities in the world thanks to prevailing⁷ north winds that blow away all air pollution.

The city covers itself in flowers and takes chocolate to an art form has got to be okay. You can't go wrong visiting this city, even if you just walk its streets and lakeshore for days on end -- those flowers are everywhere and the Lake Geneva is clear and picturesque⁸.

It might be in Switzerland, but Geneva is tres （法文，非常的意思）French. It didn't join the Swiss Confederacy until after 1815, so French culture permeates⁹ （浸透；充满）the place by way of food and language. Still, Calvin, who preached here during the Reformation （宗教改革，十六至十七世纪的天主教会改革运动,结果产生了基督新教)，seems to have had a deep effect, tempering（锻造）the French spirit a bit.

Flower Clock: 5 metres in diameter and located on a slope, its surface is covered by approximately 6,500 plants, which are grown according to what is called here 'mosaiculture' .

Geneva is surrounded by French territory, connected to Switzerland only by the lake and a narrow corridor. The city's overwhelming French influence is apparent in its mansard（双重斜坡的屋顶）roofs, iron balconies, sidewalk cafes, and French signs.

But if the city seems a little staid（端庄的,深沉的）, perhaps it's because it contemplates¹⁰ （思忖，思量）the fate of the planet on a daily basis. Switzerland hasn't seen a war for over 300 years; Geneva hosts hundreds of humanitarian¹¹ and scientific agencies. It was the home to the League of Nations, the predecessor¹²（前身） of the United Nations. The UN still maintains an office here. The International Red Cross is here. So is the World Health Organization. And the European Centre for Nuclear Research, CERN, which also brought us the Web. The list goes on and on.