Haunts for Lovers

Europe is romantic, and Suisse Romande is no exception. The summer months of warm evenings  and late dinners at outdoor village bistros and side street cafes make for magical nights that stretch out for hours as friends and couples chat and tell stories and remember poignant moments that began romances or defined forever the history of who they were and how they understood each other. When we talk to old couples they almost invariably love to remember to us small events in their past that made clear who they truly were, and who they would be with each other, and in telling us their stories you can see them fall in love again a little bit as they go back into that moment in time. Sometimes as they talk they will hold hands lightly or touch the other's arm or shoulder unconsciously. Of course sometimes these old couples begin reciting a litany of ancient gripes they have against one another in ever increasing volume and we bail out as fast as we can as we feign an inability to understand to French.

A few weeks ago as we spent the afternoon in Geneva's old city browsing art galleries and bookstores, I saw couples here and there, clearly caught in the spell of romance. Strolling along arm in arm, kissing in shop doorways, lounging in the small green parks that are scattered throughout the city, sitting at a cafe table drinking coffees and talking about nothing in particular. And as the spell of romance caught them, they wove a larger spell for others to be drawn into. Couples in love bring a warmth to the world around them, sometimes in the most surprising ways.

I read recently that Geneva and its suburbs are composed of something like forty percent ex-pats, most of whom are here for  six month to two year stays. Many of our friends, like us, live in rental houses with a mix of a little rental furniture and a lot of furniture and household goods purchased at.... Ikea. On a recent visit to our friends for dinner, on the way to the patio dining area, they waltzed us past the rest of the house with a dismissive wave saying "There's nothing to see here - everything is from Ikea."

Ikea (pronounced here as "ee Kay uh") is about a half an hour away from Geneva just off the freeway, and it is always packed. You overhear every language - German, Spanish, Arabic - you name it, and see people from every corner of the world. The effect can be surreal as you walk deeper and deeper into the bowels of this super store and hear an incomprehensible babble of mixed tongues murmuring, chatting and debating. At some point you can feel a sense of panic as you realize you've hiked for several minutes into the store and there is no apparent way out, only more sub chambers leading you seemingly deeper into the building. This is where I found myself recently when I discovered something else about the store: here, deep inside Ikea, most of the couples are young Swiss French and French, and amongst them the spell of romance is woven.

Everywhere you look there are young couples holding hands, arm in arm, or arms around each other as they stroll the showrooms, working through their lists or earnestly discussing in quiet voices the future they hope for and the pieces of the life they are building with each other. You see the hope in their eyes, the quiet, subtle thrill, as they discuss and choose the bed they will share, the crib that their child will sleep in, the dining table where they will sit together and discuss the moments of their life and invent dreams that will become their future. You look at the way they stand and talk with each other and see not what we think of as traditional romance, but the other romance - the romance of creating a life together. There is something gentle and sacred about these couples, some of them pushing strollers, some with small children in tow, most often just the two of them.

This is where love is truly made, not happily stumbled upon - In the most modest of beginnings, with little money and great hope and an inspiration to make a life together. This is about the journey forward into time with nothing to see you through other than a commitment to create something new and the excitement at discovering who you and the one you love will become. While images of love are magical and the images of lovers in love are everywhere, here the romance is all but hidden, yet  palpable. Who would have imagined? Ikea is for lovers.