#Moillesullaz

[greenbagjosh]

Saturday 2 August 2003 - Lake Parade along the northeast bank - quick stop in Gaillard, France - lunch at Jardin Anglais - fun watching the mobiles - supper in Martigny VS

Saturday 2 August 2003

Good morning!  Today I will go to Geneva for the Lake Parade, but first I want to see a bit of Gaillard in France, accessible with the line 16 tram at Moillesullaz, and also go to Meyrin, close to the Geneva airport, by trolleybus.  At the end, about 7 PM, I will eventually take the train to Martigny and eat supper, then return to the hostel.  It will be quite a nice Saturday.

Guten Morgen! Heute fahre ich zur Lake Parade nach Genf, aber zuerst möchte ich ein bisschen Gaillard in Frankreich sehen, erreichbar mit der Straßenbahnlinie 16 in Moillesullaz, und außerdem mit dem Trolleybus nach Meyrin in der Nähe des Genfer Flughafens fahren. Am Ende, gegen 19 Uhr, werde ich schließlich mit dem Zug nach Martigny fahren, zu Abend essen und dann zur Herberge zurückkehren. Es wird ein ganz schöner Samstag.

Bonjour! Aujourd'hui j'irai à Genève pour la Lake Parade, mais d'abord je veux voir un peu de Gaillard en France, accessible avec le tram ligne 16 à Moillesullaz, et aussi aller à Meyrin, près de l'aéroport de Genève, en trolleybus. A la fin, vers 19h, je prendrai éventuellement le train pour Martigny et souperai, puis retournerai à l'auberge. Ce sera un bon samedi.

Dobro jutro! Danes bom šel v Ženevo na jezersko parado, a najprej si želim ogledati delček Gaillarda v Franciji, dostopnega s tramvajem na liniji 16 na Moillesullazu, pa tudi v Meyrin, blizu ženevskega letališča, s trolejbusom. Na koncu, okoli 19h, se bom na koncu odpeljal z vlakom do Martignyja in pojedel večerjo, nato pa se bom vrnil v hostel. Prav lepa sobota bo.

Dobro jutro! Danas ću ići u Ženevu na jezersku paradu, ali prvo želim vidjeti malo Gaillarda u Francuskoj, do kojeg se može doći tramvajem na liniji 16 u Moillesullazu, a također želim otići do Meyrina, blizu ženevske zračne luke, trolejbusom. Na kraju, oko 19 sati, eventualno ću sjesti na vlak za Martigny i večerati te se vratiti u hostel. Bit će to jako lijepa subota.

Buongiorno! Oggi andrò a Ginevra per la Lake Parade, ma prima voglio vedere un po' di Gaillard in Francia, raggiungibile con il tram linea 16 a Moillesullaz, e andare anche a Meyrin, vicino all'aeroporto di Ginevra, con il filobus. Alla fine, verso le 19, prenderò il treno per Martigny e cenerò, poi tornerò in ostello. Sarà un bel sabato.

I woke up about 6:30 AM, took a shower, got dressed, and went to breakfast.  The breakfast place was not very crowded.  I was able to find a table, and enjoy my breakfast.  I had coffee, toast, cheese, sliced meat and corn flakes.  After I finished, I went back to the room to brush my teeth, then went on a walk to the Territet rail station.  The day was very nice, so it was possible.  I boarded the westbound REV for Lausanne through Vevey, and connected there for an inter city train to Geneva.  The train did not stop at Renens, Morges or Nyon, but went through it.  It did not stop until Geneva.  Geneva has a couple of exclaves just a little southwest of Nyon, making the town of Céligny, which the train passed through.  Céligny even has a spot on Lac Léman, also known as Lake Geneva.  The last town in Vaud before the actual canton of Geneva is Mies.  Versoix and Genthod are the next towns the train passed before stopping at Geneva.  The first station in Geneva is Sécheron, very close to Parc Mon Repos.  

At the time, tracks 7 and 8 were still used for the SNCF trains, coming from France.  In 2003, Switzerland was not yet in Schengen, so there was a passport check at the station, for tracks 7 and 8 before accessing the rest of the station.  There is also an RER line to La Plaine, close to the border with France.  

I exited the train at Geneva.  I bought a day pass for the bus and tram lines.  The first place I went was to Meyrin to buy some soft drinks.  I took the trolleybus line 10 to Centre Balexert.  It is on the city limits of Geneva and Meyrin.  At some stage in February 2012, I had stayed in a hotel along the way towards the airport, along Avenue Louis Casai.  Once I bought my soft drinks at the Pick Pay grocery store, I took another tram to the rail station and took line 12 to Plainpalais where I could see the Monument des Reformateurs.  I took another tram, not sure which line, to connect to the one that was supposed to go to Moillesullaz, however it terminated at Gare des Eaux Vives, generally in the right direction but not exactly where I wanted to go.

I had to walk from Gare des Eaux Vives back to Route de Chêne and wait on line 16.  The train went through Thônex, and ended at Moillesullaz.  That was the terminus at the time, before crossing into France.  Anyone who wanted to go to France, would have to walk across the border.  I walked eastward along Rue de Genève up to the SPAR grocery store, where I bought some lunchmeat and cheese, as well as some bread rolls.  Also I bought a bottle of my favorite shampoo, the Pétrole Hahn for oily hair.  I was ready to eat lunch after I paid for everything.  It is worthwhile to mention, that the SPAR grocery store is located next to the tram stop Gaillard-Libération, which was built in the late 2010s, as an extension to Annemasse SNCF station.  In December 2016, I noticed that there were initial steps being made to create the extension, and I noticed this when I visited there.

I walked back across the Swiss border at Moillesullaz.  It was about 12 PM, and I wanted to be at Parc Mon Repos by 2 PM, prior to the start of the Lake Parade.  I took the tram to Place Molard, and walked to the Horloge Fleurie and found a bench in the Jardin Anglais to eat.  I watched the Jet d'Eau pump its water high into the air.  Jet d'Eau operates all day long during the summer, but is shut off for much of the winter.        

After I finished lunch, I put away my unused soft drink bottles, and walked back to Molard to catch the tram to Gare CFF, and transfer to the line 1 bus to Parc Mon Repos.  It was about 1:30 when I arrived.  This would be the start of the parade.  There was supposed to be about 20 or 30 mobiles with people dancing to loud techno music and many other similar styles.  Some mobiles were rented for local dance clubs.  While I was waiting for the parade to start, I was listening to One FM with my radio.  I had a cassette in it, so I could record the music.  I also had my microphone so I could hear the live music as well.  

There were so many people in costume.  It resembled the Love Parade in Berlin and Street Parade in Zürich that I had remembered.  I remember one young lady dressed as a leopard with face paint.  I also remember seeing a few nurses, a few equestriennes, a few cowgirls, many more.  

The parade started a little past 2 PM.  It went south along Quai Wilson and eventually Quai du Mont Blanc.  On the parade, it is better to try to remain in one spot, as the mobiles can take up much space, and there is a crowd that can be difficult to go around.  Crossing the road will sometimes be faced with resistance, as others might want to cross.  This is also true for the Zürich Street Parade.  The parade made its way across Pont du Mont Blanc and Jardin Anglais.  I was watching the mobiles most of the time.  

About 6 PM I decided I had had enough, as I was getting tired walking the parade route.  I had to go to Rue du Stand and catch the tram to Gare CFF, and take a train.  I found one that went to Martigny, in the Canton of Valais.  I had been to Valais in April 2001 and November 2002, but did not spend time in Martigny.  The canton Valais is separated from Vaud, mainly by the Rhône at the far east of Lac Léman / Lake Geneva, up to about Saint-Maurice.  Saint-Maurice is the first station in Valais that the train arrives in.  Valais has a short section right next to France that has a coastline on Lac Léman / Lake Geneva.  

When I was in Martigny, I found a place to eat.  It was the L'Ambroise restaurant, located at the Garni Forclaz Touring hotel, across the street from the rail station.  I was wanting some pasta and beer.  It was on the menu for a cheap price, so I picked the carbonara and Feldschlösschen half liter.  Was excellent.  The meal cost under CHF 25.00 even with tip.

I took the train back to Territet, and the sun was starting to set.  I enjoyed the quick visit to the canton of Valais.  When I arrived at Territet, I walked along the street to the hostel.  There was not much traffic.  As soon as I got to bed, I went to sleep.  The next two days would involve long travels, much of it during the night of the 3rd to the morning of the 4th.  

Please join me on my next journey to Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich and a night in the night train through Tirol and Kärnten.  In the morning we will pass through Slovenia and end up in Ljubljana.  Hoping the weather will be cooperative there.  Good night!

Bitte begleiten Sie mich auf meiner nächsten Reise nach Lausanne, Freiburg, Düdingen, Zürich und einer Nacht im Nachtzug durch Tirol und Kärnten. Am Morgen durchqueren wir Slowenien und landen in Ljubljana. Ich hoffe, dass das Wetter dort mitspielt. Gute Nacht!

Veuillez me rejoindre lors de mon prochain voyage à Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich et une nuit dans le train de nuit à travers le Tyrol et Kärnten. Dans la matinée, nous traverserons la Slovénie et finirons à Ljubljana. En espérant que le temps sera coopératif là-bas. Bonne nuit!

Prosim, da se mi pridružite na mojem naslednjem potovanju v Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich in noč v nočnem vlaku skozi Tirolsko in Kärnten. Zjutraj bomo prečkali Slovenijo in končali v Ljubljani. Upam, da bo vreme tam sodelovalo. Lahko noč!

Molim vas da mi se pridružite na mom sljedećem putovanju u Lausannu, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich i jednu noć u noćnom vlaku kroz Tirol i Kärnten. Ujutro ćemo proći kroz Sloveniju i završiti u Ljubljani. Nadajući se da će vrijeme tamo biti naklonjeno. Laku noć!

Per favore, unisciti a me nel mio prossimo viaggio a Losanna, Friburgo, Düdingen, Zurigo e una notte nel treno notturno attraverso il Tirolo e la Carinzia. Al mattino attraverseremo la Slovenia e finiremo a Lubiana. Sperando che il tempo sarà collaborativo lì. Buona notte!

[greenbagjosh]

Days 11 to 13 04 August 2004 - across the Polentagraben to Zug and across the Roestigraben to Geneva, and back in time for the Street Parade 2004

Wednesday

04 August 2004

Hi everyone! Today we leave the Ticino and cross the "Polentagraben" for Zug, going through Lucerne, changing at Arth-Goldau. We explore Zug for a bit, do the laundry at the hostel, take a ride to Geneva by crossing the "Roestigraben" between Bern and Fribourg, a tram to Moillesullaz and walk to Gaillard in France, and eat in Zurich before returning to Zug for the night. Hope you will join me.

Dia duit gach duine! Sa lá atá inniu ann fágann muid an Ticino agus trasnaímid an "polentagraben" do Zug, ag dul trí Lucerne, ag athrú ag Arth-Goldau. Déanaimid iniúchadh ar Zug ar feadh tamaill, déanaimid an níocháin ag an mbrú, tóg turas go dtí an Ghinéiv trí thrasnú an "roestigraben" idir Bern agus Friborg, tram go Millesullaz agus siúl go Gaillard sa Fhrainc, agus ithe i Zurich sula bhfillfidh tú ar Zug le haghaidh Zug le haghaidh an oíche. Tá súil agam go dtiocfaidh tú liom.

Ciao a tutti! Oggi lasciamo il Ticino e attraversiamo il "Polentagraben" per Zug, attraversando Lucerna, cambiando ad Arth-GoldAu. Esploriamo Zug per un po ', facciamo il lavanderia all'ostello, facciamo un giro a Ginevra attraversando il "roestigraben" tra Bern e Friborg, un tram per Moillesullaz e cammina per Gaillard in Francia la notte. Spero che ti unirai a me.

Salut tout le monde! Aujourd'hui, nous quittons le Ticino et traversons le "Polentagraben" pour Zug, passant par Lucerne, changeant à Arth-Goldau. Nous explorons un peu Zug, faisons la lessive à l'auberge, faisons un tour à Genève en traversant le "roestigraben" entre Bern et Friborg, un tram la nuit. J'espère que vous vous rejoindrez.

Hallo allerseits! Heute verlassen wir den Ticino und überqueren das "Polentagraben" für Zug, durch Luzern und wechseln in Arth-Goldau. Wir erforschen Zug für ein bisschen, waschen im Hostel, fahren nach Genf, indem wir das "Roestigraben" zwischen Bern und Friborg überqueren, eine Straßenbahn nach Moillesullaz und gehen nach Gaillard in Frankreich, bevor sie nach Zug zurückkehren die Nacht. Ich hoffe, Sie werden sich mir anschließen.

Wednesday 4th August 2004, I woke up about 6:30 AM, checked my essential remaining clean clothes, and they were dry enough for the day. I took a shower and packed up before going down for breakfast. I checked out and took bus line 2 to the rail station. I boarded a 10 AM train for Arth Goldau via Bellinzona. It was another Cisalpino train. The train did not go through the Gotthard base tunnel, as in 2004 it was only under construction at the time. The only intermediate stop was Bellinzona, and at the time, there was no Ceneri base tunnel, so the train went along the steeper decline near Cadenazzo. We went through the corkscrew at Viadotto della Biaschina, and as high as Airolo and went through the St. Gotthard tunnel to Goeschenen, on the other side of the Polentagraben, which is the boundary between the Italian and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland. The train went down the mountain to Erstfeld, Altdorf, Flueelen, Brunnen, Schwyz and stopped only in Arth-Goldau. The Arth-Goldau station is like a triangle, the trains going to the right going to Zug and eventually Zurich, the left going to Luzern.

Leaving Arth-Goldau, the train went along the west bank of the Zuger See to Kussnacht. It turned southwest to Luzern, passing the Verkehrshaus, otherwise known as the Transit Museum of Switzerland. I alighted from the train, put my wheeled bag in a locker and walked around the Kapellbruecke and SBB rail station. I did not walk very far. I was waiting for a train to Zug. About 2:30 PM, I took the train from Luzern to Zug, passing Root and Cham. Zug is a triangle station, similar to Arth-Goldau.

I took a local bus from the rail station to the hostel. I did not know at the time, that the hostel was located close to the Schutzengel commuter rail station. At the hostel, I asked for the laundry, and I was able to have my laundry washed there. All my dirty laundry would finally be washed, and dried, for a single price. After I had finished the wash and rinse cycle, I put my laundry in the dryer, and went off to Wirtschaft Brandenberg nearby, on Allmendstrasse. I had at least a glass of Eichhof and some food. I got a headache and went back to my room after collecting the dried laundry. I lied down for an hour after taking aspirin. Then I took a bus ride, and ended up in neighboring Baar to the northeast. I was a bit lost, but found my way back to the bus stop going back to Zug. Along the way, I saw a Mitsubishi dealership, that was selling compact cars. One of them was the Colt of the "Z30" series, that appeared to share components from the second generation Fiat Punto. Locally it was built in the Netherlands.

I came back in the direction of Metalli before heading back to the hostel to sleep. When I was trying to sleep, I heard some fireworks. Those were leftover fireworks from the previous days' Nationaltag.

On Thursday, 5th August 2004, I woke up about 6:30 AM, took a shower and went for breakfast. In the breakfast room, was a large group of disabled people from the Netherlands coming to visit Switzerland. They happened to pick the 4th and 5th August of that year to stop in Zug. They had a big bus with Dutch registration. I am not sure where they were going that day. All I know, is that everyone was happy to be able to leave the Netherlands and have a nice time in Switzerland.

Breakfast included toast, butter, cheese, cold cuts, jam, coffee and orange juice. I was done about 8 AM, and was ready to take the bus to Zug station and on to Geneva via Zurich and Bern. That was the fastest way at the time. I had a bit of a challenge with the ticket machine at the hostel bus stop, though I could have walked to Schutzengel, and rode with my Eurail Pass and not bought a bus pass at all. Once the bus came, I told the driver that the ticket machine was not working. That helped, because after Aabachstrasse, the bus inspectors boarded. The bus driver told the inspector that I was okay, and they let me ride to the rail station without incident.

At Zug, I boarded the Intercity train to Zurich HB, making no stops in between, even at Thalwil. The train passed through Baar and Thalwil, and went all the way through the Zimmerberg tunnel, and I could not see Wollishofen or Lake Zurich as a result. The train emerged at Enge and again at Wiedikon, before ending at Zurich HB. I saw the big "ZURICH" sign and clock. I think it was around 10 AM when the train arrived. I was able to catch the connecting train to Geneva, stopping at Bern, Fribourg and Lausanne.

The train for Geneva left about 10:30 AM. It passed through Lenzburg, Aarau, Daeniken, Dulliken, stopped at Bern, crossed the Roestigraben after Duedingen, stopped at Fribourg, then Lausanne and Geneva CFF. The Roestigraben is the linguistic boundary between the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Between Neyruz FR and Oron VD, the countryside is very nice. I had been there as early as September 2000, and maybe three more times, in April 2001, November 2002 and August 2003. The train went through a tunnel, and emerged at Puidoux VD. There, the train ha a nice view of Lake Geneva. The train descended west-northwest to Pully and Lausanne.

The train arrived about 12:15 PM at Geneva CFF. Geneva CFF is a large rail station, about as large as Zurich HB. I had to buy a day pass for the tram, as the RER did not go to either Gaillard or Annemasse at the time. I took a tram to Plainpalais, then another to Moillesullaz. At the time, the tram terminated at Moillesullaz, but has since been extended to the Annemasse SNCF rail station. At the border with France, I had my passport handy, then walked to the SPAR grocery store at 118 Rue de Geneve, close to what would eventually be the Gaillard Liberation tram stop. I bought some andouille sausage, goat cheese, baguette bread and vanilla waffles. I would eat those later in the day.

Returning to Switzerland at the Moillesullaz tram stop, I took the tram to Molard, then walked to the Pont du Mont Blanc to see the Jardin Anglais and the Horologe Fleurie, the flower clock. Every year, the layout is different. I walked also to the Promenade du Lac to see the Jet d'Eau. That is the big water fountain at the end of Lake Geneva. I was watching the top of the water, and zoomed in with my camera watching how the water at the top started to fall. Before going back to the rail station, I ate a sandwich made with the andouille, goat cheese and baguette. I had some of my vanilla waffles, but had to put them away after eating one, because I got a severe sugar rush from them. Otherwise they were good.

About 5 PM I arrived back at the Geneva CFF rail station. I was about ready to return to Geneva. I saw the RER train, and its final destination was La Plaine, just a mile away from the international border with France. The train to Zurich would be leaving about 5:45 PM. The journey to Zurich took about two and a half hours. The train arrived in Zurich about 8:15 PM, and the sun was still shining.

I walked to Central and went on the Niederdorferstrasse. I went to my favorite restaurant (the Bierhalle Wolf is my other favorite restaurant, which has more of a Hofbrauhaus kind of vibe), for a large Feldschloesschen beer and a Zurcher G'Schnetzeltes, pork chunks in mushroom gravy, with Roesti. Roesti are shredded potatoes. The Roestigraben is sort of a boundary where Roesti is not served, generally not served in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, but is a staple in the German-speaking part. I enjoyed my G'Schnetzeltes with Roesti and beer, paid and left for Zug. The bus was still running at Zug. I took the bus to the hostel, went to my room and went to sleep.

Please join me for tomorrow's journey, when I visit Bern, and then be part of the Street Parade 2004 in Zurich for most of the day. Eventually we will go to Germany, so it's about two more days away. Hope you will join me then!

[greenbagjosh]

27 April 2001 - andouille for lunch, Chaplin statue spotted and percussion festival in Lausanne

Grüezi Mitenand!  Bonjour!  Buongiorno!  Hi everyone!

Thank you for joining me on the ninth day of the April 2001 journey.  Today is Friday the 27th April 2001.

Today we will stay in the French speaking part of Switzerland for the most part, and cross into France at Moillesullaz.  I never tried that on my previous visits to Geneva until today.  Also this time will be successful in seeing the Charlie Chaplin statue in Vevey.

I woke up about 8 AM and had breakfast at the hostel restaurant.  It was included in the overnight stay price.  It was not much different than what I would usually get at the hostel in Zürich.  I took a shower about 8:45 AM and was ready to leave the hostel about 9:20 after I made sure all my camera batteries were charged up.  I caught the bus at 9:35 AM to the Ouchy cog rail station to go up to the station so I could catch the 9:57 AM train to Genève / Geneva CFF nonstop.  The train passed Renens VD where the current M1 train terminates and ends up at Flon where I was last night and where I would also end up later that evening.  The train arrived in Geneva about 10:33 AM.  At 10:38 AM I boarded a tram for Moillesullaz in the east, long past Gare des Eaux Vives.  The last station in Switzerland with a proper traffic signal is Graveson in the city of Thônex GE, and the next one is Moillesullaz where the tram line 12 turns around to return to Geneva.  At Moillesullaz is also the border with France.  Only recently was the tram line 17 extended to the Annemasse SNCF rail station.  At 11:25 AM, I crossed the border and the guards just waved me through.  

I walked maybe a quarter mile down Rue de Genève until I found a grocery store.  I went into the SPAR grocery store, in particular looked for a baguette, cold cuts and goat cheese, and Orangina orange soda.  I found something very interesting in the deli section, namely andouille sausage.  I bought that, and walked back to Moillesullaz.  I crossed back into Switzerland at 11:55 AM to take the next tram 12.  Incidentally, years later, a tram stop was built at Gaillard-Libération.  Where I stayed in December 2016, the bus stop La Tour was demolished, so now I have the choice of the tram line 17 stations of Libération or Millet.

While the tram 12 was going to Palettes, someone with a sweet dog on a leash had boarded the tram about 12:20.  It looked like a cross between a basset and a beagle.  I took a photo about 12:23 PM.  It was behaving itself very well, and did not make a mess for its hooman owner to clean up.  Right after that, the tram crossed the River Arve into Carouge GE.  It eventually went to Lancy-Bachet before it reached Palettes.  At Palettes, the train terminated and turned back, there was no connection at the time, towards Lancy-Pont-Rouge, a northbound stretch to Stand near Bel-Air or the Sécheron rail station.  The only way back to Geneva by the tram was through Carouge and Bel Air.  In the meantime, I went to a park bench, made a sandwich with the andouille sausage, goat cheese and baguette.  Tasted very interesting.  The andouille looked like it was thinly rolled twenty times.

About 1:50 PM I arrived at Bel-Air Cité and walked towards the Jardin Anglais to see the Flower Clock.  The Flower Clock had its face completely changed from the two previous times I visited, March 2000 and September 2000.  For 2001, the numbers were not clear, so you would have to imagine the white spots as the hour markings.  At 2:09 PM I walked to the lake and was able to see the Jet d'Eau, the big fountain.  I thought to myself, how close could I get?  It would take half an hour to get to the spout, and even then, it would not be safe to get too close as a result of the water pressure.  At 2:26 I was able to walk to the Quai Gustave Ador at the intersection of Rue du 31 Décembre.  Staying on land was the safest option, since walking across the jetty towards the spout, you would run the risk of being sprayed undesirably in case the wind were to change direction all of a sudden.  

I went back to the rail station at 3:00 PM, bought a train ticket for Brig to Milan on the Cisalpino (not covered by Swiss Pass), and caught a 3:30 PM train to Vevey via Lausanne.  The train arrived in Vevey about 4:30 PM.  I had researched the route to get to the Charlie Chaplin statue, that was one block away from the Nestlé headquarters.  At 4:45 PM I was able to see The Little Tramp himself.  I was very glad to have taken the time to return to Vevey, as I had botched the last visit in September 2000, as it was late that Saturday evening.  This time was a success.

Before leaving for Lausanne, I went to a grocery store to buy some chocolates.  I bought a box of mixed chocolates, and some sugar-free chocolate as well.  I hoped my work colleagues would appreciate quality chocolates.  About 6 PM I took a train back to Lausanne.  It arrived in Lausanne about 6:20 PM.

I wanted to ride the LEB train.  I knew that the Swiss Pass was valid, and that it terminated in Flon, so getting to the terminus station was not a problem.  That day, there was a percussion music festival, so while I was waiting for the LEB train to go to Romanel, I heard a percussion band play a couple of songs.  I could not tell you the compositions but it sounded very good.  The band must have rehearsed for a long time.  I do not know where or what I had for supper that evening.

I wandered around Romanel from 7:50 PM until 8:20 PM, before I took the LEB train back to Flon.  There was a carneval setup in addition to the percussion festival.  At some stage, I guess 9:20 PM, there was a parade of the band, so I took a minute or two of footage of their playing.  I went for a final drink before heading back to the hostel at 10:30 PM.  

Tomorrow is the last travel day by train, and I reach my final destination of Milan, Italy.  I may not even get to stay at the hotel that I booked.  We will see how it goes.  Please join me then.

Auf wiederluege!  Au revoir!  Arrivederci!  Goodbye!

[greenbagjosh]

18 April 2001 - vacation preview IT-CH-DE-FR-IT

Grüezi Mitenand!  Bonjour!  Buongiorno!  Hi everyone!

Today I want to just give a preview of my vacation in April 2001 which happened twenty years ago this week.

It has been twenty years since I had made a visit to Zurich for its Sechseläuten festival.  I would follow essentially the same route that I took for part of the vacation that I took in September 2000, counterclockwise from and to Milan Malpensa airport (MXP), but I would not go east of the Lambrate rail station, nor would I go anywhere in Austria, the German Bundesland of Bavaria, and very little east of Zürich than the Wollishofen district.  In that case the route would be shorter, lengthwise.  One goal I had this journey, was to visit as many cantons of Switzerland that I had not been to yet.  These would include Luzern Aargau Schaffhausen Basel-Landschaft* Solothurn* Bern* Obwalden Nidwalden Neuchatel* Valais

* have only taken the train through, have not really visited

My route plan would be San Francisco International Washington DC Dulles with MetroRail ride to L'Enfant Plaza, Pentagon and Rosslyn Milano Malpensa the historical Flycar (since replaced by a regional rail service) to Lugano via Varese and Mendrisio day journey to Bellinzona and Locarno with surprise journey to Camedo by regional railway visit to the Foxtown shopping center dinner (pizza, and just pizza) at Manora in central Lugano bus to Lugano FFS station and train to Zürich via Arth-Goldau train ride to Schaffhausen and back by Lotstetten train ride to Aarau in the canton of Aargau watching the Sechseläuten parade and burning of the Böögg, and ride up the Rigiblick-Seilbahn, down with the tram to Central and dinner at Brasserie Johanniter. train ride to Luzern, leave bags at station side trips to Stans (Nidwalden) and Sarnen (Obwalden) with a grocery store run for lunch train ride to Bern side trip to Worb BE by local train and return train ride to Basel tram rides around Basel, walk into Weil am Rhein and (D) tram St. Louis border (F) train ride to Biel/Bienne, return to Bern through Lyss by regional train train ride to Fribourg to leave luggage train ride to Delémont (JU) via Biel/Bienne walk through Delémont and ride to Neuchatel wrong way train to Biel/Bienne, train to Bern and farther on to Neuchatel to fetch my bags and farther train to Lausanne (VD) ride on the historic cograil Flon-Ouchy and supper at the Manora in downtown Lausanne train ride to Geneva and tram to Gaillard (Moillesullaz) tram ride to Palettes train ride to Vevey (Charlie Chaplin statue) train ride along the LEB to Romanel sur Lausanne train ride to Milano Centrale via Brig (Valais), lunch on the train, original hotel overbooked metro ride to Cascina Gobba and ride on the Ospedale San Raffaele cable car metro ride to Duomo and ride up by elevator with a view of Torre Velasca (Missori on the M3) ride along the counterclockwise trolleybus route to Lotto, quick visit to the Piero Rotta hostel near QT8 and back ride to San Donato by M3 and back ride to Famagosta by M2 rest of the day is a blur.... train ride from Loreto to Repubblica, Bovisa and Malpensa MXP Terminal 1 Flight from Malpensa MXP to Washington Dulles, uneventful customs checks, flight to SFO that night. and back to work on 1st May 2001 until the next adventure...

The journey may well be thought of as an "encore" to the September 2000 visit to Milan.  Some places I did not get to visit in September 2000, I was able to visit in April 2001.  Then in December 2001 I covered the cantons that I had not at least gone through by train, but that is for another time.  

I have unfortunately only a fraction of the audiovisual media available to refer to, as others are in storage and could therefore not be obtained in time to properly add context.  So I will do my best to remember what I did between the 19th and 30th April 2001.  It is not as long as September 2000 but should be just as enjoyable of a vacation.  Hope you will enjoy all the same.

Auf wiederluege!  Au revoir!  Arrivederci!  Goodbye!

[greenbagjosh]

Sunday 26 March 2000 CEST and visit to Geneva by TGV

Bonjour mesdames et messieurs

Aujourd'hui va-t-on à Genève.  Avez-vous avancé vos horloges d'une heure à GMT + 2 fois?

Today we are going to Geneva in Switzerland.  Did you advance your clocks an hour?  Note that in 2000, the first day of daylight saving time was Sunday 26 March 2000, the last Sunday in March.  This applies also to the rest of Europe including Ceuta and Melilla, Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores.  Why is this important?  We have to catch the 7:10 AM train from Paris Gare du Lyon to Geneva CFF Cornavin, and I have a seat reservation that can cost about $20 to reissue.  

 I woke up around 5:30 AM even with the time change so it was like 4:30 AM.  The previous night I had bought Pétrole Hahn shampoo which had a very nice citrus scent.  I liked it better than Fructis which had a more deciduous scent which I did not like as much.  So I washed with that in the shower.  Too bad that it is nearly impossible to find Pétrole Hahn shampoo in the USA.  We are stuck with Fructis. At 6 AM I came down the spiral stairs to the ground floor to have breakfast, or at least I was prepared to go to a nearby café that would have been open if breakfast was not ready.  The staff had a few spare bread rolls for me, and they let me have coffee, so that was very nice of them to let me eat breakfast before everyone else.  

 At 6:30 AM I finished breakfast and left the AIJ for Gare du Lyon.  I went on Rue Trousseau, Rue Charles Baudelaire, Rue du Prague, Rue Abel, and Boulevard Diderot.  It was easier that time than taking the M8 from Ledru Rollin to Bastille and changing to the M1 for Gare du Lyon, as I was in doubt about the train frequency and layover. And I got exercise.  It was a good thing that it was not raining.  I made it to Gare du Lyon about 6:50 AM with 15 to 20 minutes to spare.  The reservation ticket I had, I had stamped the Gare du Lyon to Geneva portion.  You might have read at some point, that on 16th August 1998 when I went to Lyon for the day, I had accidentally validated the return ticket and not the away ticket.  I had to notify the conductor about that.  This time I validated the correct ticket.

 I was in the second class car, facing away from the direction of travel.  The train left at 7:10 AM.  It went very fast between Gare du Lyon and Macon TGV.  The terrain was slightly hilly but was not significant until Bourg en Bresse to Bellegarde and Geneva.  I was listening on my radio at times when the FM signal was at least receivable.  One song I distinctly remember hearing was "Les Marionnettes" by Christophe. It went something like "Moi, je construis … de marionne …  ttes, avec de la fiselle …. Et du papier!".  I think that day I might have recorded two hours of FM radio, spanning two C-90 cassettes.

 The last stop in France was at Bellegarde and the train arrived about 10:15 AM.  There were connections to Annemasse and Annecy without crossing into Switzerland.  At La Plaine, that is the first station in Switzerland and is part of its RER system which goes to Nyon and also since late 2019 to Annemasse via Geneva Eaux Vives.  At 11 AM the train arrived in Geneva CFF. Switzerland was not yet a member of Schengen, and as such there was a passport control for the SNCF tracks.  I received a stamp in my passport, for Genève CFF.        

 I changed some French Francs and US Dollars into Swiss Francs at the station.  Then I went to a vending machine to buy a day pass for the trams and busses.  In 2000 these cost only 5 CHF.  I ate my lunch that I prepared in Paris, mainly lunchmeat, cream cheese and soft drinks. Then I took the trolley bus along Rue du Chantepoulet and Rue du Mont Blanc to Molard.  I also had a look at "L'horologe Fleurie", the flower clock at Quai du Général-Guisan and Place du Port.  It had the 1 to 12 positions in flower arrangements and at the bottom was "MARS 2000", also in a flower arrangement.  The video if you have seen it, had those scenes cut unfortunately.  I returned on a trolley bus to the rail station and decided to take the tram 16 which went on Rue James Fazy and Pont de la Coulouvrenière.  I changed at Plainpalais for line 12 to Moillesullaz and went along Rue de la Croix-d'Or eastward to Place de Jargonnant.  I spent five minutes contemplating the scene facing Avenue Pictet-de-Rochemont towards Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).  After that I stopped filming to save battery power.  I did not have enough battery power to get all the video that I wanted, so at some stage or two I had to limit myself to the 35 mm Samsung camera that I had – do you know the Evoca 115?  In 1998 that was one of the best point-and-shoot 35 mm film cameras, problem-ridden may it have been with "overuse".

 So from Place de Jargonnant, I took the tram line to Carouge, which was across the River Arve. Geneva's city limit was right at the river.  It did not seem like I actually crossed a city boundary, as the difference between Geneva and Carouge and Lancy were very small.  I went as far as Lancy-Bachet.  I did not go as far as Palettes, though I did so on 27th April 2001 on a later visit.  Palettes feels a bit different from Geneva as opposed to the other communities in the canton. I know that there is an extension being planned to Ravières and on to St Juilien en Genevois across the French border. So I think that was about 3 PM that I took the tram back to Geneva, and Place Neuve in particular.  There was a Subway sandwich shop and I bought a snack there.  Normally I would not eat at an American chain while overseas, but since the 26th was Sunday, that place was open so I just went there.  

At Place Neuve there is the Parc des Bastions. It is also at the bottom of the old part of the city.  At the west end facing Place Neuve, there is a large place for playing chess with giant pieces, about 50 cm / 1 foot 8 inches tall.  In the winter, the ice rink is open.  Toward the east part of the park, is the Monument to the Reformers. Together stand Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Huldrich Zwingli and John Knox.  About 3:45 PM my last video camera battery went dead.  Oh no.  I spent the last couple of minutes at Palais Eynard and that was the last thing in Geneva at the time that I videotaped.  The rest of the day prior to 5:30 PM I used the 35 mm camera.  

 About 4 PM I went to the Jardin Anglais, passing by the flower clock, and I managed at the banks of Lake Geneva to see the Jet d'eau, a big fountain that spouts water.  As it was already spring, the fountain's water was on.  My most recent visit, early December 2016, the fountain was turned off for the season.

 My train back to Paris was not until 6 PM.  So I had maybe an hour to do some more exploring.  So I took the trolleybus line 10 towards Meyrin, stopping at Servette along Route de Meyrin to explore around.  I remember there was a "Mc-Do" (pronounced "MacDough") restaurant. I did not eat there.  I went as far on the route 10 as the Bouchet stop, almost entering Meyrin.  I had my radio and I managed to record "Chan Chan" by Buena Vista Social Club and "Papa was a rolling stone" by the Temptations.  There was not much else interesting on the radio that day.

 It was about 5:15 PM and I had to get back to the rail station.  The bus got me to the station about 5:35 PM and I made my way to the SNCF platform entry.  I had my passport stamped to enter France, and boarded the TGV second class compartment for Paris.  At 6 PM the train left for Bellegarde, Bourg en Bresse and Macon TGV.  Everything was fine until I reached Macon.  There was some guy in his early 20s who insisted that the seat I was in, he had a reservation for.  So somehow there was a conflict with the reservation.  I went to the vestibule to ride the rest of the way.  That was possibly the only bad thing that happened that day, aside from the video camera batteries going dead.  The train pulled into Paris Gare du Lyon about 9:50 PM. It felt like only 8:50 PM.

 I took the Metro line 1 to Bastille and changed to the M8 for Ledru Rollin to return to the AIJ.  I was not really hungry, so I did not go out to eat.  I had whatever leftover food was in my bag, then I went up the spiral staircase back to my room and went to sleep.  

 The next couple of days were shopping days so I did not want to miss out on those.  

For the 27th I planned to visit the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Stravinski fountains, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Trocadéro, Champs Elysées, Porte Maillot in Neuilly, La Défense and a tram ride to Boulogne and the M10 and M8 back to the AIJ.  Big day ahead.

 Bonne nuit et a la prochaîne