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greenbagjosh · 9 months

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Saturday 2 August 2003 - Lake Parade along the northeast bank - quick stop in Gaillard, France - lunch at Jardin Anglais - fun watching the mobiles - supper in Martigny VS

Saturday 2 August 2003

Good morning! Today I will go to Geneva for the Lake Parade, but first I want to see a bit of Gaillard in France, accessible with the line 16 tram at Moillesullaz, and also go to Meyrin, close to the Geneva airport, by trolleybus. At the end, about 7 PM, I will eventually take the train to Martigny and eat supper, then return to the hostel. It will be quite a nice Saturday.

Guten Morgen! Heute fahre ich zur Lake Parade nach Genf, aber zuerst möchte ich ein bisschen Gaillard in Frankreich sehen, erreichbar mit der Straßenbahnlinie 16 in Moillesullaz, und außerdem mit dem Trolleybus nach Meyrin in der Nähe des Genfer Flughafens fahren. Am Ende, gegen 19 Uhr, werde ich schließlich mit dem Zug nach Martigny fahren, zu Abend essen und dann zur Herberge zurückkehren. Es wird ein ganz schöner Samstag.

Bonjour! Aujourd'hui j'irai à Genève pour la Lake Parade, mais d'abord je veux voir un peu de Gaillard en France, accessible avec le tram ligne 16 à Moillesullaz, et aussi aller à Meyrin, près de l'aéroport de Genève, en trolleybus. A la fin, vers 19h, je prendrai éventuellement le train pour Martigny et souperai, puis retournerai à l'auberge. Ce sera un bon samedi.

Dobro jutro! Danes bom šel v Ženevo na jezersko parado, a najprej si želim ogledati delček Gaillarda v Franciji, dostopnega s tramvajem na liniji 16 na Moillesullazu, pa tudi v Meyrin, blizu ženevskega letališča, s trolejbusom. Na koncu, okoli 19h, se bom na koncu odpeljal z vlakom do Martignyja in pojedel večerjo, nato pa se bom vrnil v hostel. Prav lepa sobota bo.

Dobro jutro! Danas ću ići u Ženevu na jezersku paradu, ali prvo želim vidjeti malo Gaillarda u Francuskoj, do kojeg se može doći tramvajem na liniji 16 u Moillesullazu, a također želim otići do Meyrina, blizu ženevske zračne luke, trolejbusom. Na kraju, oko 19 sati, eventualno ću sjesti na vlak za Martigny i večerati te se vratiti u hostel. Bit će to jako lijepa subota.

Buongiorno! Oggi andrò a Ginevra per la Lake Parade, ma prima voglio vedere un po' di Gaillard in Francia, raggiungibile con il tram linea 16 a Moillesullaz, e andare anche a Meyrin, vicino all'aeroporto di Ginevra, con il filobus. Alla fine, verso le 19, prenderò il treno per Martigny e cenerò, poi tornerò in ostello. Sarà un bel sabato.

I woke up about 6:30 AM, took a shower, got dressed, and went to breakfast. The breakfast place was not very crowded. I was able to find a table, and enjoy my breakfast. I had coffee, toast, cheese, sliced meat and corn flakes. After I finished, I went back to the room to brush my teeth, then went on a walk to the Territet rail station. The day was very nice, so it was possible. I boarded the westbound REV for Lausanne through Vevey, and connected there for an inter city train to Geneva. The train did not stop at Renens, Morges or Nyon, but went through it. It did not stop until Geneva. Geneva has a couple of exclaves just a little southwest of Nyon, making the town of Céligny, which the train passed through. Céligny even has a spot on Lac Léman, also known as Lake Geneva. The last town in Vaud before the actual canton of Geneva is Mies. Versoix and Genthod are the next towns the train passed before stopping at Geneva. The first station in Geneva is Sécheron, very close to Parc Mon Repos.

At the time, tracks 7 and 8 were still used for the SNCF trains, coming from France. In 2003, Switzerland was not yet in Schengen, so there was a passport check at the station, for tracks 7 and 8 before accessing the rest of the station. There is also an RER line to La Plaine, close to the border with France.

I exited the train at Geneva. I bought a day pass for the bus and tram lines. The first place I went was to Meyrin to buy some soft drinks. I took the trolleybus line 10 to Centre Balexert. It is on the city limits of Geneva and Meyrin. At some stage in February 2012, I had stayed in a hotel along the way towards the airport, along Avenue Louis Casai. Once I bought my soft drinks at the Pick Pay grocery store, I took another tram to the rail station and took line 12 to Plainpalais where I could see the Monument des Reformateurs. I took another tram, not sure which line, to connect to the one that was supposed to go to Moillesullaz, however it terminated at Gare des Eaux Vives, generally in the right direction but not exactly where I wanted to go.

I had to walk from Gare des Eaux Vives back to Route de Chêne and wait on line 16. The train went through Thônex, and ended at Moillesullaz. That was the terminus at the time, before crossing into France. Anyone who wanted to go to France, would have to walk across the border. I walked eastward along Rue de Genève up to the SPAR grocery store, where I bought some lunchmeat and cheese, as well as some bread rolls. Also I bought a bottle of my favorite shampoo, the Pétrole Hahn for oily hair. I was ready to eat lunch after I paid for everything. It is worthwhile to mention, that the SPAR grocery store is located next to the tram stop Gaillard-Libération, which was built in the late 2010s, as an extension to Annemasse SNCF station. In December 2016, I noticed that there were initial steps being made to create the extension, and I noticed this when I visited there.

I walked back across the Swiss border at Moillesullaz. It was about 12 PM, and I wanted to be at Parc Mon Repos by 2 PM, prior to the start of the Lake Parade. I took the tram to Place Molard, and walked to the Horloge Fleurie and found a bench in the Jardin Anglais to eat. I watched the Jet d'Eau pump its water high into the air. Jet d'Eau operates all day long during the summer, but is shut off for much of the winter.

After I finished lunch, I put away my unused soft drink bottles, and walked back to Molard to catch the tram to Gare CFF, and transfer to the line 1 bus to Parc Mon Repos. It was about 1:30 when I arrived. This would be the start of the parade. There was supposed to be about 20 or 30 mobiles with people dancing to loud techno music and many other similar styles. Some mobiles were rented for local dance clubs. While I was waiting for the parade to start, I was listening to One FM with my radio. I had a cassette in it, so I could record the music. I also had my microphone so I could hear the live music as well.

There were so many people in costume. It resembled the Love Parade in Berlin and Street Parade in Zürich that I had remembered. I remember one young lady dressed as a leopard with face paint. I also remember seeing a few nurses, a few equestriennes, a few cowgirls, many more.

The parade started a little past 2 PM. It went south along Quai Wilson and eventually Quai du Mont Blanc. On the parade, it is better to try to remain in one spot, as the mobiles can take up much space, and there is a crowd that can be difficult to go around. Crossing the road will sometimes be faced with resistance, as others might want to cross. This is also true for the Zürich Street Parade. The parade made its way across Pont du Mont Blanc and Jardin Anglais. I was watching the mobiles most of the time.

About 6 PM I decided I had had enough, as I was getting tired walking the parade route. I had to go to Rue du Stand and catch the tram to Gare CFF, and take a train. I found one that went to Martigny, in the Canton of Valais. I had been to Valais in April 2001 and November 2002, but did not spend time in Martigny. The canton Valais is separated from Vaud, mainly by the Rhône at the far east of Lac Léman / Lake Geneva, up to about Saint-Maurice. Saint-Maurice is the first station in Valais that the train arrives in. Valais has a short section right next to France that has a coastline on Lac Léman / Lake Geneva.

When I was in Martigny, I found a place to eat. It was the L'Ambroise restaurant, located at the Garni Forclaz Touring hotel, across the street from the rail station. I was wanting some pasta and beer. It was on the menu for a cheap price, so I picked the carbonara and Feldschlösschen half liter. Was excellent. The meal cost under CHF 25.00 even with tip.

I took the train back to Territet, and the sun was starting to set. I enjoyed the quick visit to the canton of Valais. When I arrived at Territet, I walked along the street to the hostel. There was not much traffic. As soon as I got to bed, I went to sleep. The next two days would involve long travels, much of it during the night of the 3rd to the morning of the 4th.

Please join me on my next journey to Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich and a night in the night train through Tirol and Kärnten. In the morning we will pass through Slovenia and end up in Ljubljana. Hoping the weather will be cooperative there. Good night!

Bitte begleiten Sie mich auf meiner nächsten Reise nach Lausanne, Freiburg, Düdingen, Zürich und einer Nacht im Nachtzug durch Tirol und Kärnten. Am Morgen durchqueren wir Slowenien und landen in Ljubljana. Ich hoffe, dass das Wetter dort mitspielt. Gute Nacht!

Veuillez me rejoindre lors de mon prochain voyage à Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich et une nuit dans le train de nuit à travers le Tyrol et Kärnten. Dans la matinée, nous traverserons la Slovénie et finirons à Ljubljana. En espérant que le temps sera coopératif là-bas. Bonne nuit!

Prosim, da se mi pridružite na mojem naslednjem potovanju v Lausanne, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich in noč v nočnem vlaku skozi Tirolsko in Kärnten. Zjutraj bomo prečkali Slovenijo in končali v Ljubljani. Upam, da bo vreme tam sodelovalo. Lahko noč!

Molim vas da mi se pridružite na mom sljedećem putovanju u Lausannu, Fribourg, Düdingen, Zürich i jednu noć u noćnom vlaku kroz Tirol i Kärnten. Ujutro ćemo proći kroz Sloveniju i završiti u Ljubljani. Nadajući se da će vrijeme tamo biti naklonjeno. Laku noć!

Per favore, unisciti a me nel mio prossimo viaggio a Losanna, Friburgo, Düdingen, Zurigo e una notte nel treno notturno attraverso il Tirolo e la Carinzia. Al mattino attraverseremo la Slovenia e finiremo a Lubiana. Sperando che il tempo sarà collaborativo lì. Buona notte!

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