Early ride to the Aktau airport today (1), with on time departures for both flights. Landing in Geneva, the plane ascended the length of Lake Geneva, which makes sense considering the mountains on both sides.
While travelling, some days nothing goes right, other times, everything goes right. Today was the latter: no line at Swiss immigration (2), train departing straight away for Geneva Station, and a connection to the French train to Chambery (south of Geneva) in 7 minutes. The train rode along the length of Lac de Bourget, and I noted a flat lakeside road with a bike lane adjacent to the tracks. I hopped off at Aix-les-Bains, found a hotel, a pizza place (3), and a bike rental shop all within a short walk of the station.
The bike rental place (affiliated with the city's public transit) had just reopened after the lunch break. The clerk was a bit frazzled (the shop was being painted and the computer did not work), but she gave me a bike for a small cash payment, with a promise to return before 6:00.
There were a few hills getting to the lake on the (very heavy) rental bike. The lskeside road hugged and/or was constructed over the lake, next to the steep cliffs to the east. Turning around where the road the heads away from the lake (about 10 away miles from town), someone driving by in a contractor's truck honked, smiled, and gave me a salute.
Back in town, I got a delicious pistachio brownie (the French put pistachios in everything). It was still early for dinner in this part of France (only 6:00), so I decided on a nap. No, the brownie was enough for dinner. I had had very little sleep with the early flights to and from Aktau the last two days; I slept until 7:00 next morning.
(1) Unexpectedly, the taxis in Aktau are easy; fixed price of KT 3,500 (about US$ 7) from anywhere in the compact city to the airport.
(2) The check-in clerk at Aktau airport was confused about my final destination of Geneva: "Where is your visa for Scotland?" I tried to convince her Geneva was in Switzetland, but she was skeptical. Eventually, I convinced her I did not need a visa, whether for Scotland or for Switzerland. I had a similar encounter at outbound immigration, where the official had to check with his colleague, who looked something up on her phone. Few people boarding here were going further than Istanbul, where I changed planes.
(3) The owners were from Calabria, Italy. In response to my query (in French) which is the best pizza, she recommended the calabra if I like spicy. The chef told me the spicy Calabria sausages ('Nudja and Spianata) were not available in France, but he had connections back home. The conversation was about 40% French, 40% English, and 20% Italian.
Why I got off at Aix-les-Bains. I had just flown from the "Caspian Riviera" anyways
Descent into Geneva:
The Swiss Alps
View to the French side of Lac Lemain/ Lake Geneva
Lac de Bourget from the train
At Aix-les-Bains
On the streets of Aix-les-Bain
Glimpse of the lake
Lakeside Vineyard
On the Lakeside road, heading north
One of three grade crossings
"One train can hide another" (those sneaky trains). In other words, don't cross just because one train had passed, there could be another behind. In North America, a similar grade crossing would say "2 tracks" for the same reason
North along the lake
Turning around after about 10 miles
Southbound
Cyclists: slippery tracks
Grapes vines in median
Back at Aix-les-Bains
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