{"id":4699,"date":"2018-08-21T06:09:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T06:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/andrewdoran.uk\/blog\/?p=4699"},"modified":"2018-08-21T06:09:38","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T06:09:38","slug":"weeknotes-3031-holiday-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andrewdoran.uk\/blog\/2018\/08\/21\/weeknotes-3031-holiday-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Weeknotes #30\u201331 \u2014 Holiday Road"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

I\u2019m writing this on a TGV train<\/a> that has just pulled out of Geneva station, heading for Paris over the next three hours. We\u2019re at the end of a holiday, having spent a few days in Geneva city centre and then a week with good friends in a chalet in Ch\u00e2tel, just over an hour away from Geneva by car in the French Alps.<\/p>\n

\"Spectacular

Spectacular views. Mont Blanc in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n

Work seems a very distant memory. I\u2019ve never had a problem in switching off; typically the first day of a break is spent tidying up some loose ends and unwinding but after that I\u2019m all set. On the way down here I had to spend some time reviewing a document and getting it back to one of our vendors but other than that I\u2019ve not looked at my work email at all. Text messages from the team were minimal, and everything will all be there for me to pick up next week when I get back.<\/p>\n

Before I left, I spent quite a bit of time on Monday and Tuesday getting through an email backlog that was a couple of thousand items strong. The team are busy getting things done so I took the opportunity to catch up. I do tend to get to everything eventually<\/em>, but I\u2019m never able to process all of my emails within a short timeframe \u2014 if I did, I would never do anything else. I didn\u2019t quite get to \u2018inbox zero\u2019 but made significant headway which was pretty satisfying. Anyway, enough about work for this bumper instalment of weeknotes.<\/p>\n

In order to be a little more eco-friendly, and to enjoy the journey to our holiday, we had decided to get the train from Berkhamsted to Geneva. Door-to-door from our home to our hotel took us on three overground trains, an underground train and a tram, and about ten hours of travelling. We\u2019re currently travelling at 158mph and despite being still quite a way from Paris we will get there in just over an hour. Both the TGV and Eurostar trains are super fast, but the former are not quite as plush and have an air conditioning system that doesn\u2019t seem to cope too well with a hot summer and full carriages.<\/p>\n

\"Surprisingly

Surprisingly just over an hour outside Paris<\/p><\/div>\n

It has been fun to get the train and despite the additional length of the journey it felt like less hassle than going by plane. All of your luggage stays close to you and it was lovely to be able to get up and wander around. Heading to the buffet car felt a little like being in business class with access to an in-flight bar, with less free stuff but better views.<\/p>\n

\"Checking

Checking out the TGV buffet car<\/p><\/div>\n

Gen\u00e8ve<\/h2>\n

Geneva was an interesting place to spend a few days, but I\u2019m not sure I would hurry back. It seemed very functional \u2014 very Swiss<\/em> \u2014 but more of a place to live than to visit. That is, unless you have stacks of cash and enjoy luxury shopping for all of the highest of high-end branded goods. We spent some time wandering down the main streets, marvelling at the wares in the windows. Luxuries aside, Geneva is by far<\/em> the most expensive place I have ever been, and this includes having visited both Z\u00fcrich and Stockholm in the past few years. Having a weak pound doesn\u2019t help, but I don\u2019t think it is fundamental to just how much everything costs. We didn\u2019t get much change out of \u00a380 for a family meal each night and even filled bagels from a sandwich shop in the city centre cost CHF 18 (about \u00a314). On one of our days out walking we stumbled across a Lidl and made do with a roll and slice of cheese, saving our money for dinner. France is cheaper; not by much for a proper evening meal, but it offered the boulangeries to feed us during the day.<\/p>\n

We stayed at the Starling Residence<\/a> which is a hotel used for training people entering the hotel management trade. This meant it was cheaper than most hotels, but was still around \u00a3150 per night. The room was small but quite big enough for us, with a double bed for the adults and a sofa bed for the kids. The air conditioning sounded like the engine of a 747 and seemed to expend most of its energy in making this noise so we stripped the duvets off of the beds and use slept with the sheets. The hotel uses a restaurant next door to serve breakfast to guests that book through their website \u2014 this is a little bit sparse with a very basic continental fare and service with not too many smiles. We felt like we were constantly hassling them for croissants as no sooner had they cooked a batch that the basket was completely emptied by the other guests.<\/p>\n

To ease the crippling financial burden of dropping in for a visit, everyone staying at a hotel in Geneva gets a pass for free travel on public transport. The city is very pedestrian-friendly and we spent a lot of time wandering around on foot, clutching an iPhone running a walking route on Google Maps1<\/a><\/sup>, but it was extremely handy to be able to jump on a tram and head somewhere in double-quick time.<\/p>\n

\"Something

Something free in Geneva<\/p><\/div>\n

The main tourist attraction is the very straightforwardly-named Jet d\u2019Eau<\/a>, originally a safety valve for the hydraulic power network but later recognised for its aesthetic qualities. It was quite fun to venture close to it and watch the tourists run away as soon as a gust of wind made it change direction.<\/p>\n