Climbing Le Reculet

A while back, I met with a friend of a friend, Valère, who is a first year graduate student at University of Zurich. He has lived at CERN for a while, so I wanted to draw off of his expertise and ask him about the fun things to do in the area. When he said that you could climb the 2nd highest peak in the Jura, Le Reculet, that immediately went to the top of my list of things to do.

I had to put it on hold for quite some time, because there was still a lot of snow up on the tops of the mountains. Some fellow adventurers on the internet recommended bringing snowshoes, or even crampons and ice picks! I didn’t want to mess with that. Alex and I had a tentative plan to go last weekend, but cancelled it and went to Geneva instead, when there was still too much snow.

I was talking about this with my two friends and colleagues, Nicoló and Andrea earlier this week. I noted that the snow seemed to be melting, and that I was looking forward to going. Nicoló mentioned that he had gone several times before with his friends, but hadn’t made it quite to the top yet. I offered him another chance, and I was so pleased when both he and Andrea took me up on it! Now we had a proper hiking party.

On Saturday morning, Nicolo picked every one up by 10am. We drove to Tiocan, where the trail starts, and headed out at about 10:30am. The thermometer read about 6°C when we began. For the first part of the path, you have a choice between taking a steep path, and a not-so-steep path. Personally, I would go with the not-so-steep path. It is longer, but not by too much.

Even going up the first part of the path, we were already out of breath. The gradient is quite steep, and there was still an appreciable amount of snow on the ground. This wasn’t going to be easy! I was already sweating in just a t-shirt and light sweater.

At some point, the not-so-steep path meets back up with the steep path and takes you up to a crossroads.

We stopped here for a little bit, and enjoyed some wonderful Swiss chocolate.

On a clear day, I am sure the view of the surrounding area and the Alps would be amazing! Unfortunately, it was cloudy.

The view up the mountain was great, at least!

We continued up, and took the path to the left. It told us that we were an hour and half from the top. Now this path was VERY steep. It might have been better in the summer, but all of the snow made it seem like climbing countless flights of stairs.

After quite a number of breaks to rest and admire the beautiful scenery, we got to a spot where it opened out and stopped for lunch. We were all exhausted, and we weren’t sure how far from the peak we were. It was looking like we might not make it to the top today. But we looked up, and saw that the end might be in sight! We couldn’t quite see the metal cross that supposedly marked the top, but we did see a pass that seemed to be the last steep ascent. So with the extra energy from lunch, we set off back up the mountain.

Yes, those are clouds on the mountain. We hiked INTO the clouds. Coolest thing ever.

I’m not sure if it was lunch or the anticipation of reaching the top, but the last bit of our hike flew by. We took a narrow path along a cliff, and of course, stopped for a selfie.

We made it up the last hill, and finally saw it! The cross that marks the summit!

I was so excited to have made it – it felt like a huge accomplishment. We had climbed a mountain!

We took another chocolate break, and sat admiring the other side side of the mountain. I’m not sure how life can get much better than that!

There was quite a lot of snow at the top! I understand why we saw so many people on snowshoes and skis. Personally, I would skip the snowshoes, but there were some slopes that looked like they would be really fun to ski.

I took the opportunity to climb up the cross a ways. By doing that, I was actually higher than the HIGHEST peak in the Jura, Crêt de le Neige, which is actually only one meter taller than Le Reculet.

I don’t remember exactly, but I think we reached the top at about 2pm. It was quite cold at the top! There was a thermometer up there that read 0°C. At this point, we were very thankful for the jackets that we had neglected on our hike up. We stayed for a while, and then headed back down. We wanted to take the other path, the other that went to the right at the cross roads. The one nice thing about the snow is that we simply followed all of the footprints back!

Going down was quite steep, and quite snowy. At one point, asked the group when the last time they had rolled down a hill. No one could remember! So we all took part and rolled down some nice, snowy hills. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much! It was a blast.

At some points, it was so steep that Andrea and I resorted to simply sitting down and sliding down the hill, sans sled. We got wet, but it was totally worth it!

On our way down, we passed by a small group of people who were jumping off the cliffs with hang gliders! That looked very fun.

We finally made it to the bottom at about 4pm, a little less than six hours after we had started. We walked about six miles and climbed about 3000ft. We were tired and wet, but very happy! That experience rivals almost any other I have ever had – it was amazing. I am so looking forward to more hikes in the future.

French Cuisine in Lyon

This is a very important topic in France, so I figured it deserved its own post!

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French Restaurant Basics

Before jumping into the delicious foods we ate, I’ll briefly mention how restaurants work in France, since it is very different than in the United States.

First of all, lunch is served noon-2pm, and dinner starts some time after 7pm. Restaurants aren’t usually open outside of these times, so plan accordingly. Before the meal begins, you traditionally order an ‘apéritif‘ or ‘apéro’, which is an alcoholic beverage to stimulate your appetite (though it can also mean a small pre-meal snack).

Then, most people will order the ‘menu’, which consists of 2+ courses, depending on how fancy the restaurant is. You can usually expect 2-3 for lunch and then 3-4 for dinner. You then get to pick your courses from a list of offerings (usually 5-10 different options). You pick your entrée (appetizer), plat (main dish), and then either a cheese or dessert. Of course, you are encouraged to order wine with some or all of your courses. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, you can always order á la carte, and just have a single course.

Afterwards, you may order a digestif, which is an after dinner beverage.

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The Food of Lyon

While we were there we ate at four different restaurants. Two were bakeries (for breakfast), which are abundant and delicious everywhere I have been in France. It doesn’t get much better than fresh, buttery baked goods and croissants! The third was a kabob place, which is another common sight here. It is kind of like their version of fast food. We has to resort for that for lunch the first day, because we were not aware of the limited opening hours of many other restaurants!

The other two were nice, full meals. For dinner on the first nice, we went to Le Caveau des Gourmands, which served very traditional Lyonnise dishes. We each ordered the menu (but no wine), and all had different things to eat. My entrée was a Lyonnise salad, with bacon, croutons, and a poached egg.

My plat was a ‘blue’ steak. Now blue is the rarest of the rare. It brings meaning to ‘walking a steak through a warm room’ and then serving it. Just how I like it, but not for everybody. Sean ordered the andouillette sausage, which is made from stomach and intestines. Though it looks good here, it smelled gross and I couldn’t bring myself to try it… The potatoes are flavored with nutmeg, with is also traditional for the region.

And then I forgot to take a picture of our dessert and cheese! It was a chocolate fondant, and then a creamy white cheese with herbs.

For lunch the next day, we went to a place called Le Bouchon des Carnivores. Alex and I had onion soup for our entrée, but maybe you know it better as French onion soup! It was absolutely delicious. Sean had a dish with herring.

My plat was called ‘meat pie’. It was basically croissant dough filled with ground meat, in red wine sauce. Delicious!

For dessert, I had ‘caramel cream’, which turned out to be flan! I am pretty sure the whipped cream was homemade, because it was amazing.

Overall, it was an excellent food experience! Definitely worth it to spring for some nice meals there.

The Sights of Lyon

Hi everyone! First of all, I would like to take the time to thank you for continually tuning in to my adventures. I really appreciate it!

Let me first introduce the characters of my adventure:

• Alex is a sixth-year graduate student at the University of Minnesota who is working on the CMS project. He is graduating this spring after he finishes his thesis, which is titled something along the lines of “Measurement of Ψ* with Z to ee events”. After that, he is heading out to Silicon Valley to participate in a program which trains people with technical Ph.D.s to become data scientists, and places them with a company. (Pictured center)
• Sean is a fourth-year graduate student at the University of Minnesota, who is also working on the CMS project. (Pictured right)
• And then me, of course! Boy, I am pretty short. (Pictured left)

Since it was a weekend-long trip, this post would get very long if I told you about every single detail. So I have just included the highlights! As always, I am open to any further questions!

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My Favorite Sights

I loved getting to see and explore the ruins of ancient Roman amphitheaters, which were built during the first century. It is incredible to imagine the lives of people who once lived, worked, and were entertained here.

This is the large Amphitheater. It used to seat over 10,000 people! Also, next to it, is the smaller Odeon, which sat 3,000 people. Standing in the center, one can almost imagine what it was like to be a performer with all eyes on you.

A ways away, we also got to see the Amphitheater of the Three Gauls, which is where the first Christians were martyred in Lyon in 177.

Wherever you are in the city, it is impossible to escape the gaze of the Basilica of Notre-Dame sitting up on the hill.

Going inside the basilica is an experience like none other. I can honestly say that this is the most beautifully intricate building I have ever seen. I could sit inside for hours and still not absorb all there is to see.

The WWI monument in the Parc de la Tête d’Or was very moving. It depicts men bearing the coffin of a deceased comrade. It was a welcome departure from other monuments that glorify acts of war.

There were also walls bearing all the names of men from the Lyon area who gave their lives to the war. So many names.

We spent a few hours at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, and I wish we would have had more time. They have a wide range of sculptures, antiquities, and paintings. As someone who used to be very interested in Egypt, I was fascinated by their collection of sarcophagi and other Egyptian artifacts. We also go the chance to see some original Monets and Picassos.

These were my highlights, but there is really a lot to see in Lyon! If you want to see more of my pictures, check them out on Facebook.

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Travel Logistics

Thankfully, public transportation here is really top notch. I drive a car that is provided by CERN, but that means that it can’t be taken outside of the LHC ring. So our journey started with a short drive to CERN, where we parked the car and hopped on the tram (buy tickets at the tram station) which took us to Geneva’s main train station. From there, we got on the train (buy tickets ahead of time online or from the train station), which took us to Lyon in about two hours.

There are two train stations in Lyon. One is Perrache, which is the one I would recommend for tourists. It is very close to the heart of downtown, and notably less busy. The other one, Part Dieu, is in the center of the business district. This is the one that our departing train left from, and it was busier than any airport I have ever seen!

We booked out room through hostels.com. This worked out very well for us! We got an inexpensive room at Hotel Berlioz which was not extravagant, but there were clean beds and hot showers, which were just what we needed.

While we were there, we got around by walking. This is very manageable, but it is a big city and we were tired at the end of both days. If you are looking for something slightly less strenuous, there is an extensive public transit system. If you have questions about it, I would stop by the tourism office. They provided maps and suggestions of what to do.

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Reflections

Lyon was a really spectacular city. I think with a little bit of planning and some determination, you can tackle it in a weekend. Of course, there will still be things you don’t have time to see, so you’ll have to choose carefully!

I would definitely recommend the basilica, Roman ruins, and art museum. There are a lot of really beautiful buildings right in the downtown and old town areas, so definitely spend some time wandering around. The park and business district on the eastern side of the city is nice, but you could probably skip it for a weekend trip (though the park might be better during the nice summer months). Some things that I didn’t get a chance to do this time around, but would look in to for a second visit, are a tour of the city’s traboules and a trip out to ruins of ancient aqueducts.

I had such a spectacular time traveling. I can’t wait for my next excursion. But I will admit, however much I love seeing, trying, and doing new things, I also really love snuggling in bed with my pajamas and reading my book!

A Day in Annecy

This past Sunday (now over a week ago), Sean and I made a trip to Annecy, France. Everyone we asked was very fond of Annecy, and they told us that it would make an excellent day trip. We often heard it described a quaint, French town. It did not disappoint!

We got on a bus to Geneva at about 7:15am. I was very surprised when we drove right by the United Nations! Call me ignorant, but I had no idea they were in Geneva. We’ll definitely have to go for a tour! Once in Geneva, we met up with our ride, who we found using a ride share website. This was definitely the way to go, since it was a third of the price and took half as long as the bus to Annecy. It was an hour drive, so we got dropped off in Annecy at about 9am.

When we got there, we went straight to the tourism office. That is usually your best bet when entering a new area here. Almost every town has one. Unfortunately, the office is Annecy is closed on Sundays. Thankfully, there were maps located in various locations around the town, so we were still able to pick out the local attractions.

So first, we set off across the lakefront, towards the Imperial Palace. Looking back at the main part of Annecy, we were treated to some lovely views.

The town is apparently known for its population of swans. In the summer. In the spring and summer, you can walk out on to an artificial island created especially for these majestic birds. Even in the winter, they still hang around!

As we were walking, I noted the number of runners we encountered. Even though it was snowing, and quite cold, a large number of people were still out running or walking. This has actually been the case everywhere I have been in France so far – people seem very active on the whole. And there are so many dogs! Lots of people walk their dogs without a leash, and all the dogs are really friendly. One time, I even saw a man’s dog carrying his owner’s phone in his mouth while the phone was playing music. I definitely did a double-take there.

We continued walking, and came to a public park area. I am sure it would be beautiful in the spring and summer. There was what looked to be a fairly extensive garden, a park, a restaurant, and even an aviary!

The apiary. There was also a fenced in region with ducks, geese, and other birds, but I couldn’t get a good picture of it.

The public walking area along the lake.

It looked as though this area also serves as a beach in the summer. The water was clear, the bottom was sandy, and there were large pillars that looked like a slide and a diving platform out in the water.

Then we came to the Imperial Palace. What a building! It is enormous, and beautifully built. We learned that it was actually a hotel. Can you imagine staying here?

After ample admiration, we walked back along the lakefront and into what is called ‘Old Town’. It is differentiated by its narrow, cobblestone stone streets and different architectural style.

I learned later that there are a number of notable buildings in Old Town, and that Annecy has a long and fascinating history. The one in the middle of the above picture is a picture of the Palais de l’Isle. It was built in the 12th century, and served as administrative headquarters, a mint, and finally as a jail through the middle ages. It is now a museum!

Old Town was very memorable for me. I was so absorbed in what I was seeing that I forgot to take pictures! It had a very small town feel. I was particularly impressed with all of the ironwork – fences, windows, balconies, etc.

We walked through the market, which happens every Sunday morning. The smells of dried meats, cheeses, and fresh bread came from various shops. My favorites were the bakeries. Their selection is amazing, and it is all so fresh! One item that really struck me was the enormous meringues, pictured on the top shelf, below.

Then we wandered through the streets a bit more, and took some winding turns…

…and ended up in front of the city’s Chateau! (Or castle). They informed us that they were closed between 12 and 2pm, and that we should come back later. So we decided to walk towards the church we could see up on the hill.

So first we took a wrong turn. Then…. we took yet another wrong turn! We ended up on the opposite side of the church’s wall.

This turned out to be a happy accident. Behind the church, we stumbled upon the trail head for a number of different trials going up in to the mountains. We still had plenty of time before the chateau would close, so we decided to go for it. We had no idea what we were in store for…

We stopped for lunch so we could continue to admire the view, and then continued up. We finally got to a place where the snow seemed too deep for our hiking boots to handle. Not wanting to end up with wet feet, we turned around. To the best of our calculations, we gained almost 1,000 feet in altitude!

We finally found the entrance to the church after continuing to follow the wall. What a beautiful building! It is called La Basilique de la Visitation (the Visitation Basilica), and was built in the early 1900’s.

We saw some nuns working outside, so it was obviously still very much in use. Unfortunately, it seemed that no one spoke English, so we didn’t figure out if we could go inside. Maybe next time!

We then walked down to go back to the Chateau (or Castle). Construction began in the 12th century, and continued through the 17th. It was the home of the Counts of Geneva. It is a sprawling property – I can’t imagine anybody ever being able to fill the whole space! It now serves as a museum. There was art, both old and new, as well as exhibits on the history of Annecy and the lake.

At this point, we were exhausted. We had been walking around all day and our legs would like a break. We looked in to a restaurant recommended to us by an employee at the chateau, but it was not open. Everything happens later here, especially dinner. So most dinner places do not even open until 7pm. One place that was open was a creperie! We decided that this type of traditional, French food sounded delicious, so we went inside.

We were very pleased to find that they spoke English, and that they even had some spare English menus! The menu was extensive, and it was very difficult to decide what to get. If this list isn’t tempting, I don’t know what is…

Even though I wanted to only order dessert crepes, my better judgement told me I should get a savory one as well. So I decided on the ‘Complete Lard Oignons” (egg, cheese, bacon, onions, tomatoes) and the ‘Ballon d’Alsace’ (pear sorbet, hot fudge, pear brandy, and set one fire!). They were both delicious!

At that point, it was almost time to leave, so we wandered around the more modern, downtown area for a little bit, and then headed to where we were supposed to meet our ride. We were so tired, and very happy to get home. I slept very soundly that night!

Overall, it was a wonderful experience! Annecy is a very nice little town, with a lot to offer. I think I would like to go back in the spring or summer, so that I can see the gardens. Maybe even take another hike! But this was just the tip of the iceberg, so I am very excited for our next weekend excursion!

The Town of Ferney-Voltaire

Hello again! Thanks for stopping by.

As I mentioned before, a new student came to live in the house this weekend. His name is Sean, and he is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. I already knew him from my summer at Fermilab, so I was excited to hear that he would be here at the same time I am.

Last weekend, we ventured out and took a walk through Ferney-Voltaire, the town we are staying in. Let me tell you – it was beautiful. We finally had a break from the fog, and the mountain views from outside of town were breath-taking.

We ended up going to town. It was a Sunday afternoon, and nothing was open. No 24/7 shops to be found in this part of the world. But that meant the streets were empty and we got some great pictures!

Everything struck me as being very French: the cobblestone streets, the wooden shutters, the flower boxes…

For being such a small town, it has some amazing architecture (not to mention the strange-looking trees).

On our way back home, we walked by the town cemetery, which is up on the same hill as Voltaire’s mansion (not pictured). We were too shy to go in and take a closer look, but many of the headstones looked very old.

Right outside of our little neighborhood, there is a house that keeps animals in their backyard. It is like a little farm! Sheep, geese, chickens… There is another family nearby that keeps two donkeys in their backyard, but they weren’t outside when we walked by.

Sorry for the poor quality here. This one was taken with my cell phone.

I don’t want to waste any potential travel time, so next weekend we have made plans to visit the French town of Annecy. Apparently, they have a wonderful market on Sundays and you can take ferry rides out on to the nearby lake. I look forward to keeping you updated!

Settling In – The First Week

I have arrived in France safe and sound! After almost a week I am starting to feel more and more at home, though I am still suffering from a little bit of jet-lag due to the 7 hour time shift.

I am staying in a small town outside of Geneva called Ferney-Voltaire, in western France. Yes, Voltaire actually lived there. His large estate is visible up on a hill on the edge of town.

Voltaire’s Mansion: You can see it off on the left, up on the hill.

Real people live there, so it is only open to visitors during the summer months. There is a statue of Voltaire in the middle of town, along with a small monument commemorating those who died in WWI, which most French towns have.

Statue of Voltaire – the town’s patriarch.

The WWI memorial.

The house I am living in is owned by the University of Minnesota. It is really more like a town-home, since it is in a small neighborhood filled with identical houses.

The outside of the house. We are on the left!

A view down our street.

The collection of roofs is our neighborhood. Note the scenic mountains in the distance!

Everything is close together, so our backyard is very small!

I told you it was small.

Other visiting students and professors stay there as well. It has been an interesting experience living with professors as peers. It is a small house with four bedrooms, two toilets, one shower, and one kitchen/living room.

My room is very cute. I have everything put away, and it is really starting to feel like mine. I was thankful to find that there is PLENTY of closet space. I have to say, I was surprised to find a floral bedspread in a house that has been maintained mostly by men. There are real wooden shutters on the house, so I have to open them every day to get the view out my window. It is heated by electric radiators, so the house tends to be on the chilly side.

My room!

The view from my window. Not sure if you can see, but it is snowing in this picture.

I have heard that there are beautiful views of the mountains, both the Jura (which actually lends its name to the Jurassic Period) and the Alps, but I haven’t been able to see much yet due to all the fog! The weather has been nice, about 35°F (2°C), which is very normal for winter here. Snow comes regularly, but doesn’t stick around for long. But still, so much fog!

I arrived on Friday at about 2pm and spent the evening settling in. The next morning, my professor (who has been here a lot and is fluent in French) brought me to the market in Ferney-Voltaire, which happens every Saturday morning. It is quite like the Minneapolis farmers’ market. Vendors line the streets and sell fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese (so much cheese), olives, jewelry, clothes, hot food, etc. it is quite busy! Everyone speaks French. I had a fun time trying to puzzle out the meaning of the various signs. We got a drink called vin chaud (hot wine), which is essentially like alcoholic grape cider. They spice and sugar the wine and warm is up – perfect for a cold day.

Wine and cheese is a real thing here. So much cheese!

Turkish delight! Delicious.

Having been to Africa twice before, I thought I was ready whatever cultural differences were thrown at me. I was wrong! Being in Africa was so completely different from my usual life in nearly every way possible, and I had gone in to the trips aware of that fact and expecting it. This time, I wasn’t anticipating any big changes – I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Being in France, things are very similar to the United States but just different enough to throw me for a loop. A few small examples: The electrical outlets are different (and there are different standards for France and Switzerland), there are different currencies for both France (Euros) and Switzerland (Swiss Francs), they flip the day and month when writing a date, they flip the decimal points and commas when writing numbers, everyone drives a manual car (I better practice up), you are expected to bring your own shopping bags to the store, etc. To add to all that, my French is no good! I know only a handful of phrases, and my accent is truly atrocious. At least I’m working on it!

Monday marked my first day of work at CERN, one of the largest scientific laboratories in the world. I will definitely be sharing more about what they do in general, and specifically what I will be working on in future posts! Since then I have settled in: I have a key for my office, a Swiss SIM card for my phone, a CERN ID card, a driver’s licence that is valid in this area, and plans to undergo all the necessary radiation training so that I can go down in to the LHC. I work in a very small building, away from the social center of the campus. That means that it is nice and quiet to work, and that I can take a nice walk to lunch! The work schedule here is notably different. People start late (some time after 9am), and end late (some time between 6 and 10pm).

This weekend, another student from the University is arriving. Hopefully I can recruit him to be my traveling partner. There is quite an extensive system of high-speed trains in the area,  so I have my long list of all the places I hope to visit during my time here! I also hope to do some skiing in the Alps – what a treat!

But thanks for reading my first post! If you have questions or any suggestions of fun things to do/see in Europe, please let me know!