A travel quiz #9

I'll have to ask Walter. c.i.

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Doesn't 'Hotel' mean 'Hospital'? But that would only make it stranger...

So, why is the word "Alabama" on the building where the Geneva Convention was signed? Or is it just to confuse the tourists?

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Equus, I'm not sure, but this is the only link I could find so far that connects the "ALABAMA" room to the signing of the Geneva Convention. c.i. http://ask.elibrary.com/login.asp?c=&host=ask%2Eelibrary%2Ecom&script=%2Fgetdoc%2Easp&query=pubname%3DAP%5FOnline%26puburl%3Dhttp%7EC%7E%7ES%7E%7ES%7Ewww%2Eap%2Eorg%26querydocid%3D23217969%40urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BLib%26dtype%3D0%7E0%26dinst%3D0%26refid%3Dalleffort&title=&pubname=AP%5FOnline&author=&date=

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I don't know if that's the answer to your question but in french "town hall" means "HOTEL de ville".

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Hôtel de Dieu means hospital.

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re. "Alabama"
I'm rather sure, this is connected to <CSS Alabama>.

On 11 June of 1864, Captain Semmes brought thr to Cherbourg, France, for repairs. The Union steam sloop Kearsarge soon arrived off the port, and, on 19 June the Alabama steamed out to do battle. In an hour of intense combat, she was reduced to a sinking wreck by the Kearsarge's guns. As Alabama disappeared beneath the surface, her surviving crewmen were rescued by the victorious Federal warship and by the English yacht Deerhound.
adapted (slightly changed) from Naval Historical Center: CSS Alabama

That very year, Geneva convention No. 1 was signed.

And the "Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
of August 12, 1949" are clearly referring to a similar situation, what happend to and with the crew of the 'CSS Alabama'.

Well, I couldn't find any websites in English or German as proof for my theory, but it sounds quite nice (and I'm going through French websites later :wink: ).

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Oh, Hôtel de la Monnaie, Hôtel de Douane and Hôtel des Ventes are some more "hotels, I'm just remembering.

"Hôtel +" means a public or administrative building .

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Walter- your theory seems most plausible. Cicerone- do other rooms in the town hall have names- you may not remember- but it would be interesting if they had names related to other naval/military incidents.

Kinda reminds of me of modern American hotels (real hotels) that try to have cute names for their meeting rooms. I can imagine some Hyatt Regency in the South: "The Biloxi Flatware and Spoon Association Meeting will be held in the Alabama Room"....

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Equus, No, I don't not remember other rooms at the site. I went to Geneva on my own, but took a city tour when I arrived in town. I didn't even stay over night, but left the same day by train towards Germany. I took the folowing picture at a park, but don't remember the significance except it was religious. Maybe, Walter knows something about this too. c.i.

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Here's the photo.

http://www.grovestreet.com/thumbnails/48/217248.jpg

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Quote:

REFORMATION WALL

The construction of the Reformation Wall in the Bastions Park began in 1909, the year which marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of Jean Calvin and the 350th of the foundation of the Academy of Geneva. The monument is backed against part of the ancient defensive walls that surrounded the city until the middle of the 19th century. At the center of the wall, five meters high, are the four great figures of the movement: Guillaume Farel (1849-1565), one of the first to preach the Reformation in Geneva, Jean Calvin (1509-1564) the "pope" of the reformers, Théodore de Bèze (1513-1605), first rector of the Academy and John Knox (1513-1572), founder of Presbyterianism in Scotland. Behind these statues stands the motto of the Reformation and of Geneva: "Post Tenebras Lux". On either side, statues and bas-reliefs represent the great Protestant figures of the different Calvinist countries and the crucial moments in the development of the movement. Stroll along 100 meters of wall and cover 150 years in the history of Protestantism.

Here's the link - scroll down until you get to Reformation Wall
http://www.geneva-tourism.ch/eng/culture.php3

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margo, Thanks. I'm gonna make a hard copy to include with my photo. c.i.

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Walter, Thank you for offering all that information on Alabama and hotel. It was very helpful. c.i.

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A travel quiz #9

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