Day 5



Today was my last day in Zurich. I checked out of my Airbnb at 9:00 and headed towards the train station. I had to take one train to get to the main train station in Zurich (Zurich HB). I then got on a high speed ICN train that took me to Geneva, Switzerland. The train ride was a little over 2 hours long. Because of the Eurail Pass, I was able to sit in first class seats. The seats were large and comfortable and there was ample leg room and storage. There were only 5 of us sitting in first class out of the 15 seats. Here is a picture of one of the seats and some of views I experienced on my commute.





As I arrived in Geneva, I knew that I needed to purchase a transportation pass in the train station. After looking around for a bit and asking two people for help, I was finally directed to the right place and was able to purchase a transportation card. The lady who sold me the card also told me what tram to get on.

Once I got off the final tram stop, I used google maps to find my Airbnb. It took me about 15 minutes but I eventually got there. The original host's mother answered the door and checked me in. I asked her if she could tell me how to get to certain places in Geneva such as the Lake and chocolatiers. However, she could not help me at all and just directed me to the tour center at the train station for any help that I needed. She did not speak good English. I was a bit disappointed that she could not help. This was very different treatment from my past experience in Zurich.

So far, I am not that pleased with Geneva. There are more road lanes and a lot more traffic. The Tvs on the tram had warning signs that said "Watch out for pickpockets" which makes me weary already. This did not happen in Zurich. There was not a moment that I felt unsafe in Zurich. My major issue in Geneva is the language barrier. French is the common language in Geneva where as German is the common language in Zurich. I could get around without any problems in Zurich, but here I am already struggling. I went to the grocery store to get food and I didn't know that I needed to weigh my bananas to purchase them. I asked a lady for help but she could only respond in French. She had to bring over another lady who weighed my bananas and hit the proper button on the machine. I also went to a fast food chicken place to get dinner. I asked for a plain chicken sandwich and the man covered the bun with mayonnaise and lettuce so I just ate the chicken. Overall, today has been the hardest and most unhappy day for me. I am sure that things will get better once I start to explore and get acclimated to the city.

I did not take many pictures today since it was a travel day. Here is the view from the street in front of my Airbnb. Hopefully better pictures and better experiences tomorrow. 

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