I sleep better in a tent. After waking several times in the night, I headed down for breakfast and figuring out the day. Browsing the ‘Net for tourist info in Geneva provided a rough tourist agenda and route, as well as having some cyclist tasks of my own. Returning to the room Bill (an Australlian cyclist I met yesterday and introduced to OSMAnd+) was just waking up, but snapped to when I let him know he has 12 minutes before breakfast ended.
The Plaine de Plainpalais had an open-air flea market, which I caught early enough vendors were still setting up.
I walked to the Parc du Bastion nearby, and the Reformation Wall within. From there another short walk to St. Pierre Cathedral, plain even by Presbyterian standards, and hard to photograph surrounded by other tall buildings. Down hill I visited the Jet d’Eau (visible from all over the city, and even on the cycle in), a fountain in the harbor inspired by a water line break. In front of the fountain I also found the Flower Clock, a tourist attraction I wondered the location.
Having run through my immediate list, I headed to Tourist Information for a map of cycle routes, and directions to a camping store. The identified camping store turned out to be a bicycle shop – a error in translation. Near yet another Tourist Information, I asked again, leading me back to the Plaine de Plainpalais.That camping store closed earlier at 12:30 pm on Saturdays. I decided to take a different route back, and found another camping store a block down the street. Serendipity.
Within, the store had the fuel, but out of stock; they only had the demo. Concerned the demo fuel might be used, they offered a $1 discount. I’d shaken the fuel for quantity, but who am I to argue a discount? I had expected the fuel to be quite expensive, but at $5 I was more than happy. Still concerned, the salesman took the fuel to a restaurant next door to weigh it just in case. The Swiss, what can you do? I asked about sil-nylon dry bags, and the saleman helpfully directed me to yet another store, back on the other side of Plaine de Plainpalais.
My panniers are not water-proof. I line them with lightweight trash bags, and when the bags tear up I replace them. That process fails only rarely, even in sustained downpour. I carry a spare set of trash bags, which I can also use to cover the panniers externally. That setup weighs considerably lighter than full-on waterproof panniers, and cheaper. More maintenance, but also more repairable.
As I move out of tourist season in Europe, I’m going to see more and more rain, as the on-and-off rain the past four days can attest. I’m feeling more conservative, so picked up one sil-nylon bag for my pannier that holds clothes, and another smaller one to replace the decaying dry bag on my down sleeping bag. These should serve as a middle-ground, balancing weight and risk.
Having completed everything on my immediate tourist and cyclist lists, I headed to the CERN super collider. Located well outside of town, I arrived to find the display closed for renovation until 2016. I wandered about a bit, but not much to see. Still, what better way to end up with super-powers than wandering outside of a super collider display that’s under construction? Fingers crossed.
Next to the United Nations building on the other side of town, and closed, missing the opening time by about five minutes. Still worth it. Super powers. Still waiting.
Tomorrow begins a brand new day.