Part 1: Bologna and Lugano
Original trip plan: Dijon for 10 days, then Paris for the Tour de France finale.
Hmmmm…Dijon is pretty close to Lausanne Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee, a place I’ve been reading about since age 10 in the Bridgewater NJ county library. And the Tour de France will be near Dijon on earlier stages….perfect.
Then a friend with three decades of European living told me that a Dijon visit is two days, max.
Ok, what else is on my bucket list? A train ride thru the Alps. So….Bologna first. Since I don’t want to spend hours on a train, I’ll go from there to Lugano for a few days, then onto Lausanne.
And oh btw….Lausanne is close to Montreux and its acclaimed 3 week Jazz Festival, which happens to end on the day I roll into town.
This is becoming quite nuts. I’m a huge Quincy Jones fan and he conducted bands there for years…I have to go just to experience the vibe.
In March while visiting Zoe at school, I wake at 0200 and buy my concert ticket without knowing or caring who would be playing. Ticket obtained…..who’s on the docket?
Van Morrison and James Taylor.
Now I’m banging my head against the wall….and smiling.
3 hours after leaving the train, I'm at a place I never thought I'd be...
Carlos and Sting also spent time here...
Van is pushing 81 and still bringing it hard.
JT is equally as spry...still the cleanest male voice in the business.
James still has his all-star Sax man, Lou Marini, of Blues Brothers fame.
Blue Lou was a prominent figure in Steve Martin's
King Tut skit on SNL
Great experience!!
The next morning, it's getting real....literally, 51 years reading about this place and its product.
Ok, i found what I came here for....my extensive reading as a kid introduced me to athletes beginning in 1896.....Ray and Alvin were huge figures in my imagination back then. Ray in the STANDING high jump, that used to be a thing. And Alvin cleaned up in 1900 with four golds. Five decades ago, seeing their names...and now seeing them again. The rest of the names, similar...Paavo Nurmi convinced me to be a runner.......Chills and a smile.
Soon to be Doctor Roger Bannister at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, finishing just out of the money. He redeemed himself two years later with the first sub-4 minute mile in history.
Current world track and field CEO Sebastian Coe, the only man with two Olympic gold medals in the 1500 meters.
Yeah, no....the Olympic Creed is 'Stronger, Higher, Faster.' Chess doesn't make the cut.
The Swiss do cheeseburgers well.
There's no limit to the number of times I say, "Things are going to another level now." Because this whole trip is like that.
I give you....Le Tour!!
Months ago, I realized that a Tour stage would skirt Lake Geneva during my stay. Trouble is, the route isn't all that convenient, and I don't have a car. But I do have a Eurail pass, and there's a train station near the mountain finish. I put my thinking cap on....walk 3 miles from the train station to the beginning of the final climb, then scoot asap to avoid the traffic jam on the way off the mountain.
An hour before the riders, the Tour Caravan comes thru, with sponsors throwing swag to the spectators.
Just hilarious. I walked away with neck pillow (airplane travel) and a couple of tire tread gauges.
At my post....
The finish is a Hors Categorie climb HC) ....beyond category, the toughest climbs in the Tour.
Our fearless leader...he was swallowed up by the field shortly after.
My location had an escape route to the west down a gravel road, so I didn't have to fight thru hoards of specators taking the normal route.
Crowded train, but I found a seat....meanwhile, there's always one bozo taking up more room than he should.
Monday was an open day, so I'm exploring. A quick sushi grab at the Co-op.
Bern is 90 minutes away, pretty city.
This waffle wasn't a bucket list item, but it should have been.
Not exactly sure what this sign is saying.
Pierre was the founder of the modern Olympics, and he's buried in Lausanne. Another guy I first came across five decades ago.
International Olympic Headquarters.
Back up to my crib. "Up" is accurate, it's on the side of the mountain above Montreux. Plenty of cardio on each outing.
The next highlight: A Tour stage in Evian les Bains, a short ferry ride across Lake Geneva. This is the individual time trial.
About 15 miles, with a nasty climb for the first six.
Here comes the caravan again!!
If swag collection is your goal, the time trial course is the way to go. Sponsors have a limited amount of swag, and the TTs are much shorter than regular road stages.
I was literally hit in the face with this bag of M&Ms, but I hadn't had breakfast so I didn't mind so much. The gummies hit the spot as well.
UAE is the best financed team in the world.
They are not shy in telling everyone that their team had the race leader, best climber, and best young rider.
Lovely lakeside town.
The resident artist was doing great work.
The starting ramp for each rider.
My swag haul...
Dinner in Montreux....I remembered a Freddie Mercury statue.
My rental in Chernex, way up there somewhere.
Once my bank account grows, I will spend more time on Lake Geneva. Stunningly gorgeous place...Lausanne seems to have the goods.
Train to Paris on the way home...Le Train Bleu is a magnificent restaurant in Gare de Lyon....will hit it next time.
What did I do on this trip? "Let me 'splain...no wait, there is no time. Let me sum up:"
- Bologna and its amazing food, the San Luca hike
- Lugano and its amazing landscape
- Lusanne: the Jazz Festival, Olympics, Tour de France
Gonna remember this trip for a long, long time!
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