European Travel

Traveling by train in Europe is an endless stream of surprises.

The first surprise is figuring out which station you will depart from. There are five such stations in Paris. Gare de Lyon. Gare du Nord. Gare de Austerlitz. And Gare Montparnasse. This is uncovered at the time of booking.

These are big stations. With multiple platforms. The second mystery. Which platform. Most of these are color-coded. Gare de Lyon for example has blue and yellow platforms. The day of departure – upon arrival at the station – this question is answered.

The final unanswered question is which train. Twenty minutes prior to doors closing and pushing back this is revealed.

It is a serious of movement from one video monitor to the next. I have to ask myself, why all the suspense?

If you can’t tell. I went through the Europe train mystery tour this morning. Arriving – scar less – in Geneva, Switzerland.

Traveling alone, I am taking this opportunity to clear my head. Study. And relax before my final practical exam on Wednesday.

The land which bore 50% of my genes has – so far – been good to me. Like Brussels, I am still speaking French. On the surface making it feel like a Paris suburb. Diving a bit deeper into this city, the Swiss-ness starts to emerge. Fondue for lunch. Red flags centered with a white cross on every building. And the occasional clerk that speaks German (Swiss-German).

Of course the electrical plugs in my hotel are different from the U.S. And from France. So I will check in and write until my laptop dies.

This afternoon’s agenda is the art and history museum, Musées d'Art et d'Histoire. Then dinner and some live music in Carouge, an outskirt neighborhood. Known as the Greenwich Village of Geneva. Full of artsy cafés. Jazz music. And Bohemian boutiques.

Tomorrow is the Red Cross. United Nations. Botanical Gardens. And anywhere else the wind blows.

Here is what this morning brought.