On Sunday, we got up bright and (not too) early for a ride up the mountain. After a lovely continental breakfast of bread, jam, butter, yogurt, OJ, and cereal, we took a bus out of the city into a nice rural area. At least it looked rural in 10 am mists, but after a quick jaunt through a lovely forest, we stumbled upon more homes and businesses. We spoke French during the 20 minute walk from our bus stop to the French/Swiss border, where there were no border guards. After walking for about 15 minutes into Savoie, we found the téléphérique(cable car) station. J had been worried that it would be closed on Sunday, but it turned out to be a popular activity for local families. A mere 12 euros later, we hopped on the next car and were lifted high above the ground to the top of Mt. Salève in the span of 4 minutes. In contrast to the cloudy weather on the ground, the sunshine was gloriously warm on the summit. We walked around a bit, ate some decent sandwiches at the snack stand, and had our picture taken by a nice French woman who pointed out that Mt. Blanc was in the background.
Returning to Geneva, we took the bus to LaPlaine which according to the guidebooks was chock full of rustic Swiss villages. Our first challenge was finding transportation – due to construction issues, the bus was on the other side of the gare near the post office and we waited about 30 minutes for it. LaPlaine was small, but looked more like small-town Kansas than un beau paysage (a beautiful landscape) de « Heidi. » Making the most of the situation, we hiked around in some vineyards for an hour before taking the train back to Geneva. A quick Internet session later, we ate a nice, reasonable dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. There, we noticed the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) couple phénomène – two people from different parts of the world using English as a way to communicate. A man with a German accent and his date with a hint of East Asian flair were having a wonderful time using broken English and hand gestures. We finished the night with drinks at Les Brasseurs. Instead of ordering 10 pintes of beer in succession, one can buy a 10L column of beer. Watching some high schoolers get wasted on Sunday night made for good people-watching (and silent vows of « I would NEVER let my children do that ! »
Our last day in the fair city started with a good breakfast and the search for one last attraction. Most of the museums were closed on Monday, so we headed for an art complex where we were sure to find something to do. When my very poor navigational skills led us to another neighborhood, we decided to keep walking and explore the suburbs. Caroulage was a lovely petit village with a temple, church, artisanal shops, and fountains. We took several trains to pick up our bags and go to the airport. We were able to chat for an hour before J had to catch her TGV train, after which I rushed to mine. I ‘ll spare you the details, but a) the train from the airport takes a LONG time to wind through the suburbs and b) you can exchange any TGV ticket one time for a later departure. I made it home safe and sound.
Next up – Luxembourg and more details about everyday life in Nancy. Happy Thanksgiving!
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