| Jul 22, 2007 - Golden Pass to Lausanne
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 | | show all 9 | | The `Golden Pass` train to Lausanne | | The 1st class Panorama car | | regular 1st class car | | |
| What a couple of days I've had! Yesterday afternoon I found out that my laptop is broken. I won't bore you with the technicalities, but basically I can't use it. This is bad news since I really need it to do my work. I can work without it, but it means that I have to rely on Internet cafes and computer terminals in my hotels, all of which can be pretty expensive and I have to wait until they are free.
This morning I got up at the crack of dawn to catch a train back to Luzern where I caught one of Switzerlands scenic train rides called the 'Golden Pass'. It connects Luzern with Montreaux on Lake Geneva, crossing a big chunk of Switzerland, passing through some beautiful scenery. I am supposed to write up a description for the book on the portion from Luzern to Interlaken. Of all days to be gray and raining, it had to be today. I couldn't even see the mountains. About half an hour after leaving Luzern, the conductor came on the loudspeaker telling us that there had been a landslide and we were going to have to get off the train at the next stop and continue by bus for about 45 min, where we would catch the train once more. After we were back on the train and leaving Interlaken, the conductor on this train (different conductor and train) told us that we would have to take ANOTHER bus due to construction on the train line. This was a little inconvenient and normally wouldn't be a big deal, except that I am supposed to be taking notes and describing what I see for the book. Kind of hard to do this when I missed a couple big chunks of the trip. Oh well, it's all part of traveling and I did get to see most of it. Hopefully, my luck will turn around. Tomorrow I am going to try and find a computer repair shop and get my laptop fixed. Dare I dream?
Lausanne part 2
Well, I found a computer repair shop today, but it will take at least 2 weeks for them to send it into the service center and get it back to me, which means, I will just wait until I get home to deal with it. This is going to make doing my work a lot harder, but at least I am still able to do it. The manager at my hotel here in Lausanne said I can use one of the office computers free of charge, which is really nice.
The weather is a bit cooler, which is great since I have to walk up and down hills all all day. Not fun in 80 or 90 degree heat. The town is split into 2 main sections rising steeply from the lake shore. The lake area, called Ouchy, is where all the expensive hotels and restaurants are. The old town is up the hill, where I am staying. You have to climb steep hills anywhere you go here, and I have been getting my excercise. This is good considering all the croissants and Swiss chocolate I have been eating! Lausanne feels so different from the rest of Switzerland. Its in the French speaking portion, and its not only the langauage that's different; The architecture, food, and people are different as well. It feels like a completely different country. Still, like everywhere in Switzerland, the people are very friendly and helpful. Tomorrow is my day off and I will spend it doing laundry and catching up on some work I am behind on. Sorry, but I wont be able to post any more photos until I get home. There is no way to download and edit them without my corn-puter. |
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