First Trip: #France #Switzerland

In my previous posts #thetravelingtrio and #tra-well, I have written about certain topics which could be useful for those who want to do a self planned trip abroad.

First Trip

There is always a special place for the firsts in our lives. Most of them leave a sweet aftertaste when we reflect on them. Our first self-planned vacation abroad was to France & Switzerland. Initially we were unsure, apprehensive and uncertain about everything viz. visa, Flights, Accommodation, Transportation etc . Gradually through extensive research we found our way. To begin, we contemplated whether to take a hassle free package tour (or self plan), see two countries or many and to use public transport or drive. After some thought, we settled for a self planned, driving trip across two countries. Given below is the route that we followed across these two beautiful countries.

Visa

#France is a member of the #Schengen Agreement. The French Visa formalities in Chennai are handled by #vfsvisaapplication centre. Look up the internet to find out, who provides France visa services in your location. Visit the #www.vfsglobal.com for all documents, related queries and application procedure. It is entrusted by the French Consulate to handle documents and they are not the visa granting authority. So whether you are using a travel agent or submitting documents in person, the result of Visa Grant could be same.

First Hurdle: In the process of obtaining visa, I had prepared all required documents and submitted at VFS. To my agony, after four days I was informed that it has been denied, for not showing proof of sufficient funds. I resubmitted the documents a second time, with proof of every penny I had, and this time to our relief it was granted. The lessons learnt in this process were:-

• Intention of return to India has to be proven. Anything suspicious and visa may be denied.
• Show adequate proof of financial condition..@ approx 50 Euro per person per day.(You actually don’t need to spend that much)
• All major and minor documents mentioned in VFS provided list is a must
• VISA fees has to be paid again, in case re-applying on initial denial.

Note: It would have been easier to hire a travel agent since their advice, based on domain knowledge, would have been accurate. But the thrill in toiling yourself builds the frenzy to a foreign trip. All of this was done while staying 100 km away from the VISA application centre.

Air Fare: The search for reasonable fares started about six months in advance. We got very competitive deal on Etihad for two adults and a child. Refundable tickets, on www.etihad.com flight from Chennai to Paris for 1,10,000 INR in 2016. (Comparatively, Air India charged the same LTC fare between Vizag and Leh in 2013). The middle eastern airlines #etihad and #emirates are one of the most luxurious ‘economy’ class airlines. There were no signs of cost cutting and it was a comfortable trip to Paris. If your planned route has either of these airlines, you must not miss booking it; budget allowing.

Day 1 & 2: Paris:

Metro Pass: We landed at Paris and bought a metro pass from Tourist Information Centre. The #Parismetro pass includes two services. The RER (an intercity train) and the Paris metro. It is economical and useful as it allows unlimited free train rides between the City and Charles de Gaulle airport or the Orly Airport. In addition, within the period of validity one could take unlimited trips on Paris Metro from anywhere to anywhere. The usage of single and point to point tickets in Paris is little complex and one has to stand in queue and or fiddle with an unfamiliar vending machine to get a ticket in the first place.

Accommodation: Our stays during this trip were all on Airbnb except on two occasions.

Rue des Pyrenees @ Airbnb.com: The host received us at Gambetta Metro and led us to his apartment. It was an independent apartment. A grocery store was just below the apartment. To cut down on costs, choose a place which is close to a metro station but removed from the city centre and use a metro pass. Choose a place which has kitchen and use a grocery store to cook simple food.

Day 3: Car Rental I had pre-booked a Volkswagen Polo online at Orly airport. I didn’t want to rent a car from within the city centre to avoid complicated city driving and traffic. The Orly airport is located outside the main ring road within which dense traffic lies. So we took a RER, covered by the Metro Pass and went to Orly airport. I arrived one hour later than the time of booking and the car was released (lesson 1). I had used an aggregator (#www.economycarrentals.com) and I realised that the price which was quoted to me was different than the car billed to me (lesson 2). Driving in Europe was a little complicated view the left handed drive with a gear shift, pattern (1-5) remaining the same. I have driven left-handed cars in USA, but there all cars are automatic, so it was a bit complicated. All the manoeuvres on the car have to be done with great presence of mind and consciously. To save cost I didn’t rent a car navigation system (lesson 3) and to add to the misery bought a Matrix International calling sim. (super expensive with hidden charges)

I had dowloaded an Offline Navigation app on my tab which had limited features (free app) (lesson 4). By some error I missed a motorway (lesson 5) and ended up driving through narrow roads across France. The experience of having seen those villages is unparalleled but it took us the entire day and we reached Bern at 2300, 11 hours drive. To pile on the agony, it began to rain heavily as darkness fell . It was a bit disconcerting driving in a new country at night in heavy rainfall. Finally to our relief we found our way to the hotel.

• Takeaway Point (TP 1) – Arrive within one hour of your booking time to claim your car
• TP 2 – Book directly from genuine car rental sites
• TP 3 & 4 – Buy a local SIM (voice&data or only data) and use Google Maps.
• TP 5 – If SIM is not available use car equipped with GPS Navigation system

Minor Incident. This is only unpleasant incident in my experience of four years with airbnb. A host in Bern, #Switzerland, cancelled our booking one week before we were set to depart. (This option is not there for hosts now @2019. They can’t deny or cancel). It was annoying and we frantically had to book a hotel. #Ibis Budget for 7K@one night in 2015 was by no means ‘budget’. To add fuel to fire the parking was 20 euro per night. The positives, however, were free use of public transport in Bern for staying in hotel, which we were able to utilise very well.

Expensive. Switzerland is an expensive country for a family of budget travellers. The benchmark values of everything in Switzerland is higher than their neighbouring countries. Accommodation and Food is costly. When on your own, eat at supermarkets. Especially, near closing time when most of the fresh foods are sold at heavy discounts. Stock on them. Look for a rental with kitchen to cook basic meals.

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Day 4 to 6: Switzerland.

Vignette. To drive in Switzerland one has to buy a Vignette (40 Swiss francs in 2016). Its a sticker which has to be pasted on the wind screen. If a tourist is caught driving without it a fine of 200 Swiss Francs is levied. It is available at Police check posts while entering the country or at Petrol stations.

Grindenwald: The stay in Switzerland was pleasant. Inspite of the initial hiccups, the drive through France to Switzerland and the next few days were smooth and uneventful. Our first stop was at Downtown Lodge at Grindenwald; the base station for Jungfraujoch. The lodge itself was quaint nestled between snow clad mountains on all sides. The reception is only open at certain times of the day. We luckily arrived at a time when it was open. Beyond these times a procedure has to be followed by reading instructions, to get to the room keys, and there was no help. We had a the entire room with eight bunk beds. The bathrooms were unisex with common entrance and separate section for male and female. The most interesting thing the kitchen scene in evening. It was a community kitchen where tourists from various nations converged to cook. There were couples (young and old), families and singles. It is a place to stop being judgmental and fade away false impressions. The common people are same around the world. Love and Family is the common bond.

#Jungfraujoch. A beautiful snow covered place at beyond 11000 feet. Lack of Oxygen may make you feel sick. The connectivity, by trains, right till the view point is a marvel of engineering. A luxurious train carries passengers comfortably all the way up. The brilliant views are affected by clouding and one must see the CCTV installed at the ticket counter and forecast before making a trip to the top. It is an expensive trip.

Winterthur: Our next destination, rather place of stay, was Winterthur. Accommodation at Zurich was very expensive and hence we chose to stay at Winterthur and travel by car. Later on we dropped the idea of visiting Zurich. We saw a Rhine Falls, a massive waterfall between Germany and Switzerland. Almost all cities look the same. Most all of them have an old town and a modern one and not to forget, boring museums. Instead of the city we chose to see a cheese factory and drive through some wilderness, pastures and countryside in Eastern Switzerland. Having a car allowed us the flexibility of altering plans as per our choice.

Day 7 to 8: Marseille

Our next destination was Marseille, a city in the South of France. A beautiful sun soaked coastal town. The drive was about eight hours through verdant countryside. As a policy we took breaks every two hours at Gas stations, which had cafeterias and rest rooms. At Marseille we stayed at airbnb apartment. The couple with whom we were staying had gone out to watch Euro16 football match. They sent us on a mini hunt around their building block to find our house keys wrapped in a silver foil under a stone.

In Marseille, we planned to do something different. We went on a trek to the Calanques. The path to Calanques terminated at a parking from where we had to trek for 01 hr. It was bright and sunny but not hot. On the way down we were offered a lift by an old fisherman in a battered pick up truck. We spent a few peaceful hours, prior returning. The return was difficult as it was an uphill walk for about 45 mins. Especially with my daughter who was eight years old and had to be motivated to walk.

Day 9: Macon

Marseille to Paris is a Nine hour drive. In a single trip we would have arrived in the night. So we chose to break the journey at Macon, a sleepy village in France. It is the one of the beautiful places where I have stayed at. The farmer was rich, the house was beautifully located in between fields of ripened wheat. The owner was away on business but the lady was present. They had two large friendly dogs and my daughter had a great time with the loveable animals. The lady was welcome and hospitable. We were given all amenities. Large bedroom, Large bath, Full kitchen for use. Unfortunately we had to leave early next day to Paris. To our surprise, at 5 am, the woman was up making some food for my daughter. It was heartfelt.

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Day 9 to 11: Paris

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We returned our car at Orly and took a 3 day rail pass. Then we took a train and a bus to our next airbnb apartment. We now had four days to explore Paris.

Day 12 to 15: Normandy

On the second day in Paris, my wife suggested that we may hire another car and drive to Normandy. This was one of the most exciting on the spot travel deviations that we took. On our drive to Bayeux, a small town in Normandy region, we crossed the Greenwich Meridien. In Normandy we visited the Omaha beach. The historic sight of the D day landing by the Allied troops. It was a sombre experience. The sight of the 9000 odd graves (known and unknown) and the wall of the missing soldiers are truly a walk down the memory lane.

There is no ‘John Miller‘. The opening and closing scenes in “Saving Private Ryan” (Hollywood movie) is shot at this location. The name of the officer played by Tom Hanks is Captain John Miller. Overwhelmed by the movie and the sombre atmosphere my family (on my request) and me, set out to look for Cross with the name ‘John Miller’. After searching for a long time, we found many Millers but no John Miller. Once we left the place, I googled up to find that the story was after all Fictitious. I was thoroughly embarrassed and my family had a great laugh and they tease me till date. The incident is a funny memory for life.

Bayeux. We stayed at a budget hotel in Bayeux which was booked online one day prior, for only equivalent of 2000 INR. This is to highlight the difference in prices between Paris, Switzerland and other smaller towns in Paris. To draw a comparison a 500 ml water bottle in Champs de Elysees, Paris costed us 1.5 Euro, which was same as the price of a 2 ltr bottle in a supermarket at Bayeux.

Return. And finally all good things finish quickly and have to come to an end. We returned to India in fifteen days quite satisfied with our trip and with a desire to continue the sojourn.

#France #Switzerland #Schengen #vfsvisaapplication #www.vfsglobal.com #etihad

#emirates #parismetro #ibis #jungfraujoch