In the past I’ve spun a story about how Carlsbad is dry, hot and dusty in September, and what a good time of year it is to maybe hop on a plane and go somewhere else for a bit. This year however September has been moist and humid, with tropical blobs floating up from Mexico, putting on lightning shows, dropping rain and challenging my weather narrative.
We’re taking off anyway. Time to visit my dad’s wife Sylvia, our niece Evalena, bop around with our friends Paul and Lisa and venture to a couple of new places. Europe, here we come again.
We began our voyage with a train ride from Encinitas to the airport.
Which is pretty great, right? I mean, actually using a train in the US, outside of the northeast, feels like a small public transport triumph and welcome change from driving everywhere. It makes me overlook the slow crawl up the single track over Mira Mesa, the loud diesel engine, the clickety-clack of the rails, the once-an-hour-if-you-are-lucky timetable. But then you get to Switzerland and you realize what trains can be.
They ooze in and out the station every 5-10 minutes. They zip along continuous welded rails, no clickety-clack. They are clean and comfortable. They have their own 16.7Hz electric system, powered with 100% renewable hydroelectric power from eight reservoirs. And they go everywhere, including up 25% mountain inclines to scenic trailheads.
We flew a big hop from San Diego to London Heathrow, then a small hop to Geneva. We got to Geneva late enough that we just stayed there for the night. Michele likes how the Swiss use the full integer set for building floors, not just the positives.
No “G” or “B1” or other such arbitrary nomenclature allowed.
Ken Chin-Purcell 