Geneva, Switzerland
6/27/01 - 6/29/01
E-mail excerpt from 6/27/01
I am here now in Geneva and things are looking up. Here was the problem, the night train that I qualified for with my pass looked like it went to Munich, Germany first, and then Zurich, and then to another part of Switzerland, and then to Geneva. The times on the chart definitely pointed in that direction. However, the guy at the ticket booth swore that the train went straight to Geneva. Now Geneva is 8 hours away from Venice, however, the chart said it would take 13 hours to get there. This did not make sense and I did not believe him. I know that the 1st time on the chart (to Munich) takes 8 hours just as the chart said it did, because that is the exact same train Shola and I took 3 years ago. So, anyway, I didn't believe him (he didn't speak very good English either.)
The problem is this. To get to Munich, you must pass through Austria, which is not on my Europass. To pass through safely, you must purchase a "point to point" ticket for around 25 dollars, and hope that it satisfies the guards. A friend of a friend of mine was strapped for cash when he travelled this route and decided to "chance it" and not buy the ticket. The guards in Austria (who don't like Americans-Ill explain later) fined him at the border, and since he didn't have money to pay, they arrested him and made his parents wire money to the train station in the middle of the night to pay the ticket.
So, at the last minute, I decided to take the 5PM train that arrived in Geneva at midnight. I figured, at least then, I would be IN GENEVA and in a better place to negotiate a healthy outcome. Unfortunately, navigating through the mountains was a terrible experience at night, and I was feeling very nauseous by the time I got to Geneva at midnight. To make matters worse, there was a vicious thunderstorm and driving rain when I arrived in Geneva. Then, it took an entire hour to find the hotel, which is in an "interesting" neighbourhood. Anyway, I was hoping that they would have an extra room, but the entire hotel was "shut down" for the night. So, again, I did not have a place to stay. I walked around the city for about an hour trying to find a place to eat, but never found one (I had not eaten since noon.)
So, I returned to the Hotel hungry, exhausted, wet, and a little cold. The Hotel is a nice one, on the 2nd story of a 4-story apartment complex. The reception area is through a hallway and up a spiral staircase. It was pretty much abandoned on the first floor, so I decided to lay down my stuff and sleep on the hard floor, which didn't do very much for my back. . . but I managed. No one disturbed me during the night, and all things considered, I slept quite well (for an hour or two). Of course, I was massively uncomfortable, damp, and sweaty, but "se la vie."
I left around 8AM and managed to find a McDonalds that was open early. I had not eaten for around 36 hours and wasn't too picky (I ate dinner in Venice, was too rushed to make my train to eat breakfast the next morning, there was no lunch on the all-day train, and I arrived in Geneva around midnight after the restaurants were closed). I desperately wanted an extra value meal. The selections were slim and they were only serving breakfast. Unfortunately, I ordered a "McWhat the heck was that" sandwich, but didn't suffer through eating it, because I was starving.
I returned to the hotel around 9:30 and they are cleaning my room now as I type. I figure I will be in the room by 11AM, Ill shower and shave, and then take a nap for several hours. Then I'll get up and eat a good meal, and then I'm thinking of taking a nice cruise at 5PM around Lake Geneva. I can take a later train to Paris tomorrow, and between the two days, I am certain I will see everything I want to see here in Geneva, (there is not that much to do anyway).
Anyway, thanks for your prayers, everything has worked out very well and I am very pleased with how I am feeling and how this part of the trip has gone. I am a little tired, but I am about to remedy that situation shortly.
I'm sorry that I couldn't e-mail in Venice, but it was just too expensive. In Rome and Florence, it was about 3 dollars an hour (that's kinda the going rate in Europe, and it's even less expensive than that here in Geneva.) However, in price-obnoxiousness (also known as Venice), it was almost 8 dollars an hour. I was appalled and refused to pay the thieves!!!!
You may download my Europe 2001 screensavers at Webshots
- Rome, Italy
- Florence, Italy
- Pisa/Lucca/Tuscany, Italy
- Venice, Italy
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Versailles, France
- Paris, France
