London to Geneva and back by Eurotunnel, Intercontinental Geneva & 2016 XC90 Review
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Coop or Co-op- Supermarket sweep... in Geneva
Soon we were on the road again:
Laters Mt Saleve
Driving back to Switzerland
All this yellowness makes me feel like I am in an IKEA...
But its actually border control:
The chap in the Bentley was coming from Monaco. A 5hr drive.
After nobody bothered checking our passports (again) we were back in Switzerland
Heading towards our home in Carouge:
The Geneva Tram:
Carouge:
We pulled up to our first shop of the day:
I tried to convince my mother into getting one of these SQ5's but she wouldn't bite
A lot of British goods in Coop:
Fromage anybody?
Amused:
Rather nice glasses, except for the fact that you can't get anything substantial into it (from a volume aspect)...
Also known as Andrex back home...
Sadly we were not done yet and were off to our next supermarket "Hypermarche"
After checking out we were back on the road:
Can safely say that nobody in my family works for these guys anymore!^^^^^
Um...
It wasn't very interesting and soon we were back on the road to the hotel:
The Swiss have these weird city carparks that just pop-up in the middle of the road...
If you think about it these would be great in NYC where people park in those large but slightly strange carparks
Lots of International Peace organisation buildings:
The chair stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva. "It symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva."
Soon we were back at the hotel:
Where I thought it might be a good idea to visit the gym whilst dad went to park the voiture:
Note to self: It is for decoration purposes only
After the quick change for dinner we were back on the road for the main reason why we came to Geneva: To collect the aunt's furnishings.
Wouldn't mind doing the LON-GVA journey in one of these:
Back on the road:
Art festivals in GVA:
The MO is down there:
*Sigh* The last time I saw a Sienna like this was in Orlando
After collecting the aunts belongings we drove back to Carouge for dinner:
Its clearly remember America Day because I just found a Camaro SS:
Not sure what this building was but architecturally it looked nice!
Soon it began to rain
Laters Mt Saleve
Driving back to Switzerland
All this yellowness makes me feel like I am in an IKEA...
But its actually border control:
The chap in the Bentley was coming from Monaco. A 5hr drive.
After nobody bothered checking our passports (again) we were back in Switzerland
Heading towards our home in Carouge:
The Geneva Tram:
Carouge:
We pulled up to our first shop of the day:
I tried to convince my mother into getting one of these SQ5's but she wouldn't bite
A lot of British goods in Coop:
Fromage anybody?
Amused:
Rather nice glasses, except for the fact that you can't get anything substantial into it (from a volume aspect)...
Also known as Andrex back home...
Sadly we were not done yet and were off to our next supermarket "Hypermarche"
After checking out we were back on the road:
Can safely say that nobody in my family works for these guys anymore!^^^^^
Um...
It wasn't very interesting and soon we were back on the road to the hotel:
The Swiss have these weird city carparks that just pop-up in the middle of the road...
If you think about it these would be great in NYC where people park in those large but slightly strange carparks
Lots of International Peace organisation buildings:
The chair stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva. "It symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva."
Soon we were back at the hotel:
Where I thought it might be a good idea to visit the gym whilst dad went to park the voiture:
Note to self: It is for decoration purposes only
After the quick change for dinner we were back on the road for the main reason why we came to Geneva: To collect the aunt's furnishings.
Wouldn't mind doing the LON-GVA journey in one of these:
Back on the road:
Art festivals in GVA:
The MO is down there:
*Sigh* The last time I saw a Sienna like this was in Orlando
After collecting the aunts belongings we drove back to Carouge for dinner:
Its clearly remember America Day because I just found a Camaro SS:
Not sure what this building was but architecturally it looked nice!
Soon it began to rain
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Coop or Co-op ; Supermarket sweep... in Geneva (II)
Soon it began to rain :roll eyes:
Our location for dinner was in Carouge, with some of my aunts friends you who joined us for her wedding in Delhi last year. That TR can be found here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-amritsar.html
I have been to this restaurant many times when I was younger and it was great to be back:
Dad says that this is in the top 5 salad's he has had before:
This Bruschetta was amazing!
The Calazone was great but it was only a Margharita and so in hindsight I should probably have added vegetables.
We left the restaurant after a pretty excellent meal and headed to the car, which was parked where we went to the Coop earlier on in the day
Looking into shop windows I saw this gem :-: :-:
Creepy
We got back into the car, to drive back to the restaurant to collect the ladies:
Know would be a great time to try out the mood lighting :
We chose purple for that little VS theme:
Genevas Tram:
Back:
Our home in Geneva... would have preferred staying here instead of the Intercon:
And for the first time this trip I got to sit in the back
The Mandarin at night:
At 23:30 Thor was put to rest
Every meeting room is named after a city:
Empty corridors;
The Intercontinental's have a habit of leaving Orchards in the most random of places:
At 23:40 these weary traveller finally arrived at their rooms
My 'bed' (a very loose term)
This view was stunning but I couldn't get this Canon to show that:
The hotel pool looked amazing though!
The TV's need an update!
Our location for dinner was in Carouge, with some of my aunts friends you who joined us for her wedding in Delhi last year. That TR can be found here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-amritsar.html
I have been to this restaurant many times when I was younger and it was great to be back:
Dad says that this is in the top 5 salad's he has had before:
This Bruschetta was amazing!
The Calazone was great but it was only a Margharita and so in hindsight I should probably have added vegetables.
We left the restaurant after a pretty excellent meal and headed to the car, which was parked where we went to the Coop earlier on in the day
Looking into shop windows I saw this gem :-: :-:
Creepy
We got back into the car, to drive back to the restaurant to collect the ladies:
Know would be a great time to try out the mood lighting :
We chose purple for that little VS theme:
Genevas Tram:
Back:
Our home in Geneva... would have preferred staying here instead of the Intercon:
And for the first time this trip I got to sit in the back
The Mandarin at night:
At 23:30 Thor was put to rest
Every meeting room is named after a city:
Empty corridors;
The Intercontinental's have a habit of leaving Orchards in the most random of places:
At 23:40 these weary traveller finally arrived at their rooms
My 'bed' (a very loose term)
This view was stunning but I couldn't get this Canon to show that:
The hotel pool looked amazing though!
The TV's need an update!
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Hope you enjoy the rest!
Kind Regards LL
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
True, let me deal with the other million and one other things that I have to deal with and then I will learn more about Europe. But in the mean time enjoy the trip report.
The UK has a mix of Metric and Imperial system.
Regards LL.
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
That made me chuckle. You are missing out offerendum But you live in Germany so you probably get a better choice of cars at a lower price than what we get in the UK
Hope you enjoy the rest!
Kind Regards LL
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
very much enjoyed this sitting in the departures lounge at St Pancras for the Eurostar. I've been using it a lot this year but as a non-driver will probably never see the car transporter, thanks for the insight! Nice to have reminders of Geneva - it was cloudy when I was there too - and as others have said, you have a great writing style. Plus it's always nice to see something a bit different; I look forward to the rest of your adventures!
Interestingly they run on the same line when going under the channel, so whilst waiting for the Eurotunnel you see them fly past.
It always seems to be cloudy in fact the only time that I have been when it wasn't cloudy was in early August and it was rather nice!
Thank you, the main reason for writing this TR was because it was different.
Ask if you have any questions and I hope you enjoy the rest of the adventure!
Kind Regards LL
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Geneva to London (I)
That morning after getting dressed, I wandered downstairs to grab some pictures of the lobby before we left at 10:45.
I did say they leave Orchard's everywhere...
Loved this!
After that I headed upstairs for some pastries, some coffee and a quick pack before we hit the road to Calais
Look it's this guy
Everyone's favourite IPL team owner:
Doing it right this time
I had the rest of the bags
This was a weird bowl but I kinda liked it...
After checking out and paying the 45CHF City Tax we hit the road out of Geneva.
There was a funny Arab Gent next to us trying to get out of paying for his 980CHF breakfast charge.
Gent: Habibi what is 980 Francs between friends
Manager: Sir I have only known you for five minutes, and I can't clear it all.
Gent: But Habeeebeee
It was one of the funniest things I had seen in a while and this really did lift spirits. He got into his Range Rover shortly after, so I presume everything ended well.
Re-Pack the car time
We hit the road for our 7hr:45 Minute Journey
Going past Cointrin to get to the Border:
Back at Ikea:
Back in France:
First Toll of the day...
WE HAVE BEEN EATEN TEAM
Phew we got out...
"We are walking in the air we are walking in the moonlight sky..."
I don't want to go off this...
Blinding light.
We eventually pulled over at ENI for 35 minutes after leaving Genevè for fuel
Dynamic was set once again and we hit the road for the final 600 Mile drive back North. Cruise was applied at 100.
]
Dad was connected to Bluetooth so the Ariana Grande song was surprising to say the least
And then it began to rain...
The Cayenne
This car had been specked with the Bowers and Wilkins surround sound:
We were the slowest thing on the road at this point...
With about 6 hours to go the Litts were slowly racing back home.
Will they get their 18:55 train?
I did say they leave Orchard's everywhere...
Loved this!
After that I headed upstairs for some pastries, some coffee and a quick pack before we hit the road to Calais
Look it's this guy
Everyone's favourite IPL team owner:
Doing it right this time
I had the rest of the bags
This was a weird bowl but I kinda liked it...
After checking out and paying the 45CHF City Tax we hit the road out of Geneva.
There was a funny Arab Gent next to us trying to get out of paying for his 980CHF breakfast charge.
Gent: Habibi what is 980 Francs between friends
Manager: Sir I have only known you for five minutes, and I can't clear it all.
Gent: But Habeeebeee
It was one of the funniest things I had seen in a while and this really did lift spirits. He got into his Range Rover shortly after, so I presume everything ended well.
Re-Pack the car time
We hit the road for our 7hr:45 Minute Journey
Going past Cointrin to get to the Border:
Back at Ikea:
Back in France:
First Toll of the day...
WE HAVE BEEN EATEN TEAM
Phew we got out...
"We are walking in the air we are walking in the moonlight sky..."
I don't want to go off this...
Blinding light.
We eventually pulled over at ENI for 35 minutes after leaving Genevè for fuel
Dynamic was set once again and we hit the road for the final 600 Mile drive back North. Cruise was applied at 100.
]
Dad was connected to Bluetooth so the Ariana Grande song was surprising to say the least
And then it began to rain...
The Cayenne
This car had been specked with the Bowers and Wilkins surround sound:
We were the slowest thing on the road at this point...
With about 6 hours to go the Litts were slowly racing back home.
Will they get their 18:55 train?
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Geneva to London (II)
You thought I had left you hanging again didn't you
Need to cut this down by and hour:
Still the slowest thing on the road
The chap in the S60 was going north of 105mph.
Slowly cutting down that ETA.
Both of these cars were going at 85MPH...
These chaps cannot drive!
The last time I did this drive was in one of these in 2012. It would have been much more fun doing it in this!
If we had gotten up a couple of hours earlier, we could have gone to Paris for lunch
I think the Sat-Nav got a bit messed up
Look at that ETA ^^
Dad's View:
He got quite irked when I did this
Toll time...
50€ What a bunch of ************
We then proceeded to get our next toll card
Next Toll was in 130 Miles
That Passat was definitely taking some strain
With 10 miles of fuel left we pulled over. With 400 miles covered and 170 left, we had achieved 33 mpg at speeds of around 90-110mph.
We were also in Dynamic Mode which meant that we were demanding everything the car could give.
DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND DAD
After spending 20 minutes inside watching employees at Paul's try and make Tea and spill every cup they made we hit the road.
The Momentum XC90 which was the level below ours
The old shape XC90
Its a long way from Zurich, this chap is brave!
At this point our Cruise decreased down to 65 due to the presence of French police who were hunting for Migrants
With Calais 55 Miles out we were sure we would make it in time for the 18:00 Check-In time closing... or where we?
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205
Geneva to London (III)
Check-in
Snack time
Cleaning the car:
Ew
The other two options that we could have had instead of the XC90
Tesla charging stations
Our park break was applied, engine off and then Dad began to play Civilisation
They scan your Boarding Hanger
A short 30 minutes later we arrived
Soon we hit rush hour on the M25:
The sun had gone and it had begun to rain
And soon our trip had come to an end and we laid our deception to rest.
The final segment- The LSAT
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: London
Programs: Amex Centurion, B.A. Silver, Virgin Atlantic Gold, C.X. Diamond
Posts: 205