Your Questions Answered (Part 1)
Some of you may be unaware that your every move on the Internet is tracked. Whenever you visit a website, the administrator of that website knows you’re there, knows what country you’re in, knows which website you came from, even knows your screen resolution. It’s scary, but true. This information is gathered automatically so that the website admins can improve their websites based on who is visiting. It’s like market research, only you didn’t agree to take part in it.
Such ‘market research’ takes place on this website. I gather this information purely to make sure the stuff I’m writing is being read. Also, it’s cool to know someone from Argentina dropped by.
One other piece of data that is collected is the search term that a visitor typed into Google or Yahoo in order to find Here To Geneva. As I wrote in a previous post, the most common search term for this site is “binary solo”, followed by “first time flyer”. Often, in amongst the search terms, are questions that people have queried. Google has brought up one of my pages as a result and the visitor has clicked it hoping to have their question answered. In some cases, they’ve been disappointed to find I’ve never even attempted to address their topic of ignorance. This new series of posts is designed to solve this problem.
Below are a few questions I failed to answer up until now. To those who posed the question, please accept my apologies. I hope my superior knowledge helps you in your quest.
Can I use my mac in Switzerland?
I can’t think why not. There’re certainly no laws prohibiting the use of a mac in Switzerland and the Swiss public will certainly not point and stare at you if you use one in public. You may even get a nod of approval. If your mac was purchased outside the “Europlug” zone, you’ll need a Type C (European 2-pin) or a Type J (Swiss 3-pin) electrical plug convertor. Type C is more common in Switzerland these days, but you may find a Type J too. You may even find both next to one another. Go prepared with both convertors to avoid interruptions to your mac usage. If you’re concerned about wifi, don’t be. There are public wifi hotspots almost everywhere. Swisscom provides excellent coverage with wifi networks at most train stations and even on the trains themselves.
What is the distance between Interlaken and Geneva?
Good question. It depends how you’re travelling. If you’re driving, it’s approximately 215km and a journey time of approximately 2 hours. If you’re going by rail, it’s about 200km with the fastest journey time of 2 hours and 37 minutes (with 1 change at Bern). If you happen to be a bird, you have the quickest journey. It’s only approximately 141km!
How do I catch the metro to the Eiffel Tower?
It’s difficult to answer this question because I don’t know which station you’re travelling from. The closest station if Bir-Hakeim on Line 6. The Paris Métro is reliable, efficient, clean and a breeze to navigate. If I were to offer a tip though, it’d be to know the name of the last station on the line upon which you’re travelling. You’ll need to know this in order to get to the correct platform. Whereas on the London Underground, you can determine which platform to wait on because it’ll say, “Northbound” or “Westbound” and then give a list of all the following stations, on the Paris Métro, it’ll only say “direction” and then the last station on that line.
Why isn’t Lost on iTunes yet?
It is in the USA and UK. Everyone else will need to wait a bit longer. Why? Only Apple can answer that question. And they probably won’t if you ask.
How do I make Sacre Coeur bracelets?
I can only assume you mean the bracelets tied onto the wrists of unsuspecting tourists by burly and intimidating men at the foot of the steps of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in Paris. Goodness knows why the authorities don’t do anything about this menace. It’s been going on for years! Having seen said bracelets littering the pavement in the area surrounding the Basilica, it would appear to be a crude plat of three coloured threads. I’m not going to give anymore tips though. I don’t want you getting ideas about starting your own intimidation business.
Incidentally, if you’re planning on visiting the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and you’re concerned about someone demanding money from you for a bracelet you didn’t even ask for, you should rest assured that it is easy to enjoy the Basilica whilst avoiding these con merchants. As I wrote in my HTG Guide to Paris;
There are bracelet guys at the foot of the main steps at Sacre-Couer. The ground in that area is littered with bracelets. I saw them in action. If you want to avoid them but still see Sacre-Cour, take the Metro to Lamarck Caulaincourt and walk in through the back. The walk is lovely and you’re away from the tourist trap so it’s less crowded and the sandwiches are cheaper :). Plus, go as early as possible.
If you’re weird and you want to go to the seedy tourist zone in front of the Basilica, don’t use the main steps or the funicular. These guys will be waiting for you. There are an additional set of steps running down the hill a short walk along the street from the Basilica. If you’re the dare-devil type who stares danger in the face, or if you simply have to take that photo of the Basilica from the foot of the steps you should know they do work as a team. Keep your hands in your pockets and be in and out of the area as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be paying through the nose for a lousy piece of tat.
I hope you’ve found this post useful. In particular, I hope the original question posers, having still been flummoxed by their ignorance have re-found this website and had their thirst for knowledge well and truly quenched.
