Bern in Autumn

On my recent trip to Bern, Switzerland, I took this picture of the Fall colors. Having grown up in New England, I have a very specific idea of what Fall feels like. Washington, DC never had a real Fall feel for me. In Paris, the air was definitely crisp, and there were some leaves on the ground, but it wasn't until I got to Bern that I was reminded of Autumn in New England.

Composting is good for the environment, right?

On my recent trip to Switzerland, I took the TGV. In first class. Ahhhh. Ok, not quite as luxe as flying first class, but can’t complain.

The French TGV (Trains a Grande Vitesse, aka, High Speed Train) are a popular and easy way to travel around Europe. I have to say it is significantly nicer traveling for work around Europe, than schlepping a huge suitcase and being a broke student (my last European train experience).

One thing I don’t understand: why do you have to compostez votre billet? Before boarding the train, you have to stick your ticket in a machine to composter. (I’m not exactly sure what this means, but I assure you that while the ticket is biodegradable, you do not in fact “compost” it.) Basically, this machine stamps a date and time on your ticket in really small, subtle writing. What is the point? Don’t they check your ticket on the train anyway? Besides, my ticket is non-refundable once the train departure time has passed. If you have any idea about the purpose of composting, please let me know.

I do vividly remember the consequences of not composting though. During one of my first train trips in college I didn’t composte mon billet, and when a conductor came by to check, I got a loud talking-to in French and a hefty fine. So beware!

Snack Me Sandwich?

An interesting find in a Swiss vending machine: a "Snack Me" Sandwich. The picture looks like two crackers with a filling. Right below the word "sandwich" the filling is described as cheese, pineapple and the "flavor of ham". Hmmm.

Amazing diversity of electric plugs...

Electric outlet in my Swiss hotel room...

La Greve!

My job requires me to travel ... a lot. On Thursday I have a meeting in Bern, Switzerland. Normally this would not be a problem. Except that this Thursday in particular is la greve (a strike). All of the train workers are striking in France. Well, not all of them, I was assured by an SNCF employee, but 92% of them. Lovely.

Strikes are very common here, so what a better way to kickoff my business travel experience in France than to be inconvenienced by a train strike?! At least the strikers provide advanced notice. And apparently also provide a minimum level of service. Although judging by the pictures I've seen of previous train strikes, it will still not be pretty.

My solution? Arrive on Wednesday night and stay until Friday. Know any Bern hotspots I should check out while I'm in town??