EU after 12 years (5): Le Moleson

One of my goals during my trip to Switzerland was hiking Rochers de Naye near Montreux where you can see the entire town and look over Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) and part of France. It didn't materialize! Why? The answer is simple: The hotel I was staying at in Gruyeres is nearly 40 minutes from the trailhead but breakfast was part of the deal! So considering that was my main or perhaps I can say the only meal of the day since there was not many businesses around and I was too lazy to go anywhere, I decided to switch to a closer hike named Le Moleson. 

Le Moleson is approached, at least from two different sides. The side that you get the cabin and go up and the side that you can hike up. It is a little shorter than Rochers De Naye but it still is a good exercise and the views are really nice from the top. In fact you can get 360° from summit and also the observation deck of the cabin. There's a good restaurant with good food on the top as well but I only go a 1.5, if I remember correctly, bottle of water for nearly €8.5! 

I went down for the breakfasts as usual, I think around 08:00 and breakfast was very good at Hotel De Gruyeres. The staff were great and the variety was considerable but don't think of the sort of breakfast that you see in American and Canadian hotels. Small portions but tasty and quite interesting. I tried not eat too much to attract attention! I already stuck out like a sore thumb, despite the fact that there were not many guests. The staff did not speak a word of English but I made them understand although there was not much to talk about! 

Part of the breakfast buffet at Hotel Des Gruyeres. So colourful and so delicious! 

I didn't want to make the hike miserable by hauling too much up, besides it was a very short one, So dressed, went down to the car, set up the map and drove to the trailhead. The road was so narrow, after I left the village (or town, if you like to call it!) that if a car came from the opposite direction you would have to pull to the shoulder to the right as much as you could to let the other car by and in fact this happened one. That is why big cars are not seen in rural Swiss area. In one case I tried to ask the driver of an old car about the trailhead to make sure Google Maps was not misdirecting me by saying Le Moleson, repeatedly! He seemed to understand but he pointed at the opposite direction! I think he thought I was going up the gondola. I ignored the French speaking Swiss(!) and continued until I saw a few cars parked! There I was! 

The area looked is incredibly beautiful and despite being a cloudy day, the hike was not bad. In fact it prevent sunburnt. I tried not to get lost and after a while I reached what looked like a restaurant. I always try to be seem to be interested. The guy said something about making soap and pointed at a menu while cutting something like vegetables! I realized I wouldn't get anything regarding the route from him, so said goodbye and told him I'd be back. Then there was this cabin station. There was a crew lady who showed me the path and gave me a map which was not very helpful because the route numbers on the map were not found on the ground. I then simply followed my route finding skills and went the wrong way twice which wasted a total of perhaps half an hour at the most. I then checked a couple of people including a pretty young Swiss girl named Geraldine (she's not going to read this!) who wanted me to join her in her community sort of festival on Sun. but I told her that I was heading back to Italy. 

The view from the summit, or to be correct the view from one side. I think this is looking southeast

The entire hike takes nearly 2 hours to the top and probably 1 hour of a little longer on the way back down and there you have nice views as I said earlier. I first went to the restaurant and the observation desk and then to the actual summit. There's nothing special about going down but multiple stops to take pictures. I also met a Swiss old lady with her little dog who told me with her thick French accent that she was 73 and was trying to reach the top and then going back down using the cabin but I never saw her on the top. I hope she's okay wherever she is. I admire someone at that age. Short hike but worth the effort and time.

(Photo, top: Le Moleson from the last cabin station before reaching the top. The route that hikers should take is seen on the bottom of the picture going right)

EU after 12 years (4): H. R. Giger in Gruyeres

I had three goals in mind when I was planning for Switzerland. Driving at night, the way I explained in a post earlier, was certainly not one of them! Here are (or to be correct, were!) the three:

First, going to the H. R. Giger Museum and possibly pay my respect to him by visiting his grave, in Gruyeres. Secondly doing a hike near the town of Montreux, or specifically hiking Rochers de Naye and finally seeing Villa des Roses in that town. The hike of the little mountain near the town of Montreux was changed to the hike of Le Moleson in Gruyeres but I was not able to see the Villa of the Roses. 

Giger's simple yet greatly designed tombstone in the nearby church cemetery. The museum has placed a small card in French and English asking not to put anything on the stone.

Hans Ruedi Giger was a Swiss artis behind the design of the most terrifying monster of the science-fiction world, the Alien. I wanted to go to the museum for the past 2 year when I accidentally realized the museum located in this small village of Switzerland. The question that I could not have found the answer for is why he ended up in Gruyeres while he was from the town of Chur which is 300 km away and he passed in Zurich which is 185 Km aways! 

The museum is great and unique and definitely worth watching. It's small and located in an old building in the village. It doesn't require much time to see all of the objects on display, perhaps a little more than 1 hour. I saw families with little kids in the museum, perhaps because they felt obligated to do something and since this is one of a very few limited things that the families can do in the village, they were doing it. The museum has a store but I didn't buy anything or perhaps I should say I didn't find anything to purchase that fits a guy like me! I don't wear caps and hoodies and I certainly don't were short sleeve T-shirts! Rings and jewelries are out of question but a nice jacket would have been considered but I'm happy that I had the excuse to avoid spending Swiss Franks on some merchandise! 

I took a stroll down the village after that. This is the place that you don't see visitors and tourists. A very nice a clean village with big houses and grassland with cows and also deer! I went down to a main road and came back up. There's a castle or fort on the top of the village which you need to pay admission to get and that's how it's supposed to be but having paid for the museum, I skipped that and instead went to nearby church with a small and very clean and beautiful cemetery attached to it. That is where H. R. Giger is rested. I asked the museum guy and he told me with his strong accent where I would find the grave. I first didn't want to enter the cemetery because it is fenced but then I said what's the worst that could happen? I will tell whoever questions me what I'm looking for. I started looking at the tombstone and here he was, away from everyone, at the corner with a small shrub of Tomatoes grown on his grave: H. R. Giger! No photo, nothing else. Just his name and the days he was born and passed. It was much easier than how I found the two Japanese artists two years earlier. I, first wanted to take a couple of tomatoes and taste them but I thought I should leave them there! 

A Xenomorph model hanging from the museum's ceiling

The next day I tried the Bar. It's actually a very small bar with not more than, I would say, may be a total of 10 tables and a counter, of course. The design is amazing. I ordered a couple of very simple things because I'm generally, not all the times, afraid of spending money just to be there and be able to take a couple of pictures. I asked one of the girls about the ownership of the bar and she said that his wife owned it which means his second wife but the girl, herself looked like Giger! My bill was about CHF 18 or something, I can't remember but she agreed to get € 18 which was in my favour I told her. She grabbed the money and put them in a sort of wallet-purse! I know regret that I didn't buy anything from the museum just for the sake of buying something and didn't order more in the bar but that's how always I am. I don't do things and then later regret that! The thing is I would like to visit Switzerland so perhaps I stop buy and do what I wanted to do this time! 

(Photo, top: One of many portraits of Giger on display in the museum)

EU after 12 years (3): The Irony of Simplon Pass

I had planned to go to the town of Gruyeres since I purchased my air fare for Malpensa and despite the fact that I reached the airport in the last afternoon and spent nearly one hour or perhaps even longer, I went with the rental car and headed north by simply following Google Maps. I, in fact, should have spent a little time with the vehicle, a Puma Ford, to know its features and get familiar with them but I wanted to hit the highway to use the most of the remaining daylight! I was in such a hurry that I didn't think of Android Auto and was simply looking at the small screen of the mobile phone, first, until something happened and the map popped up on the vehicle's screen. It was easier to follow but driving 290 km after a whole day without sleep, in a road that I had never driven, at night is not much fun. I called myself stupid several times one the road! 

It became dark soon and the only good thing was the fact that the road was not very busy and there were no semi-truck but it was pitch dark. I was trying to focus on the road and not fall asleep. There were many towns and communities that I could simply use an exit to get to them for a little rest and probably some beverages and food but I kept driving. The other thing I realized was the small parking spots at the side of the highway which were all had been shown by using a sign like a deep plate putting vertically, upwards! I stopped at one or two to stretch and get sleep out of my system.

Then another challenge was encountered: A automatic toll booth! I stopped at the bar and I couldn't figure out how to work it because every damn instruction was in Italian. Then I ran to the next line, luckily there was not any vehicle behind me, and tried to ask the guy. They, of course, were surprised and didn't even want to roll the window down but they were told me that he rental place should have given me a card! I ran back to the vehicle and pushed the " Assist " button and someone said something in Italian! I think I got them to speak English but what happened next was that I put my credit card in and without entering the pin, the machine spat it out after a few second, printed me a receipt and the arm went up! I sighed and got myself back to the road.

The beauty of the Simplon Pass area when I drove up almost to the highest point, still in Switzerland and before going down to reach Italian border 

There were multiple spots on the road which all have been marked with signs and cones indicating construction was taking place and there were a lot of tunnels and at least, if I remember correctly, a couple of lights which one direction had to wait for the other to pass and then they could continue. Then the map directed me to a very steep road which looked like it was blocked. There was a guy nearby where it seemed to be a business of some sort. I tried to ask him how I can go to Lausanne, although i was not going there but I thought naming Gruyeres might not be such a good idea since the small village might not be known to all Italians. The guy didn't speak any English but he pointed at the direction and later I realized what that blocked road meant! It was the train (and that was what he was saying, I understood his Italian but couldn't figure out what does a train have to do with my trip) which you could use to avoid Simplon Pass's all dangerous, up and down, snake-like road! 

I continued the road and then encounter a spot which from what I had seen in the map looked like border control but there was no guard, stop sign or even a car. I asked a person, who was sitting in his car, where the border crossing was and he said that was it and added that Switzerland's was 5 minutes drive from there, meaning that there was a sort of no-man zone in between! 

No activity was seen at the other border control and I continued without having to stop but it was then when the damn telephone and consequently the man started playing a game: It lost the connection! I was in a way lucky that I found myself near a Shell gas station. I pulled into the parking. It was shortly past 22:00. I noticed a bunch of people and the store seemed open. It appeared that there were a group of Filipina ladies who travelled with a guide and the store was closed. They somehow just had accessed to the facilities. I don't know if it was open or they had somebody opened it for them. I asked one of them how long it was to Switzerland one of them who spoke English very well said that we were already in Switzerland! I explained to her the problem I had with my phone and handed it to her to see if she could figure the problem out. She realized the Roaming feature was not on and that saved my life! I thanked the group and I wish I had gotten some sort of contact from her because she seems a very nice girl. If anyone reading this happen to be at that Shell gas station in Switzerland on Kantonsstrasse, 30, Steg, please send me a message. I really would like to thank the Filipina girl group for their kindness. 

I still had more than an hour too go and I was dead tired. Then there was a McDonald's on the way which I stopped for but they were close as well. I think it was around 12:25 which I reached the hotel. It was, again, pitch dark and I couldn't even read the hotel sign clearly. The sign says Hotel De Gruyeres but I was so dead tired that it was so dark that I read it Hotel Christmas! Then I walked around a little bit and I realized there was nothing else there but a number of cars. I then took a set of stairs and went up toward the sign where I was able to see it clearly and closely. I found the entrance and went through the unlocked door. I then went to the reception desk and found an envelope with my name on it as it had been promised to me when I told them I would be late due to my flight's change. I got back to the car, grabbed my gear and went into my room or as they call it in French speaking part of Switzerland where Gruyeres is a part of it, chamber!

This is how I drove through Simplon Pass, which unlike its name it was not simple at all. I read that Simplon is a German term and since other languages, French and Italian, are also spoken in the region, everyone has a different but somehow similar name for it! This pass would definitely unpassable during winter months or at least part of it would be. That is why the train service is available but I don't know about the details as I have no freaking plan to drive it even in a nice and sunny day because I already did that and that was on my way back! 

(Photo: I stopped at this resting spot near the exit to the town of Villadossola in Italy for a few minutes. there were still more than 3 hours of drive)

EU after 12 years (2): Arrival at MXP, Forget about the Travel Advisory

I was a little shocked to know that Malpensa Airport is actually named after the former Italian Prime Minister, when I just came back from the trip and no one ever, even once, referred to that! Silvio Berlusconi (Perhaps one of a few Italian names that could be easily, quickly and correctly pronounced by foreigners!) was a controversial figure in modern Italy, perhaps after Benito Mussolini. There was even a movie made about him a few years ago but I haven't seen it. He died in 2023 in Milan at the age of 86. 
Nevertheless, let's talk about Malpensa Airport (MXP) and how you can easily manage your trip's first steps. Stage one: Ignore everything that you have read in the Government of Canada Travel Advisory website!
I regularly check the Government of Canada Travel Advisory website to see what the situation looks like before I plan for my trips. This time ignoring that resulted in a huge amount of time and money saving! I planned to drive to Gruyeres in Switzerland from Malpensa, a nearly 290 Km (180 m.) drive, (which you will see how crazy it went in another post!), the website tells you to have an IDP which stands for International Driving Permit, as well as a notarized or official translation of your Operator's License. Here's how I handled them: I was quite tired, frustrated with all the damn cost(!) and exhausted from work. So I said to myself: I'm going to take the train and make it to Gruyeres in 05:30 hours instead of 03:30. I'm not going to spend any more money on photographs (for the IDP), the IDP processing fee itself, the translation and of course going to all these places! 
Here's what happened instead: I reached MXP around 17:30, you can easily find out by looking at the Timeline in Google Maps on your phone, if you have a Pixel or any other Android based mobile phone and I don't know about Apple but I do know that law enforcement agencies use the devise to catch the lying criminal and I love that(!), and I went to Passport Control. It took nearly 3 minutes. No line, no questions. Only looking at the passport and obtaining the finger prints of the right hand, electronically and I guess taking a photo. I then went to a SIM Card booth and bought one with 2 GB data available which would work in Switzerland (which will be the subject of a topic later!). I think it was €38, if I'm not mistaken. Then I headed toward Enterprise which is located on the lower floor. The people happily considered my reservation despite the fact that more than 7 hours, I think, had passed the original time that I was supposed to get the vehicle. The young girl, who was very nice and polite and helpful did not ask anything about IDP or the translation of the freaking O. License! She probably didn't even know what it was! Finding the parking was a challenge at first but I asked one of the guides and he directed me there. There, in the lot, I was given a standard, hybrid, hatchback, Puma Ford! What an unusual combination of featured but it worked. I think by the time I left the airport it was almost 18:45, not too far from sunset, in a country that I had never driven in, toward the destination that I would have to cross a border and I solely depend on Google Maps! I didn't get any food or beverages, considering I had eaten both at YYC and the plane. I just followed the map and tried to get myself familiar with the features of the Puma! 

(Photo: The Puma is seen here which was parked at the first hotel's spot. I think this is specifically designed for Europe as I have not seen any in Canada or the US)

EU after 12 Years (1): LHR instead of MXP

I have this habit that never say to anyone where I'm going when I leave the city or the country for a trip. It has been with me for 3 decades, at least. Why? The answer is simple: First of all I don't want people to know where I'm going until I reach there, do whatever I had planned and come back in one piece. Secondly I don't want my family to worry. This recent trip's change proved me right.
I was scheduled to go to Montreal and then to Malpensa near Milan for my European trip just three Saturdays back but the flight got cancelled and I went to Heathrow and from there flew to Malpensa! The delay was nearly 8 hours but it is way better than re-booking everything. My only worry was missing the rental car and the hotel in Gruyeres, Switzerland.
I was relaxing in my kitchen as I had hours until my early afternoon flight when the message on the phone, from the airliner, indicated that there would be half an hour delay to the flight. Fine! I said to myself. It was not much longer that I received another message: The flight had been cancelled due to a technical problem or something. It was stated that I could either fly at night or book another flight! 
Book another flight?! Are you kidding me?! I booked this damn flight more than six freaking months to avoid any high price or last minute seat selection. I'm not going to go through that sh*t again or anything even easier that requires me to sit at the desk for another even 15 minutes to browse around the scheduled flights! I agreed to fly at night, I think it was 20:00 or a little sometime after that. 
The boarding and everything went smoothly but here is my problem: I can't sleep on the damn planes! Therefore when I reached Heathrow I felt like a zombie(!) and here what else I can tell you, Heathrow DOES NOT make every journey better, unlike what they say as their motto! 
I had been to the damn airport only twice before and this time was the last time and that was not my choice. It's overcrowded with the least amount of guidance and help available and there's not even a spot to sit for a few minutes unless you're going to one of the establishments for food or drink and what if you're neither hungry nor thirsty and you just had enough on the plane? You have to force yourself to eat or drink yourself to be able to relax for a few minutes, although the meaning of relaxing changes here because there's no relaxing in an overcrowded and noisy place! 
I don't know how long my layover was but happily it was not too long. The other thing is I realized that you can't get a damn SIM Card in the airport or at least it's what I was told by a guy who worked in a tech shop!! This is really stupid and ridiculous at the same time. Does that mean that many tourists do not arrive at Heathrow?! Do they have to go to the city to get a card of that nature? What's the damn deal?! A quick search on the web shows there are several stores in the airport but the piece of shit, ugly, nasty guy in the store told me I would not be able to buy any. 
The other thing is Heathrow is filled with East Indian (both Muslim and non-Muslim, as far as I could tell) and lots of Arabs with long robes and head covers working as screening or all the other businesses. I guess that's the case in the UK these days. The guys who are very pious and restricted Muslims beg Christians to go to their countries to have a better life! The irony of that! This is a long discussion which will have to be waited for later.
The flight to Malpensa was quite smooth. I think not more than 75% of the seats were full. Some British guys and some Italians who like peasants! The British Airways plane looked run down. It was a short trip, about two hours and it was a pleasant day in terms of meteorological events! The stewardesses gave a small McVitie cookie and perhaps some water, If i remember clearly but hot beverages were only available for purchase! The good thing came at the end: Donation! Something that I had not experienced on any flight. I didn't get much of it mostly because it was not loud enough for me to hear and of course the strong British accent but one of the stewardesses walked from the front to the end with bag and the poor lady got nothing. I think the UK has distanced itself from its glorious days that the Sun does set on its territory. With all the refugees coming crossing the English Channel, all the Arabs who despise the UK like poison and all the Pakistani and Hindu and Punjabi, not to mention the Africans, Afghans and Iranians, who knows what the future of the US would look like? Is that not the reason Dinosaur (an older cousin who resides in the UK since mid. 1980), wants to move out? I don't know and I don't care. We're not in speaking terms. He has been married to a really disgusting and nasty bitch. Nevertheless, that was how I got myself to Malpensa, one of the two airports of Milan (Milano in Italian), where I guess most of the international flights land.  

(Photo: The plane is taxing passing a row of British Airways plane in Heathrow, before taking off for Malpensa)

A simple Calculation for EVs

The price of gasoline went up again yesterday and remained the same today! It was after a sharp drop. That is why it's called roller coaster. With that in mind, I thought I do a little, simple calculation to see how the ones who drive an EV, enjoy it. However, I need to mention the concept of battery depreciation, something that EV owners cannot close their eyes to it.

My story is a little bit different. I drive a Hybrid-Electric which has less dependency on the charge. I have been able to charge it at work, most of the time, free of charge. I haven't heard anything from HR but I guess when I hear it would be the day that they ask me to leave and never come back! 

Apart from that I wanted to do a little calculation to how it actually looks. The data is based on Toyota App. This system record all the details: Where the charging took place, the date, the hours and most importantly, the amount of energy extracted in Kwh. Here is an example:

The Battery was at 0% and went up to 89% in less than 9 hours, or to be exact 8 h. and 57 m. and 19 sec.! Keep in mind that it is a small battery. Not like Tesla's. It extracted 9.167 kwh of energy. This amount of energy combined with just a few drop of gasoline is enough for a reliable and enjoyable drive of nearly 70 km (43 miles). It will cost $0.104900 x 9.167 = $0.96! 

Solar Panels installed in the first solar plant within the limits of City of Calgary in the southeastern quadrant. These panels last up to 30 years and generate convert nearly, if remember correctly, only 26% of the sunlight to alternative current. Inverters then are used to convert the current the DC and make it suitable for the public use

It seems pretty attractive to have an EV. Does it not? Especially now that the prices are coming down but you also have to remember that many of these cars are simply Compliance Vehicles meaning that they just are a cheap copy of the originals big brand luxury EVs and the pathetic companies have to make them to be able to comply with the governments' rules which mandates them not to make internal combustion vehicles after a certain year.

It is said that if you drive them well, perhaps meaning not accelerating suddenly, do not expose them to extreme cold or heat and consider some other factors, they will last up to 10 years. What do you need to do after that? You must consider the battery changed or the vehicle is only good as a carriage which needs a couple of good horses! All the money that you have saved in the past 10 years now is going to be spent on a new battery! What have you gotten, then? Just comfort and the joy of driving the EV. The question is was it worth it? You also can buy solar panels and make your charging free after a few years but as these panels normally last 30 years. The final verdict is buy a good EV, if you can afford it. Enjoy driving it, enjoy its luxury and then who knows what happens in 10 years?! 

(Photo, top: The Toyota App gives you lots of options as well as interesting data about your vehicle)