24 Nov 07 - Saint Martin D'Uriage

This weekend was actually scheduled for Mont Blanc. However, since I had lab on Friday till 6 pm and there was no train running on Saturday Morning, I had to switch to plan B for Nimes, located in Provence, south of France. After researching and planning for a few days, I was really looking forward to this trip, especially for the prospect of seeing the Pont du Gard, one of the largest aqueducts (water bridges) of the Roman world and a UNESCO world heritage site as well.

All went well…till I screwed myself up on Saturday morning. I promptly reached the train station at 7:40 am (the train would be leaving at 8 am), proceeded to the ticket machine before realizing that I had forgotten to bring along my 12-25 card (a discount card for youth below 25 years old). The ticket for Nimes without the reduction card cost 37.80 euros one way while that with reduction was only 15.50 euros!! Having spent a whopping 406 euros last weekend in Swiss, I seriously could not afford this amount, especially considering that I would be heading to Paris next weekend.

So I checked for later trains to Nimes which could perhaps allow me some time to go back and return with my discount card. To my disbelief, the tickets were sold out…even for the 1st class TGV! I was really disappointed and I only had myself to blame for this screw-up. Bye-bye Nimes… Sorry I can’t get to know you better!

Sinhui suggested that we go somewhere nearby in the Isère region (area around Grenoble). I agreed, a bit reluctantly at first, but I did have some fun in the end in Uriage. Uriage, recommended by the man at the gare routière (bus station), is a small, pretty (and pretty small) village located just 30 minutes from Grenoble centre.

L-R: Slurping my duck noodle at China Moon, Sinhui the faithful company

When we reached Uriage, it was drizzling and the tourism office was closed. Luckily, we found a locality map, so we had some ideas of where we could head to (the village was really small anyway). This village was tranquil, with a few nice parks (except that now leaves are real luxuries), a casino, a few thermal bath centres and a private castle.

L-R: a random wall; general view of Uriage

Both of us at the park & the wooden bridge (and arguably the pretties thing in town)

We took a super slow walk to kill time…taking a couple of stupid photos along the way. That’s what we do when we have lots of time and few things to do! Haha. Our intention of a picnic lunch had to be cancelled due to the rain, so we gobbled our ham and baguette under a shelter which resembled a bus stop.

The pictures say it all...hope it didn't smell too bad.

L-R: who lets the dog out?; Sinhui at the discovery of apples as small as cherries

Still another 1.5 hours to kill when we finished lunch. It was time to lose the fat by hiking up to the castle on top of a hill. The hiking trail was not long, but it was one of the steepest I have done thus far (sometimes the slope went as steep as 60-70 degrees from the horizontal). Add the wetness of the ground with the steepness and it became an extremely dangerous adventure. We did not have much problem hiking up, but it was really scary on the way down. Anyway, the castle was a private property, meaning that there were actually people living inside.

Sinhui & I at the vicinity of the private castle

I am still upset for not being able to go to Nimes as I write this post. But this was possibly a blessing in disguise as I found out that the original train that we wanted to take was delayed by 1h 45 min due to some technical problems. In any case, I would not have made it to Pont du Gard in time as I still had to switch to a local bus to reach there from Nimes. Fated, perhaps. Is it part of God’s plan, Michelle? Hahah.

18 Nov 07 - Bern to Grenoble

My last day in Swiss. I headed to Bern from Luzern as I would be passing the Swiss capital on the way back to Grenoble anyway. When I reached Bern train station, I was struck with a bad news that the SNCF was still on strike. I became panicky as I desperately needed to go back to submit an assignment the next day. I asked the Tourist Office for the nearest internet station so that I could check what alternatives I had to go back to Grenoble. But it was a Sunday and everything was closed!! Panic. Panic. So I called Sinhui to ask her to help me check out (merci beaucoup for helping me! sorry having to make you go to UPMF, Stendhal and laverie for internet access!!). I had to call her a couple of times till my phone credits went flat! In the end I found out from her that there would be a train that left Geneva for Chambery at 16h, but I had to sleep overnight at Chambery train station to catch a 6 am train to Grenoble. Since I seemed to have not much choice at that point, I quickly made a tour around Bern and made my way back to the train station.

Anyway, I think Bern was not as interesting as the previous towns I was in. I covered almost everything in 2 hours. Other than a few interesting fountains (there are tons in the city), a cathedral, a prison tower and a tower clock, the most intriguing attraction in Bern was probably the bear pits. The bears are symbols of Bern, but I thought it was a saddening sight to see 2 bears put into the pit to entertain visitors.

L-R: prison tower, clock tower, interesting fountain

L-R: the bear pit; one of the bears

L-R: more view of the bear (it looked so tame and cute)

I took a train to Geneva and quickly enquired for a possible train to Grenoble. It turned out that there was not even a train to Chambery. The lady at the counter recommended that I checked the availability of a bus at the bus station. So I did...and I WAS DAMN LUCKY! There was a bus leaving at 7 pm but it was bloody expensive. But I guess it's better than having to stay at train station (right, Eugene? =P). I had more than 3 hours to kill... I walked around but no shops were open.. so I just people watched at the train station before getting bored very soon..which led me back to the bus station to write my historic post last Sunday. =D

L-R: rotting in Geneva train station

L-R: rotting in Geneva gare routière; me inside the aerobus

All in all, I had completely enjoyed the short getaway to Swiss. And I am beginning to enjoy backpacking alone. Perhaps it was the opportunity to meet more people and to discover more things. This Swiss trip would last for a long long time in my memories - and fond ones, of course.

17 Nov 07 - Luzern

I took the Intercity (IC) train from Interlaken and reached Luzern at about 10:10 am. Not bad, they have trains running every hour so my travel plans became quite flexible. I fell in love immediately with the town upon my arrival. It was quiet yet not boring or perhaps it was just off-season so it was not as packed with tourists as during summer. I checked into Tourist Hotel, paid 25 euros for a bed in a 4-bed dorm and I found the room to be excellent. There was enough space in the room to walk around and the bed was really comfortable.

L-R: love at first sight; Chapel Bridge

I took a quick bath (my head had become very itchy from the overuse of beanies) and headed out to the Musegg Wall soon afterwards. These walls had 9 towers, 3 of which are usually opened during summer. Since it was off-season, the towers were closed to public. But nonetheless I enjoyed the slow walk along the walk.

L-R: the Musegg Wall; Scottish Highland cattle

L-R: Spreuer Bridge; water spikes

Next destination was the Spreuer Bridge which paled in comparison to its rival Chapel Bridge. I thought nothing was special in this wooden bridge, except perhaps the nearby water spikes. The spikes were built in the 19th century to regulate the water flow in the river and even today, if the need arises, the spikes are raised or lowered by hands. Then I took a stroll along the river towards the Jesuit Church where a morning market was held every Saturday. By now, my hands were totally frozen...so much so that it hurt when I tried to take photos. So I walked around desperately trying to look for a building in which I could warm myself up...but to no avail. In the end, I settled in this simple café and drank a cup of coffee for 4 CHF. My hands were trembling when I was holding the cup. That testified how cold it was on that day. Oh by the way, it was -1 deg celsius at noon. Anyway, I had the good time in the café having a little chat with the waitress and she recommended me this Swiss traditional soup that they sell. I told her that I would consider coming back for the soup if I could not stand it out there.

L-R: interior of chapel bridge; view from the bridge

L-R: Jesuit Cathedral; Me on Chapel bridge

True enough I froze to death again out there. After walking around in the Old Squares (Kornmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Weinmarkt) for about 1 hour, I returned to the café for the soup. I was not sure if I would like the soup, especially after the horrifying experience eating a local salad specialty in Florence last year. The waitress kindly poured a small cup of the soup for me to have a sample before deciding. Oh man, I love the German-speaking Swiss; my experience with them has been really good! Anyway, the soup tasted like mushroom soup, but it has got some barleys inside. I liked it and ordered one bowl for 7.50 CHF.

L-R: Kornmarkt; Hirschenplatz

L-R: Weinmarkt; tongue-twister: Bundner Gersten Suppe

My adventure then continued with a promenade along Lake Luzern. Took a little rest by the lake, ate my biscuits and watched the world go by around me. Then I headed towards the Hofkirche (the main cathedral in the town) and for the first time in so longgggg, I was glad to find a church. I guess everyone can guess the reason: I can "thaw" myself inside. =D (Michelle will kill me for saying this =P).

L-R: weird street artist at Lake Luzern; it's snowball time

L-R: Hofkirche & the interior

I continued my way to the Lion Monument which was a stone sculpture to commemorate the Swiss soldiers who lost their lives during World War 2. I took my hats off to the artist as the lion's facial expression was as good as alive; it looked as if it was in total agony. I then visited the Glacier Museum located just next to the Lion Monument. I liked this museum as it was not the usual art museum I had gotten bored of. It housed original excavation works from hundreds of years ago. It also showed how Luzern had evolved all the way from 2 million years ago. At that point, Luzern was apparently a palm beach before the Ice Age set in and gave birth to the Young Alps. At the end of the Ice Age, some glaciers remain and that partly explains the current topography in Luzern.

L-R: the Lion Monument; close-up & look at its agony

L-R: seashell sandstone; pothole

L-R: ripple sandstone; palm leaf sandstone

L-R: artist impression of Luzern 2 million years ago; Multiple Andi (which one is the real me?)

As usual, the sky got dark before 6 pm and almost every shop had ended the day. On my way to find food, I dropped by the Bachman confiserie which sold a wide range of Swiss chocs...droolz... Anyway, at first I had thought that perhaps it would be easier to find food in Luzern since it is a bigger town afterall. I was very mistaken as even the Coop supermarket was closed then. I walked around searching for food...the hungry man was in desperate need for food, but all I could find were extremely expensive restaurants with prices starting from 20+ CHF. I only had 20 CHF in wallet then and it was supposed to last me one more day till I reached Grenoble. I walked and walked...through the big alleys..through the small ones and finally found a kebab stall. Heng ah. I paid 9.50 CHF for a doner kebab and made my way back to the hotel.

L-R: the two chocolates I bought (the chili one was not spicy at all!)

L-R: More yummilicious chocolates

L-R: a million dollar question: what time was it?; Chapel Bridge at night

The next few hours were spent chilling in the empty bar (it looked more like a living room to me). I drank a bottle of beer, watched Euro 2008 qualifier between Italy and Scotland and talked to this Indian man who was having a job training in Basel. And guess where he came from? Singapore! He is an expat working for a Singapore company, but unfortunately he disliked Singaporeans. He told me that he had been working with people from all over the world (he had worked in Ireland and Berlin before), and he had not had trouble working with the locals until he came to Singapore. In short, he found Singaporeans unfriendly. He added that the Filipinos and Indonesians are really nice people though. =P Most of the time I was just listening to him talk and nodding my head in (dis)agreement. LOL. I then talked to my roommate who came from Perth for an hour before going to lala land.

L-R: Raj & I; Damien & I