More than any other European city, Geneva will put a smile on your face

McClatchy/Tribune News Service (MCT) - "Come on, cats," I commanded my two rescued-from-a-barn felines. "Say, 'Le meow! Le meow!' You can do it!"

Telling a cat what to do is like, well, herding cats, and teaching them quasi-French is even more tricky, so naturally they turned up their snobbish little noses and pranced away, unheeding of my directive. Days before, I had just returned to Georgia from a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, and just couldn't get it out of my mind. Never have I been so inspired by a place to want to pack the bags, cats, and hubby and move to another continent.

I was more than ready to exchange "y'all" and "bless your heart" for "merci" and "bonjour" and move to this tantalizing city on the Swiss-French border that is quite simply one of the most tranquil and pretty I've ever visited.

There is no singular reason why I found Geneva and all of its surrounding storybook Swiss and French villages so endearing. Gracious European beauty just oozes here, along with lots of international culture and plenty of history _ its civilization dates to 120 B.C. and the days of the Holy Roman Empire.

Geneva is clean and safe. It's so clean it sparkles, and I don't recall seeing any trash whatsoever. And its reputation as one of the safest places in the world is certainly true. Never once did I glance over my shoulder searching for shady characters lurking in the bushes, and quite truthfully, I don't think they exist in Geneva.

But best of all, and almost entirely without exception, the people are friendly, well-mannered, and cheerful. I would even go as far as to say that Geneva's happiness is downright contagious.

With those contagiously happy smiles on our faces, two friends and I explored Geneva and its surrounding villages, including lively Carouge, where the atmosphere and food were phenomenal, and the more sedate Crozet across the border in France. With the Italian border less than an hour's drive away, we found that the entire area manages to perfectly blend French, Swiss, Italian and a bit of German culture into one that is sort of in a class all its own. So, really, if you want to compare it to any other European city, you can't. Instead, it's more of a melange of Zurich, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt and even nearby Milan, but still it remains different just because of its unique crossroads culture.

For our getaway, a friend highly recommended that we stay at Jiva Hill Park Hotel in Crozet rather than in Geneva. "Geneva is only 10 minutes away, if that," our friend explained as she pointed it out on a map. "You'll be in the heart of the countryside with quick access to the city, so you get the best of both worlds."

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We followed her recommendation and discovered that we made the right choice in Jiva Hill, a small-yet-elegant boutique hotel, simply because we enjoy and appreciate the countryside as well as the city. Geneva has strings of historic, luxurious and charming hotels, as well as American chains including Holiday Inn and Ramada, but from our windows at Jiva Hill the snowcapped Jura Mountains, framed against an iridescent cerulean sky, occasionally rewarded us with views of Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc, at nearly 16,000 feet the highest mountain in western Europe, is physically in France, yet is shared by France, Switzerland and Italy.

Because of its location at the intersection of these three countries, Geneva and its villages are nestled between the Alps and the Jura. We visited in spring and the temperatures were still quite chilly. Winters are cold and snowy, so skiers come for a few days as a stopping-off point to soak up the culture before heading to the slopes. Summer temperatures rarely rise above 80 degrees, and since Geneva is a walking city, the climate is ideal at that time of the year.

By day, we explored Geneva, home of the United Nations, the Red Cross, and at one time the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The heartbeat of the city is Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman), whose blue-green color you won't find on any artist's palette and which drains its ice-cold water into the Rhone. We took a half-day cruise on the lake, affording up-close views of the spectacular Jet d'eau water fountain that shoots hundreds of feet into the air, the cityscape along the lakefront, and a bit farther along medieval castles and villages that has endured through the centuries.

I particularly liked the idea that Geneva has no suburbs, so to speak, a fact that was pointed out to us by our happy-go-lucky guide, Gianna Loredan of Illico Travel & Business Services. As we climbed into her car, she gleefully pointed out that we would be in the countryside within moments of leaving the city. "See what I mean?" she exclaimed as we rounded a corner from town and into one of Geneva's outlying villages. "Voila! The country!"

Then, almost as if we had been magically transformed into another time and place, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by green pastures scribbled with patches of colorful flowers. A jovial woman and her equally jovial pup sat by the side of the road, happy as larks in the afternoon sunshine. The moment was Monet, Van Gogh, Degas and Renoir all melded together into one big masterpiece.

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Besides the stunning geography of Lake Geneva, the Alps and the Jura, and all that cheerfulness, you'll find that Geneva is not polluted with hordes of sandals-and-sneakers-wearing American tourists. But don't let that fool you: Americans are most definitely welcome, and there are plenty of "don't miss" places and events, including:

_Museums: There are more than 40 public and private museums, including the Art and History Museum, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Natural History Museum, Ariana Museum, Tavel House, Patek Phillipe Museum, Clock and Watch Museum, and International Museum of the Reformation.

_Music and theater: Visiting in June? Check out the Fete de la Musique, a music festival that has the entire city humming. Classical music is a tradition in Geneva, with both Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve offering events. Dozens of theaters dot Geneva, including four English-speaking venues.

_Celebrities: Famous folks have had ties to Geneva, including Casanova, Voltaire, Mary Shelly, Lord Byron, Richard Burton and Sophia Loren.

_Gastronomy: Specialties are fondue, local wines, and French and Swiss cheeses, the varieties of which number in the hundreds. The cheese itself is worth the nine-hour flight from New York, but Geneva's dining is international on a grand scale. We particularly liked the food (and the cheese courses!) at Jiva Hill's Shamwari Restaurant, which combines European flavors with a bit of Africa.

_Shopping: Come to Geneva to find the best in cuckoo clocks, watches, cigars, chocolates and music boxes, but check out the flower, fruit and vegetable markets all around the city and countryside.

_Nightlife: Trendy wine and champagne bars, cozy pubs and music cafes keep Geneva lively at night.

_Great finds: the Flower Clock located at the edge of the Jardin Anglais (English Garden), Old Town, St. Peter's Cathedral, the Jet d'eau water fountain, the wonderfully walkable lakefront, the Plaine de Plainpalais shopping area that is like an upscale flea market.

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IF YOU GO:

We flew Swiss International Airlines (www.swiss.com) nonstop from New York's JFK. (As an aside, I had not flown Swiss before, and in a time when air travel is no longer enjoyable or glamorous, I really liked the food and service that seems a cut above other international carriers.)

Jiva Hill Park Hotel (www.jivahill.com) is set amid a 70-acre estate and includes a sports center, spa, Shamwari Restaurant and the popular-with-locals Vodka Bar. Ideal for girlfriends' getaways or romantic honeymoons.

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Visit Geneva Tourism at www.Geneva-Tourism.ch, Swiss Tourism at www.MySwitzerland.com or French Tourism at www.FranceGuide.com.

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© 2008, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.