Rocks and Hard Place-Nice to Arles

Ouchy Beach

Hill Unclimbed

View From Acacias Hotel

Oct. 6, 2015-Arles

Rocks and Hard Place-Nice to Arles

Laundry accomplished! We walked our laundry bag to a self-service laundromat a few blocks from our hotel. Luckily, Bill from Philadelphia was there. He'd already figured out how to work the machines, pay station, and detergent dispenser. It was a maze of machine numbers, cost based on machine size, time needed, and on and on. We chatted while we ate our McDonald McBreakfasts and shared travel stories. When he left, we became the resident experts. In walked a tourist from Hungary who greatly appreciated our tutorial and went to get her wash.

That done, we walked about a dozen blocks to the promenade along the Mediterranean. It was vintage Cote d'Azur: sparkling blue glinting on pastel buildings lining the shore. Sort of like Miami. but, viva la difference, not in a good way. The beach was rocky. We knew it would be, but it wasn't pebbly. The rocks were the size of my fist. The temperature was heading for the mid to high 70's and people were sunbathing. Ouch!

The flower, produce, and crafts market was up and running in the old city. We strolled and inhaled the overpowering aroma of lavender sachet and soap. That was a hugely popular item. We resisted. I couldn't imagine traveling two more weeks with that odor in my luggage.

There was a hilltop garden we just didn't climb up to. It was 90 meters up several flights and the heat had gotten to us. As it turned out, museums close on Tuesdays, and the one we wanted to see, the Chagall, was under renovation. It was time for lunch.

We stayed with the French food theme of last night and had savory crepes. David ordered a meal that came with a chocolate and banana dessert crepe as big as a tennis racket. They come unfolded. They also featured gluten free crepes. I've noticed a lot of gluten free offerings on menus.

So that was Nice. I didn't love it. David adored the promenade. It was the first time we saw homeless sleeping on the street on this trip. It was also the first time we were warned about pick- pockets.

We decided to go to Arles for several days and use it as a base to day trip the area. It was a two hour forty-five minute drive including a hold up when our credit card wouldn't work at a toll-booth. Shades of the same problem in Italy, but this time a person who spoke English came to our lane and we paid cash. We went over very large mountains made easier to traverse by the toll-way. Well worth it.

Despite Our Lady's use of the term "slip road" which means highway ramp unless she actually says highway ramp, we were able to interpret her British English. We observed what might be a universal signal for speed trap; flashing headlights.

The Lady made a valiant effort getting us to the first hotel we put into the GPS, a Best Western. We chose it because we've had good experiences with them abroad. They're usually unique and pleasant. This was neither. It was filthy and decrepit. We went in search of our second choice, recommended by Frommer's or Rick Steves. It was in the old city. The Lady tried her best, but we ended up at a dead end.  A friendly woman with a little English knew where the hotel was, directed David to back up into a parking lot, and told me how to walk to the hotel. It wasn't far, but the only room they had was on the third floor (no lift) and we'd consolidated into one now very heavy carry-on size bag. The bed was small and they only had one night free. We hope to stay in Arles four or five nights.

But before she turned me loose, the Frenchwoman who'd directed us to this hotel told me she thought there was a hotel around the corner from the parking lot on the street next to the Rhone River. That's where I headed. We are now checked into the Acacias. We have a sitting room plus bedroom with king bed. We have A/C, WiFi, and free parking on the street if we get lucky. We did. The clerk apologized for the rate because it won't go down until Oct. 31, end of season. We're paying $75 a night. And it has a GoJo soap dispenser in the shower. Home sweet home.

We walked all around town looking for a restaurant. Most were closed by 8 PM. Odd. We ended up at the Vietnamese place next to our hotel. It's a good thing we did. There was a downpour as we were eating al fresco and we had to run inside. We didn't have pho but noted that it was only $8. Another day.

Another fashion blast! Short tapered jackets reaching only a bit below the waist is the rage here. Ladies, time to get rid of all those tunics.

I think we'll hang around Arles tomorrow.

Toby

Nicely Done-Monaco to Nice

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Grimaldi Palace Renovation

Oct. 5, 2015-Nice

Nicely Done-Monaco to Nice

We made it out of Savona before noon. My phone wouldn't call the tech help number of AutoEurope for Garmin assistance, so I asked the hotel owner's daughter to dial it on their phone. We connected and some poor guy had to deal with our problem at 3 AM U.S. time. He and his supervisor went back and forth with suggestions and even tried a Garmin in their office. They said it had to work with the lighter adaptor and only charge with the USB if we wanted to use it when we were on foot. They said to take the car to a Euro Car office and have them put a fuse in the lighter and re-enable it. There was such a place near our Hotel San Marco.

The Euro Car folks said they couldn't fix the fuse then tested the lighter adaptor in another car. It worked. I asked for a new car and they said YES. We had to top off the gas in the old car before they'd hand us keys to the new one. We filled it up and returned to the office. It was locked!! I let out a yelp and the clerk came running from next door. She was only having a coffee break. We now have a larger, newer, Fiat with no dents.

There was a laundry near our hotel and we thought we'd have clean clothes, but it wasn't self-serve and with siesta in the mix, our laundry wouldn't be ready until 3 PM. We decided to head for Monaco. We used the Autostrada since there was flooding yesterday and these highways have wonderful Auto Grills with brimming cafeterias and restaurants. That's where we lunched. Now we're in price-shock in reverse. Lunch was two sandwiches, a liter and a half bottle of water, two half liters of water, and a box of cough drops for $16. 

David got used to manual shifting immediately; the cruise control, however, was another thing. Evidently the cruise and speed governor are on the same control. He mistakenly set the governor and we couldn't figure out why he couldn't accelerate. Problem solved.

We've stepped back in time. It's summer again, temp is in the mid-70's, and flowers are in bloom. There are so many tunnels crawling under the Maritime Alps that we felt a part of a subterranean species by the time we emerged. But when we did, there was the sea and the pink and tan buildings rising up on the Cote d'Azure.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as we called a former Garmin, has lived up to her name. We put Monte Carlo, Monaco into the search parameters and she managed to find us when we lost our way and not scold. We went on a circuitous descent through alleys and switchback lanes where every street changed names at will. The traffic was zany and the motorcycles, I don't even have to tell you. Tourist season is not over yet. 

A policeman directed us to Parking Palais-Musee and we ended up on level -5 exactly where we wanted to be. And there was a public toilet! But, oy, the Grimaldi's should be ashamed of themselves. It was a disgrace. Considering they're going through a vast home improvement project of their own, they should blush at treating their guests, the tourists, so shabbily.

We took an audio tour of their home, the palace (built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress), enjoying the splendor of gilt, tapestries, art, and majesty. Many rooms, including the throne room, were grand, but on a small scale. Everything seemed to be shrunk from the usual European royal abodes. One painting of Princess Grace, Prince Rainier, and their children was striking. It was done in 1981, a year before her death. In it the Prince and three children are touching each other either on the shoulder or hand. Princess Grace is standing alone in their midst.

We tripped through the barriers and construction site surrounding their home and took an ice-cream break. I've never had such deliciously strong flavors. There were chunks of chocolate, coconut, and cafe in our scoops. Which brings me to an issue I'm having. Several times I've spoken in broken French and been answered in English. It's obvious they understood me. I want to practice. What happened to the snobbish French who only spoke their native tongue?

We walked through gardens overlooking the sea, paused for pictures, looked at the church then actually figured out how to pay for parking and found our car. When we headed for Nice we couldn't tell if we were in a tunnel or entering another parking lot. We surfaced facing a lovely green sign to Autostrada Nice. Despite the fact Our Lady says "nice" instead of the French pronunciation of Nice, and with many more missteps, we arrived at The Best Western New York Hotel, Nice. I know, it's a chain, but we needed nicer (pardon the pun) than last night and may want to stay two days if they have an opening. David managed to maneuver the car into the last free parking spot on the street and there it will stay until hell freezes over. 

Dinner was around the corner at Cenac "snack" where we had photo worthy duck confit and salad Nicoise.

Tomorrow we'll tour the old town and leave for Aix-en-Provence. We're aware of the tragic rains they had Saturday but are told the highways should be open. We didn't realize the extent of the disaster. All rail lines, airports, and roadways were affected. Missed it by a day.

Toby

One Place To Another-Getting To Savona, Italy

Leaving Switzerland

Damaged Fiat

Oct. 4, 2015-Savona, Italy

One Place To Another-Getting To Savona, Italy
We had a leisurely start to our day and easily made the train to Milan. Before boarding we lunched on chicken hot dogs at Hot Dog King. Not bad. We also bought provisions for the train. It was only a three-hour trip, but you never know. We went to reliable old Migros Grocery and David waited outside with the luggage while I shopped. That's when he noticed permanently affixed brackets for securing a dog leash shopping. So dog friendly. 

The train was standing room only. Our seatmates were a young man from California who was a biologist working with the Park Department at the Grand Canyon. He was Swiss-Mexican and visiting his relatives in Switzerland. The standees were Greek, all young. They spoke several languages, were college grads, and complained they couldn't find work in Greece due to the economy. One girl worked for $28 a day. When they got off we were joined by a French speaking couple who made no attempt at English, nor did I make an attempt at French.

Our car was a rolling nursery. It was noisy, but not bothersome. Interesting to hear parents interacting with kids in all languages. Loved hearing three-year olds switch from English to German.

We had visitors from their version of the FDA, sniffer dog and all. Then three border patrol guards boarded with a prisoner. They all sat quietly and got off at the next station. Gulp.

We cruised past beautiful Isola Bella in Lago Maggiore in the town of Stresa. We visited there many years ago and it was lovely as ever. We arrived in Milan more or less on time and found the car rental place after asking two policemen and a woman at the money exchange office for directions. We have a tiny Fiat that's a good size for us. It's white, not an  "obnoxious color" as we requested. It was kind of banged up so I took pictures of it: just saying.

We plugged in our Garmin GPS and got nothing. Evidently they disabled the lighter in the car. We had another cord so tried that. It seems the Garmin was not charged and needed to be before it would turn on. We had good directions to get to the highway so took off. But there was a problem with the Garmin. If it is being charged, it won't turn on to give directions. We couldn't fully charge it before we needed to use it so we kept turning it on and off and charging it in between. Somehow it had enough juice to find this crazy hotel we saw on line. It's on a side street in Savona. As I checked in a guy was delivering pizza. I ordered one. Fortunately, the owner/receptionist is British and has been helpful. The one thing we can't seem to do is call Auto Europe tech help about the Garmin. We tried using other cords to charge, it but it won't recognize them.

There's always another day or we can resort to maps.

Hopefully we'll find France tomorrow. Can't be far:)

Toby

Bern Again

Terraced houses along Aare River

Happy Shoppers

Oct. 3, 2015-Bern Again

We had a lazy morning sleeping until 10 AM. We needed that. Today was to be shopping and strolling. We accomplished both.

I love this city. I fully understand how someone would want to live here. It's easy to get around, picturesque, everything is available, and around every turn is a breathtaking view. We wended our way through open air markets interspersed on plazas and overlooked by dignified, stately buildings. We bought two bananas at one stand and were given a gift of an orange. We bought ten dates at an Iranian vendor (they cost $3, more was too costly) and were rewarded with the same gracious service as someone who bought a kilo. David pigged out on olives. We found ourselves in a handcraft market and as we peered over a low wall the magnificent scene  appeared:terraced gardens, charming buildings, the River Aare. Bliss.

We had pho for lunch, but only we called it that. We went to a Thai restaurant on the main drag and, judging by their menu and pictures thereon, we saw what we call pho. I asked (in German yet) if they had pho. I got a blank stare. David tried "soup." She said in English they had Thai noodle soup with beef. I asked if it was pho. Blank stare. Then it dawned on me. Pho is Vietnamese. I said as much to her. She nodded. Whatever they call it, it was delicious. The beef was tender and more like brisket than the thin sliced boiled beef we get in the States. Several Asians came and went while we ate. The owners and they spoke Chinese, not Thai. In the end, $26 each for soup.

A little shopping at Loeb's was on our agenda. It's a family owned store that's been in Bern for generations. Found what we wanted then started our search for ice-cream. Gelato shops are available but not always with a place to sit down. We opted for a bench on the street and people-watched.

With relief we bussed back to our hotel to drop our bags and walk to the university. The hotel was locked and the sign said that reception was closed from noon-5PM. We were to swipe our key for entry. If there was a problem we were directed to press a button to call a hotel where someone could buzz us in. We did, and they did. We were in the lobby and had to go through a door leading to a courtyard, a door to another building of the hotel, then up to our room. We got through door one, but door two wouldn't open. We buzzed again and were told they couldn't get us any farther. We were now locked in the courtyard. That they could fix. We were let back into the lobby. Fortunately, it was 4:00 PM and we only had an hour to wait.

The reason we were having all the trouble was that we extended our stay a day and they hadn't up-dated our key. As we sat, new guests arrived dragging luggage. We let them in, pointed to a pile of keys with names on the desk, and directed them to their rooms. When the receptionist finally arrived, we explained our dilemma. She fixed our keys but didn't seem to care.

Don't know if I've mentioned the red lights of a theater visible from the courtyard of our hotel. Anyway, we explored the alley in front of it. Just as I thought, it's a porno theater. You'd never know it by how nice and safe the neighborhood is.

We did walk around the university's gracious buildings. By the time we'd finished we were almost downtown at the train station. We began our hunt for dinner and came upon La Mazot, an "authentic Swiss restaurant." They served fondue, rachlette, and rosti. We shared a rosti. We were seated next to a South Korean couple now living in San Diego. When they left, two men from the D.C. area sat down. They were here for a European scientific conference on space. Ah yes, Switzerland is the home of the CERN Hadron super-collider. These two were right out of the Big Bang Theory. One was a physicist; the other was an astrophysicist.

David forgot our bus passes when we left for dinner. That meant we chanced getting caught and incurring a fine or walking. We chose to walk off dinner and arrived at the hotel the same time as did the bus we would have taken.

We catch the train to Milan tomorrow around 1:30 PM, pick up our car at 4:30 PM and hit the road. Here's to our Garmin!

Toby

Munster and Synagogue-Zurich and Bern

Munsters

Synagogue

Oct. 2, 2015-Zurich

Munster and Synagogue-Zurich and Bern

My prediction is that kerchiefs wrapped around the head will be the new women's fashion. I saw two stunners today one with a classic ‘40's style and one with an African twist. Way to save on hair care.

We left Bern by a different route and crossed the teal colored Aare. Leaves have begun to change at last although it reached the low 70's today.

The Zurich train station is very pretty and the had an easily found tourist bureau. We met a Bulgarian man while standing in line. He had excellent English and spoke at least ten other languages. He was learning Chinese in preparation for a trip there in two years. Next year he's going to Brazil. Yup...Portuguese.

The Swiss National Museum was across from the station in an old castle. Unfortunately the modern interior doesn't reflect it's exterior, but it's a lovely facility. There were attractive displays of religious and secular items through the years. In the gold and silver church section we found a Sabbath menorah. It wasn't labeled as such. Just another candelabra. Swiss history was traced using artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Celts through the Romans in 15 BC, the Franks in the 8th and 9th centuries to present. Some of the space-saving furniture from after WWII was fascinating. One convertible table reminded me of baby strollers that turn into prams, high chairs, booster seats, etc.

The sun was shining brilliantly as we continued our walking tour along the Liimmat River. The map took us through pedestrian shopping areas in the old town and back to the river before arriving at Grossmunster, a Gothic style Protestant church of the Reformation. These churches are really stark and cold. Their concession to vanity is a few stained glass windows. We plodded on through the stomping grounds of the Zurich Film Festival we didn't even know about. There wasn't a "beautiful person" in sight. Because of the temporary facilities for the fest, we had to climb a gazillion steps of a walkway to cross the street. Once across we visited Fraumunster, a clone of Grossmunster. But its claim to fame was that its stained glass windows were by Chagall. Wonder what happened to the originals from the good old Gothic days?

As it happens, tonight is Shabbat. We got back to Bern early enough to go to synagogue on the appropriately named Kappellenstrasse. We'd emailed them earlier, sent copies of our passports, and had an email back welcoming us. This type of security is common in Europe.

The building was an easy walk from where we usually turn for the train station. It's in a combination old and new facility serving 350 members and an equal number of unaffiliated. Tonight there were about 25 people in attendance. There are 30 children in religious school plus a kindergarten.

It's a good thing we came. David made the minyan (the number of men needed to say certain prayers). I schlepped three flights up to the woman's balcony. This is common overseas as most synagogues are orthodox leaning. The seats were theater style but hard-on-the-tusch wood. There was a plan on the wall indicating names of women who had paid to reserve their seats when present. I happened to be in Dina Kuhn's. She was not.

It was a charming place. I had a bird's eye view of the ecru and terra cotta color walls with arched accents and a burst of blue above the Ark. The walls on either side of the Ark were ecru with touches of gold. Stained glass windows added their panache and an old brass chandelier created a touch of elegance. The rabbi was on holiday and the cantor was ill so the president of the congregation led the service. His attire made us feel better about wearing our traveling jeans. His turquoise kippah (head covering) matched his shirt. His graying ponytail hung over his collar as he wiped his glasses on his Tallis (prayer shawl). He did a masterful job and the liturgy was familiar enough so I could participate even though some tunes differed.

I trooped up three more floors (six for David) to the rooftop sukkah (look it up if you don't know) for wine and holiday blessings. When all were gathered, I looked around and realized how tall everyone was. There we met a very young Chabad rabbi and his daughter plus a newlywed couple. She was a lawyer from Berlin and he was a native of Bern. She grew up living next to the famous old restored synagogue in Berlin. I mentioned that when we were there Berliners kept telling us "we love our Jews." She told us they're still trying to get over IT.

Dinner was back in our "hood" at Cafe d'Italia. We like Il Ristorantino better. Sorry Patti. 

I'm going to do a commercial for a product I learned of on Shark Tank and have used ever since. It's called ReadeRest. It's magnetic and provides a secure place to hang glasses from clothing.  I've loved using mine this trip. Haven't had to dive into a toilet yet to retrieve my sunglasses.  It's available on line but cheaper at Walmart. Sorry, those of you who don't shop there.

As we approach our return to Milan to pick up our car on Sunday, I want to extend a special thanks to our Swiss friend, Sam, for the work he did in international law allowing us to cross Swiss borders into EU countries without showing our passports.

We'll hang around Bern tomorrow, do shopping, and maybe sleep late.

Toby

Challenges Past and Present-Lausanne & Montreux

Chateau of Chillon

Olympic Museum

Challenges Past and Present-Lausanne & Montreux

Oct. 1, 2015-Lausanne & Montreux

It's Octoberfest time and we hoped to avoid the drunken revelry by going back to a French canton. I understand Switzerland isn't as extreme in her celebration as Germany. Switzerland seems to have an attitude of "everything in moderation," my Grandmas's favorite saying.

We took a train to Lausanne and changed for Montreux. Once there we were directed to a local bus for Chillon and its Chateau. At our stop we tried to exit the bus, but the doors wouldn't open. The driver decided it was a good time to check our tickets to see if the clueless Americans didn't know to buy tickets and might be ripe for a fine. He checked no one else's and the doors magically opened.

I'll start you off with a brief literature lesson, although there are people reading these emails who have PhDs in English lit. The Chateau was made famous in the very long poem by Lord Byron after he and Shelley visited the area. It was a dark and stormy night, literally. Byron and Shelley were awed by Lake Geneva, had seen the Chateau, and were forced to shelter at an inn in Ouchy.

Byron's poem is about a family who was persecuted and destroyed either for religious or political reasons. He's not clear. The father was burned at the stake. Of the six brothers, two died in battle, another was burned, presumably at the stake, and the remaining three were imprisoned in the chateau's dungeon. They were each chained to separate pillars in the same cell. One brother was an outdoorsman and hunter. He couldn't bear being immobilized, lost the will to live, and slowly starved to death. Another brother, the youngest, was the family's favorite. He was "fair of face" and looked like the mother. Strangely, this is the only mention of the mother. We never know what became of her. The youngest brother always put others first. His concern was for his siblings, not himself. The last brother watched helplessly as this gentle soul died. He was so enraged he broke his bonds but arrived at his brother's side too late. The jailers buried the bodies in shallow graves at the base of the columns to which they'd been tied. They permitted the surviving prisoner freedom of movement as he paced his cell trying to avoid stepping on the graves. He too was losing hope, but a bird appeared in the one crack in the walls. At first, he thought it was the spirit of his youngest brother, but when it flew away he took it as a sign that there was still freedom ahead. He lost track of time as he paced and listened to the lake waters lap outside the thick stone walls. He was freed years later, but was bereft of any joy. He saw only a future of loneliness and regret. The poem ends there. No, I didn't read and interpret the poem myself. I found a detailed explanation on line.

Though Byron's work is fictions, there was an actual prisoner of the Duke of Savoy. His name was Francois Bonivard. He was imprisoned between 1530-1536, and freed when the Bernese attacked. He went on to live until age seventy-seven. I hope he spent those years peacefully. Today the Chateau is a restoration of the original with great attention to detail. We spent almost an hour and a half walking every inch with the guidance of an audio tour. It's built on a rock island in Lake Geneva a few feet from shore. It's a conglomeration of cobblestone walks, stone walls, narrow windows, and turrets. Picture any Medieval castle. We climbed from the dungeons to the parapets on winding, slippery stone steps and shaky wooden ones. At one point it was so dark I turned on my phone flashlight to see our footing. It was heartbreaking to imagine the revelry in the great halls above while prisoners suffered below.

Emerging into the 21st century, we were ready for sun and fun. We took the bus towards Montreux but got off early to walk the promenade. We found a lakeside cafe and had a leisurely lunch while people watching. We strolled back to the station, took the train to Lausanne and boarded the Metro. What a boon to our weary feet. I don't know how old it is, but people used to have to walk the incredibly steep sloping streets to get anywhere. The Metro cuts right through the city and is automated.

We rode up to the old town to see the 13th century Gothic Cathedral. Large, vaulted, stone, at the top of over a hundred steps. Metro be damned. There were a few other places marked on the tourist map but the Ancienne Academie was now a school of performing arts and the Bishop's Chateau was under renovation. We followed Rue d'Universite hoping to find the medical school attended by some people we know. They went there at a time when American medical schools were not admitting Jews. We did find an old university building. I took a photo. We'll see if it's the right one. When we asked about medical schools or the appropriate era at the tourism bureau they couldn't pinpoint it and we were told there were a few now.  

We got back on the Metro headed towards Ouchy. It's lakeside and the only thing we wanted to see was the Olympic Museum. We got there before closing and were faced with hundreds more steps to the actual building. Seeing Lausanne was an olympic event. We quickly breezed through what appeared to be an excellent showcase of history and memorabilia. We didn't do it justice, but we were fading fast. We walked the half-mile back to the Metro and collapsed on the train back to Bern. David remarked that the train platforms here are big ashtrays. Smokers are everywhere and when the doors to the trains open the smell enters and permeates everything. We're so not used to that anymore.

Petered out and went back to the Turkish place for dinner.

Tomorrow Zurich.

Toby

Idealism-Geneva

Waterspout

Playing in the Park

View From UN

Bike Garage

Sept. 30, 2015-Geneva

Idealism

Time for dream therapy. Last night I dreamed that someone had shot a hippo with a bow and arrow or had killed it with a spear. It was unclear which. We were upset at the needless slaughter, since we don't eat hippo. It's a "water horse" after all. In addition, it in no way conforms to the Biblical requirements of having cloven hooves and chewing cud. While we were agonizing, someone started dismembering it. Oy! I woke up. David thinks my dream related to his comment about being a big game hunter.

A question for our German speaking friends... if the letter "w" is pronounced as a "v" in German, why use a "v" at all? English has abundant idiosyncrasies I admit. Just wondering.

We've passed a Thai carry-out/dine-in place in our neighborhood every day. We thought we'd eat there last night, but it was closed. This morning a Thai man was inside setting up. We stopped in and chatted. His English was excellent and he was eager to talk, but we had a train to make. Unfortunately, the place is only open for lunch (11-3).

Our train headed in a totally different direction today; West to Geneva. We're proud to say we figured out what our Swiss friend had tried to describe to us. It only took us four days. We'd been intent on going to the information desk whenever we went anywhere, but now we know the system well enough to bypass the main terminal. Found a shortcut to and from the tracks directly off the street we walked down each day.

The terrain was picturesque going from rolling hills to vineyards and farms. Without warning, the ground dropped away to our left and Lake Geneva appeared. Lac Leman to the French. It's mammoth although not as large as a Great Lake. In some places we couldn't see the other side.

I started plumbing the depths of my memory for any French that may remain. Phrases came back with a few scattered words. I was ready to tackle a new culture. As it turned out, I made myself understood and they answered me but always in English. How could they tell?

The Geneva station was in a newer section of the city, a business district, much larger than Bern. It was a downhill walk to Old Town and some sights we'd mapped out. I have to say I am unimpressed with Geneva. Language isn't the only cultural difference between it and the Germanic cantons. It is dirty, run down, neglected, and the people even look shabbier. We had to avoid dog droppings for the first time on this trip even though there was less of a canine presence.

There's an excuse for a park with a floral clock along the lake. We've seen better. The famous jet d'eau, the fountain, was just a tall waterspout shooting straight into the air. Eola Park in Orlando has prettier. The cathedral was closed and Old Town lacked character. Another park boasted a Reformation wall. It celebrated the break with the Church of Rome and advent of Calvinism. Did that make the world a better place? I was ready to head for the hills, literally.

We caught a bus for the League of Nations/United Nations headquarters, Palais des Nations. It's across from the world headquarters of the Red Cross, a Swiss contribution to society. When buying tickets I asked if our Swiss Pass was good. I was told, "You are not in Switzerland anymore." Weird feeling. Was I in no man's land or everyone's home?

As our guide, Julian, from Germany told us, one difference between the League and UN was that the UN lets all countries join whereas the League did not. Of course, you have to be recognized as a country first, as a man promoting Palestine indicated. But not all countries recognize each other and only 2/3 are needed to vote one in, plus Security Council approval. There are about fifty conference rooms some seating 2,000 people. I was saddened when I thought of that mass of humanity trying to settle issues and work towards peace.

There is a division of labor between Geneva and New York. Geneva deals with humanitarian issues (soft politics), and NYC handles war (hard politics). Just as hope for civilization waned, Julian left us with the words of Dag Hammarskjold, a Secretary General in the 1950's. He said "The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven but save humanity from hell."

We left the tour and hurried to a bus to the train but did stop to appreciate the sight of Mt. Blanc watching over the lake. It’s Europe's highest mountain and located in France. I slept most of the two-hour trip back. Needed that. But that meant I missed a toilet opportunity on the train. Walked around the Bern station looking at food options and found the bathroom in the huge department store, Loeb, my friend told me about. Life-saver.

For my granddaughter,Talia, who complains that there are no bike racks at a nearby mall, I took a photo of a bicycle garage. There are rows and rows of bikes layered in racks and suspended from the ceiling. It's indoors adjacent to the train station and works like any parking garage.

We checked out a Mexican place (Desperado) but eliminated it once we saw that an enchilada dinner was $35. Our fine dining tonight took place around the corner from our hotel at Il Ristorantino. We shared a pizza and had salads. David's was a glorious Misto.

Correction: the oldest TIMBER bridge in Switzerland is the Spreuer Bridge in Lucerne, built in 1408. Chapel Bridge was built in the first half of the 14th century making it older. But is it oldest in the world? Do we care?

Tomorrow we go to Lausanne and Montreux.

Toby