Tue, 07 Oct 2003

author Tim	location Genève, Suisse
posted 09:41 CEST 09/10/2003	section Europe2002/Europe/Schweiz ( all photos )

Bern, Into Lausanne ( No photos )
Another reasonable breakfast to start the day, and the weather also could be described as reasonable. Your standards get lower when you have horrible days - this day was just ok - no rain, but overcast and hopeless for spotting the mountains we had had such a great time at doing the day previously.
We saddled up and walked back into town, stopping for a few more small errands before finding ourselves a train towards Genève (Geneva in English, Graf in German). It's quite confusing, because Switzerland has three official languages - German on the east, French on the west and a little bit of Italian down south.
Pushing in to Bern (which is still, but just, in the German-speaking region) to change trains, we had a bit of a read about what attractions it had. To put it lightly, not really much. We decided that as we were going through there anyway, we would have a look around to say we had and get on a later connecting train south-west.
We locked our bags into the station lockers, helping some British people who were there also, but seemed completely incapable of reading the signs, even in English. Once outside, the weather was putting a dull note on what was already a dull city. It's the capital, but only the fourth-largest. Pushing on because we had come this far, we battled rain and wind to take in the place's most famous sights - a fountain of a giant eating small children and a large clock that dings and clangs like so many others.
Also we made a supermarket trip, but didn't have enough bag space so we were carrying a triple-pack of pasta all around the city with us! We went down into the bowels of a building chasing an internet café which would let us plug the laptop in. We had to push a huge red button to summon someone to help us in the silent basement, the style of button that they use in cartoons with a huge "do not press" sign next to it. She eventually came out and told us no show with the laptop.
Further on, we looked through a few markets before getting back to the station. Sure, we could have seen more, but the city is very low on Lonely Planet's recommended things to do when in Switzerland, and the only other thing at all we could find of interest is the city is where the official mascot comes from - the bear pits. Apparently there is a bear show where they perform tricks and the like in horrible concrete surroundings - hardly the sort of place we wanted to patronise with our limited tourist dollars.
So, we got back on a train and headed across the invisible border that marks the end of our travels speaking German. The effort we put in to pick a little of it up was worth it, but now we might as well be in China. We pulled out our European Phrase Book and started to learn a bit of basic French to get by. As always, the first thing we need is "I don't speak French", which we are both quite fluent at now!

As the train approached Lausanne, we decided to break the journey to Genève just a little more, and spend a night there. The train announcements by now had changed to be French first, then German, and also the conductor spoke with a heavy French accent. Amazing how quickly things change across this invisible border.
Lausanne is quite a small place, and has one backpacker's place only. As such, we headed there, quite close to the train station (lucky, as the rain was back). Lausanne GuestHouse & Backpacker turned out to be one of the best places we have yet stayed in. All newly renovated to the highest environmental standards, everything is non-allergenic and spotlessly clean.
Since we had gotten there before the reception was open due to the horrible weather, we sat and played as Swiss version of Memory (you know, lots of cards face down and you have to make a pair), which was interesting as the scenes were of some places we had seen, others not. Enough to remind us that we need to return someday.
The reception opened, and two of those amazing European girls who can speak about a thousand different languages checked us in, except now with a French accent. The room was gorgeous, all wooden beds and floors, with clean, fresh paint on the walls. Quite unlike most hostels around the place!
We sat down in the cosy living area to read, there being little point in being outside in the horrible weather. After a while, I heard a voice checking in at reception that sounded familiar - it turns out it was our Canadian lawyer friend Matt from the hostel in Interlaken. Bumping into people again is quite common - there a fewer around at this time of year, either going one way or the other.
We ended up spending the evening in with a few bottles of wine and some communal pasta, being joined by another Canadian Meisha staying there. She had spent some time working off a boat going around Africa helping out developing nations - there's so many great ways to travel these days.

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