At Padova we had about half an hour's wait for our train to Milan. When an old lady and her family seemed to be struggling with getting onto our car, we went to the other end, only to discover that the other door did not work. So we got on the next car and fought our way back through two pairs of doors into our car -- where we discovered that our seats were at the far end. And the air conditioning did not work. After dragging our bike cases and suitcases thru the aisles, we collapsed into our seats. And sweated. The conductor told us we could go into the adjoining car, which we finally did, abandoning our luggage to the first takers. The next car was a refrigerator by contrast, but a welcome change. When we had to return to our car to retrieve our luggage before disembarking in Milan, it was like walking into an oven.
In Milan, we had an hour's layover, so we headed for a little restaurant for lunch. After ordering, David headed off to find our track, which was somewhat offset from the rest. Our train was already there, but there seemed to be no hurry to board. After a pretty good slice of pizza (David) and pannini (me), we hoisted my bike case onto my back again, and schlepped around the corner to our train. Our car was the farthest away (naturally), and our seats at the far end of that. It was pretty easy to find room in the luggage section for my bike case, and we hoped we could get David's between two seats that were back to back. Although it probably would have fit, the aisle was too narrow to get it turned at right angles to slide it in. Another passenger helped him lift it into the overhead rack, where it amazingly fit. Unfortunately, we were on the sunny side of the car, and although the air conditioning seemed to work, it wasn't set very low, so we were pretty warm. In addition, the bathrooms were disgusting. In both our and the neighboring cars, the sinks were so full of water that wouldn't drain that a tusnami threatened with each sway of the train.
We were very happy to find Naomi on the platform. And all the luggage fit easily into her VW station wagon, so things were looking up. She and Vincent are currently at their country house only about 15 minutes out of Geneva in a little village called Aire-la-Ville. The house was built in about 1750 and stayed in the same family until they bought it. The woman who sold it to them had turned up with her daughter just as Naomi was leaving for the station, so they were still there when we got back. Naomi filled them in on their remodeling plans, which they seemed not to be bothered by, although they had to leave so soon after we got back that she really couldn't give them much detail. By the time we get back in September, construction will have begun, so it's great to get to see it in the "before" state. Unfortunately, the wonderful quilt-like concrete tile floor in the living room cannot be saved and still put in floor heating. One interesting thing about the village is that they have a trash incineration plant that will soon provide heat for all of the houses in the village. That and a landfill are so discreetly hidden by a clump of trees that you'd scarcely know they were there. Dinner outside under the huge chestnut tree was capped off by an herisson (hedgehog) running across the lawn. We all ran over, and he rolled himself into a ball, which allowed Vincent and David to actually touch him. Before I could, he scampered off into a clump of bushes, and we never saw him again.
The next morning, we headed into Geneva to their apartment, where we could do laundry, access the internet, and copy and fax our Italian language pre-tests to the language school in Bologna where David, Nina, and I will be taking classes next week. Mostly, the latter was a farce, as neither of us (or Nina, for that matter) speaks any Italian. I could take a stab at several of the questions, although I certainly can't transform any sentences from the active to passive, or present to future, or any other such tricks. I'm sure whoever reviews my test will have a good laugh. Still it might give them an idea of whether I should start at the lowest or next-to-lowest level.
The apartment is full of really wonderful art, and some great furniture, including a clever table in the kitchen with chairs that slide right under the lip of the table to allow easy passage by the table when not in use. We went to the farmer's market a few blocks away and to a patisserie before eating a nice nicoise salad prepared by David and a tomato, mozzarella, and mango (!) salad make by Naomi back at the flat. Oh yes, and our apricot and apple tarts (one of each). On the way out of town, we stopped at a bike shop run by an ex-racer to get a couple of tubes and a patch kit for the exhorbitant price of about $25. Geneva is NOT a cheap city. In fact, David remembers that while cycling here 28 years ago, he decided not to buy any food until he was back in France.
We put the bikes back together and assembled our bike rack, which we then tested on Naomi's station wagon to make sure it was likely to work on our rental car. Another yummy meal made by Naomi, and it was time for bed.
Vincent had warned us that it might rain today, and sure enough it did. So after a leisurely breakfast, we decided to take a walk into the nature preserve close by. By then the sun was out, and the walk, if a little muddy, was quite pleasant. The highlight was a couple of enormous muddy sows with 5 piglets between them. Interestingly, one of the sows was picking up rocks and rolling them around in her mouth apparently to eat the dirt off them before spitting them out again. Strange. The return was right along the Rhone river. Bread and cheese with our fig salsa (yum!!) and salad for lunch, a little more fussing with the bikes, and we headed off for a short ride under regathering clouds. David was delighted to pass not only a llama (so the ride was by definition a success), but also an alpaca in the same field. It began to sprinkle about half an hour into the ride, and we decided to cut it short. After climbing up to a lovely village called Dardagny that was full of wine-tasting opportunities (not taken), we made a U-turn and headed back through Russin, just across the dam from Aire-la-Ville. By now it was raining harder, but not enough to be uncomfortable. And here we are again, preparing to eat again. I'm definitely going to have to go on a diet when we get back.
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