Life on the Swiss Train

Paris Gare de Lyon à Genève Cornavin: 15h04-18h35 Jeudi 14 Octobre: TGV directe. I wasn't supposed to be on this train, but due to la grève, the strike, in Paris these days, the circulation of the trans-region trains were all messed up and the two trains I was supposed to take were not running. Some stress, running around, and several harried conversations with SNCF officials, and I was on board TGV 6577, apparently sold out. I waited until we were about to leave, then quietly snagged a seat by the window, curled up, and pulled out some homework. No one told me to move. I stayed there until I arrived in Genève.

(I know I am skipping Friday -- It was not spent on the train, but on foot, exploring Geneva, including the United Nations and the old town on the most perfect fall day. A story for another day, but suffice to say Geneva is incredibly charming and I fell quite in love with it)

Genève Cornavin à Locarno: 7h42 - 12h11 Samedi 16 Octobre: 1 transfer in Domodossola. Armed with an accompaniment pass to a Swiss train pass (30 swiss francs, 22 euros), good for the entire day, me and my incredibly good looking gay Swiss German friend headed off to the Southern part of Switzerland, assuming (wrongly) that it would be sunny there. Four and a half hours on the train through the Swiss Alps, passing right through the northern part of Italy. At some point the announcements change from French to Italian. We spent the first train asleep, for the most part, and then transferred to a local train that was possibly the slowest train in existence. Its saving grace? It wound and climbed its way up the mountains, and we paid an extra 1,50 euros due to the fact it was a "panoramic train". It was incredibly slow -- but the views were incredibly, incredibly beautiful.

Locarno à Bellinzona: Samedi sometime in the afternoon, probably around 13h30. After a stop for lunch in Locarno, where it was, unfortunately, raining, we decided to move on. Another gorgeous fifteen minutes on the train, and we were in the capital of the Italian part of Switzerland.

Bellinzona à Lugano, 15 minutes after arriving in Bellinzona: We took long enough to buy a cappuccino before heading back to the train station and heading to Lugano. My friend fell asleep, and I gawked. Forty minutes later, we were in Lugano, which would be breathtaking in the sunshine and even in the rain was stunning. All of these towns are built around a central lake. Lugano is incredibly colorful, and from the train station you take a little shuttle tram down an incredibly steep hill to the lake, with the mountains clambering straight into the sky all around...still raining, we huddled under his umbrella and bought gelato (ordering in Italian, piccolo copetta, stracciatella y fondente extra...)

Lugano à Zurich, 16h10 - 18hsometime: Deciding that, since it was raining everywhere, we may as well cover as much ground as possible, we headed off to my friend's hometown. Armed with incredibly good bread and brie, we ate a leisurely dinner and arrived in Zurich when it was mostly dark already. Still, it was incredibly well lit and even then still incredibly charming. We took the tram and walked all over, stopping briefly for a Starbucks, then checking out the university and the Red Light district, before blitzing back to the train station and arriving just barely in time...the last train ride of our day.

Zurich à Genève, 22h04-1h05: There were several drunk and loud people on the train, but we huddled down with his computer and watched Valentine's Day together, arriving in the dead of the night and making our way back home to crash after a long day.

Genève à Paris, 17h56-23h15: Including a 40 minute transfer in Lausanne, where I bought some new bread to go with the brie from the day before, along with a lot of Swiss chocolate and some pringles. I tried to sleep, but had trouble, and instead did some homework, arriving back in Paris, in the busy streets and making my way back home before a long week, busy as always...

And in the end, what did I think of Switzerland? I fell in love with it, all of it. The mountains, the towns, the old towns, the slow, ponderous trams. I loved the calm of it, the lakes, the countryside. I was tempted so often to just get off the train and not get back on, live there until the wind blew me on, taking the next train to the next station and wandering like that...I am already thinking of going back in the spring. We'll see. Go, go, go if you have the chance.

Pictures are here. A note: for the ones from Genève, I took pictures of everything, the construction, the cars -- I wanted you to understand all of it, not just the "pretty" tourist parts. I want you to see it the way I did, with all of that included.