From Gare de Lyon to our hotel – 30 Sep 09

We arrived at Gare De Lyon Railway station sharp at 11.03am.Got down and started searching for the Tourist Information Office. Got hold of a two day pass for Metro (underground subway) + bus. Then found our way to the Underground Railway station.



The Railway stations are so meticulously planned – a tourist just does not have to think .He has to merely follow all the arrows in the station and he will reach the platform and the train of his choice! The ultimate destination of the train should however preferably be known in advance although you may be getting down en route, as separate platforms are earmarked for each destination. Alternately there are detailed maps available on the platform itself. In our case we had already done our homework, thanks to Bharath.



The trains also have the ultimate destination displayed on the leading engine. Inside the trains the complete route on a route chart is shown, including the stops, so that once you get into the train you know precisely where all your train is halting and where you have to get down! Traveling made ultra simple! You simply cannot get lost! We boarded a train as planned for “Nation” station and then on to “La Motte Picquet Grenelle” ending up at “Charles Michels” Railway station.



From Charles Michels Railway station we walked across to our Hotel, which was booked by Bharath on the Internet a few days before. Took some time to locate it because the Hotel Manager could not guide us properly – in fact we were bang in front of the hotel itself from where we were taking directions!



We reached the Hotel at 12.30 pm but our room was available only at 2.30 pm and so we had to go out and have our lunch in a children’s park close by. Ranju’s burritos (Paneer subji stuffed in chapatti rolls) were really great. After our lunch we came back to the Hotel and fortunately our room was available at 2.00 pm itself.



Just left our backpack in the room and moved out to “Louvre “ museum armed with our camera. On the way to “Louvre” we saw a “Beggar group” playing good music with a hat in front of them in which some passersby were tossing their coins !But then who would call them beggars in India?!

Train journey to Paris - Gare de Lyon Railway station – 30 Sep 09

Got up early in the morning and got ready .We had already packed everything the previous night itself .We carried a Backpack containing our passports/visa, train tickets, camera, mobile, clothes for a day etc. Ranju got up along with us and made sandwiches for our breakfast, chapattis and paneer subji for lunch, and idlis for dinner for the first day. The second day we had planned to utilize the restaurants of Paris! We were in La Tour de Peilz Railway station by 6.00 am expecting the train to arrive by 6.03 am .In the Railway station however we found to our surprise that the scheduled arrival time was 6.37 am, taking us to Lausanne by 6.56 am giving us just 7 minutes to board the 7.03 train to Paris. Frantically contacted Ranju, over our local mobile connection due to which Bharath came and picked us up and dropped us at Vevey station nearby. Caught the 6.24 am train there which took us to Lausanne by 6.40 am giving us sufficient time to catch our train to Paris (Gare de Lyon railway station).

The train journey was simply wonderful. Although we were traveling IInd class it was more like an AC Chair car of the Indian Railways. The train itself was so spick and span and clean. We had sandwiches for our breakfast and coffee from the Restaurant Car. The journey to Gare de Lyon took us just 4 hours .The international inter country journey just gave me the thought as to why we cannot have similar trains running from India to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka and Nepal and even Burma. May be this will happen some day in the not too distant future. Then I took consolation from the fact that Europe was constantly fighting each other from Biblical times right up to 2nd World War.But what an achievement! In a short span of 64 years after World War II, the European countries have realized the value of peace and have made their borders seamless, making trade and travel absolutely easy and profitable.

27 Countries now form part of the European Economic Union including far away Turkey. The implications are simply enormous. Thanks to the seamless borers of al these countries a farmer from say Turkey just has to move across to distant Spain by road /rail and sell his produce at a more profitable rate than what he may get in his own country! No export import procedural formalities! What an enormous change this has made. No wonder the Euro is more powerful than the USD!

Even though Switzerland is not a part of the EU they have signed the Shengen agreement which permits all economic relations and travel except for their own currency the Swiss Franc much like Great Britain who retain their currency but are part of the EU.There is a big difference however – the Swiss are not a part of the EU. They have consistently and persistently refused to be drawn into any bloc economic or political and this is the reason for their economic prosperity - they are a nation which has the best standard of living in the World – as they have not seen a war for centuries – they do not have even the thought of violence in their hearts and thus are a very hospitable friendly people who are very peace loving by nature.



Incidentally no one checked our visas as we entered France, (announced over the PA system of the train) 45 minutes after we left Lausanne in Swiss. Neither did anyone check our visas at Gare de Lyon railway station! And what a fabulous railway station it was ! High tech but also beautiful and absolutely clean . It was a pleasure to be in the Railway sation a veritabe tourist spot !