Portland - San Francisco - Day 9

Friday, July 26, 2019

Our train did not depart until 2 pm, so we had the morning to spend in the city. I had saved a treat for this morning -  a visit to the Lan Su Chinese  Garden which was just 2 blocks from our hotel. It is a walled Chinese garden enclosing a full city block, roughly 40,000 sq. ft. in the Chinatown area. The idea for such a garden originated in 1980, but it did not achieve fruition until 2000.  The garden was built by 65 artisans from Suzhou, sister city to Portland, and completed in 14 months at a cost of $12.8 million.  Walking through the walls into the gardens is a breath of fresh air from the aging, dilapidated buildings in Chinatown.  It is hard to imagine so many interesting structures and water features tucked into a city block.

Included are a courtyard of tranquility, a terrace, koi pond, a scholar’s study, a waterfall, a tea room, etc.  The photos speak for themselves.

The rockery is designed to appear as rugged mountains in the distance, complete with waterfalls.

Painted boat in misty rain to resemble boat from Suzhou to Portland.

Doorways and windows throughout the garden form views within views, creating the illusion of infinite space within a single block.

And some overviews of the landscape.



Afterwards we went back to the hotel and had lunch again at Mother’s Bistro and headed to the train station, a rather large and iconic structure for today’s needs, but architecturally interesting. 

We spent time in a comfortable business class waiting room before we boarded at 2:00 pm and settled into our little bedroom for the next 18 hours. We discovered they were still serving lunch and it was included with our ticket — so we headed to the dining car for another lunch.  Because of the small space, people are always seated with another two-some. We joined a woman doctor and her partner from Portland. Lovely women and good conversation.

The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly as we looked out the window at the passing scenery, napped and read.

There were some beautiful views of the Lookout Point Reservoir and the mountains along the Blue River.

We had dinner in the dining room with another delightful couple — Walter and Sanae, who gave us some excellent travel suggestions as well as good conversation. 

There was a golden sunset along the tracks in Chemult as we turned in early. 

Seattle - Day 2

Friday, July 19, 2019 

We started the day with an early lunch at one of our favorite spots, Ivar’s Acres of Clams, a few piers down from our hotel. It was another walk down memory lane with the shops and the boats, but we missed the little train that once chugged along the waterfront. 

Ivar’s did not disappoint. Ed had his clams and I had halibut.

We had a cozy seat by the window where we watched the seagulls begging for French fries from the carry-out portion of Ivar’s. It was quite a show to watch them jockey for position and swoop down to pluck a fry from a customer’s hand. 

Later, we realized that this activity is encouraged.

Afterwards we walked into several of the shops, in particular, the Old Curiosity Shop with its collection of oddities, from shrunken heads to marine memorabilia. We remembered how much fun our daughter had looking at all these things.

From here we found the elevator up to Pike’s Market. Obviously everyone else did, too, because it was packed. 

We stopped by the famous Pike Place Fish Market and watched the mongers throwing fish to each other. This one salmon covered the salesman’s head and then some — and then he tossed it! 

We looked around some other shops and saw long lines for pastries and Starbuck’s, supposedly the original.

From the market we walked a number of blocks to “The Spheres,” which is part of the Amazon downtown campus. This whole area is now home to multiple modern buildings, with a very low-key identification. 

The Spheres is a trio of geodesic domes that house native to mid-elevation cloud forest ecosystems at altitudes of 3,000 to 10,000 ft.  The Spheres exist to provide Amazon employees with a creative workspace in a constant 72 degree environment surrounded by nature. Unfortunately, the public is only allowed in on 2 Saturdays a month, with a reservation. Something to do on a future visit.

We caught an Uber and went back to the hotel. While Ed rested, I walked to the Olympic Sculpture Park, only two blocks from our hotel overlooking the Bay.  There were some interesting pieces, including this latter one by Calder. 

Then I walked up to the Space Needle to check out the location of the Chihuly exhibit for tomorrow night. An interesting sculpture here had children climbing precariously on its tubular arms. See the person at the top. Made me nervous.

Tonight we went to T-Mobile Park to see the Mariners play the Angels.  For some reason the traffic on Alaskan Way was backed up and our Uber driver drove a number of back roads to get us there in a timely manner — but we made it! Beautiful stadium. Great game. 

The pitcher for the Mariners, Mike Leake, almost pitched a perfect game, but gave away one in the ninth inning. They did win 10-1. Afterwards it was such a lovely evening that we ended up walking back to the hotel through Pioneer Square and saw the lights along Miners Landing. 

Cogne, Italy - Chamonix, France - Day 9

Friday, June 21, 2019

We bid farewell to Cogne and boarded a very small 22 passenger bus to transfer to Chamonix, France.

Along the way we stopped in Courmayeur, Italy, a fashionable resort, for a short break. There were a few beautiful scenes and a preview of our next mountain adventure.

Soon afterwards we entered the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which is 7.2 miles long.  It was completed in 1965 after 8 years of construction.  Inside the tunnel is the border between Italy and France. 

Prior to entering, our bus went through heat detecting sensors. In 1999 a truck overheated and exploded in the tunnel, killing 18 people and closing it for 3 years.

Exit/entrance of tunnel.

We arrived in Chamonix around noon and had lunch at our hotel, Mercure Chamonix Centre.

Then we went on a walking field trip with our guide Claire. The city has about 9,000 inhabitants but it can swell to 100,000 during peak seasons, particularly July and August. So glad we are beating the crowds.

We walked along lovely little shops and stopped at the Arve River, which is green due to the sediment in the glacial run off.

Besides the river, behind me is Bossons Glacier, one of the larger glaciers in the Mont Blanc massif.  It is around 14,000 ft. high and flows down to 1,500 ft. However, it has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, retreating and diminishing in depth.

Chamonix is the birthplace of mountaineering. It wasn’t until the 1700s that people even became interested in going up into the mountains. In 1760 Horace Benedict de Saussure, a wealthy aristocrat, offered a reward to anyone who could reach the summit of Mt. Blanc. It wasn’t until 1786 that two locals, Dr. Michael Piccard, and Jacques Balmont, a crystal seeker, ascended the summit. The following year Balmont, who had collected the reward, guided Saussure up.

Piccard’s role in the effort was initially downplayed and thus the statue in the square depicts Saussure (right) and Balmont. One of Piccard (elsewhere) was not added until 1986.

Claire also took us to the headquarters of the Association of International Guides. She told us about the rigorous training and certification for guides and emphasis on safety.

It started to rain, and as we were headed back to our hotel, I noticed the clever way this restaurant keeps the rain off of its patrons who want to sit outdoors.

We checked into our hotel and were surprised at the quality of our accommodations. My “single” room is a suite with a sitting room, 2 TVs and a queen bed in a separate space. Oh, and there is a little balcony with a view of the glacier. 

Tonight we ate dinner at a local restaurant which is noted for its BBQ. Who knew? The meal was duck with a kind of BBQ sauce. Interesting.

Geneva to Villars sur Ollon - Day 2

I did make it to Geneva today, but not without an assortment of travel issues.

First my plane leaving Louisville was delayed for 3 hours, whittling my 4 hour layover down to one, all due to traffic control in Newark. I was cautioned that I would not make it, but amazingly I did, just as they were finishing the boarding.

Then as I settled into my seat for my 6 pm departure, the captain announced that a passenger boarding the plane saw a leak from one of the wings. So everyone had to get off, including all the luggage, while they made a determination.

After about 30 minutes they said the problem could not be easily fixed and

they would try to get a new plane.

Finally, after towing away the old one, bringing in the new one, reboarding everyone for a 10:30 pm departure, we thought we were good. 

But wait, someone must have decided not to reboard and now we had to find his bag in the myriad luggage down below. And then a mixup with a catering item.

Finally, we left about 11, arriving in Geneva around 1 pm. What a long day!

I along with 4 other RS participants met up with a driver who drove us from Geneva to Villars, about a 90 minute trip. The road followed along Lake Geneva for quite a while, and we drove through a number of villages and cities. We even saw many vineyards. Then the road became narrow and windy, taking us up into our first view of the Alps.

Our lodging Eurotel Victoria Villars feels like it is at the end of the road at the highest point. 

Above is view from my room.

We are in a little village that must be noted for skiing — lots of fancy shops and gear stores.  The weather was sunny so I took a walk to check out the environs.

I managed to get a shot of me in the Alps on a sunny day.  Later I joined up with my friend Sydney for our group orientation and then we had a lovely dinner at the hotel — but the wide assortment of appetizers was the best! Now to bed. When did I last sleep?