Geneva

Packing for the trip wasn't too bad, as we had done it before, we had 3kg extra luggage allowance, and we weren't taking all the camping gear. We even through in a pair of jeans and an extra shirt each - luxury! New bike chains we had ordered didn't arrive in time.

We had a very nice early dinner with Tim at Cafe Italia then he dropped us at the airport. No dramas with the bike boxes. We were pretty early to check in. No queue, the boxes both weighed 23kg, and we just had to leave them in a cage next to check-in.

The first flight to Abu-Dhabi (14 hours), was ok, although the plane was full and a bit the worse for wear. The Etihad service was excellent.

At Abu- Dhabi airport we used the Tab to try to find a b&b at Edinburgh. The one we choose had just the two nights we wanted available, but the three night minimum was too hard for the online system so we emailed them.

The flight to Geneva was almost empty and the plane was newer. First class luxury in the back row!

Airport taxi was v expensive for 5.7 km.  it was good to arrive at YHA, set the bikes up and get a night's sleep. We had a few hours to look at Geneva, the first stop being a Swiss chocolatier for hot chocolate and a Gourmand selection. Geneva has a lovely old town beside lake Leman, nice parks, very French and some nice old cobbled streets. Weather was mild, humid and overcast.