₦airaland Forum

justman911:
Wow... pretty decent. The fear of Switzerland's expensive nature has gripped me for long.
....and I think your smart moves with night travel helped too. Thanks a lot

You should consider visiting Budapest, Vienna and Prague if you haven't. They are amazingly beautiful (especially Budapest) and far less expensive (not Vienna though) and they are hours apart by bus.

I didn't buy much things in Swiss so expenses were kept to a minimum.

I should visit Prague soon.

justman911:
Sir.... we are not younger than Rwanda, Singapore and even though we're bigger than mushroom EU countries like Romania

With countries like France, it's obviously an unfair comparison but we still need to up our game.

I'd be glad if you can sum up everything you spent especially on accomodation. I'd love to try this soon

In total, it was like €166 (about N68k) for accommodation

Predstan:
Hi OP, what's the cheapest means to transport from Paris to Dijon,le creusot. The train or a Bus?

You can use FlixBus. It is about 4-5hours from Paris.

Send me a DM to see it

UyaiIncomparabl:
Where's your personal picture?

I left Chamonix and got back to Geneva in the evening. My return trip to Paris was booked for some hours later.

As Switzerland is not part of the EU but belongs to the schengen zone, we were stopped by Immigration at a Border, basically to declare goods if any and to fulfill all necessary checks.

It was an overnight trip to Paris with OuiBus.

Thank you all for your time

Picture 1: Eating my greens, with some chicken. Lol

The other pictures are amazing views of this amazing city. I actually plan to bring my fiancée here, if our plans fall into place; maybe a pre-honeymoon or honeymoon itself

All in all, it was a wonderful, not so expensive and strictly on-the-road adventure

CHAMONIX MONT-BLANC, FRANCE

Chamonix Mont-Blanc or popularly called Chamonix is a small city, more of a holiday resort at the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and a popular destination for mountain climbers and skiers. It has beautiful views as would be seen from the pictures.

I got a return bus ticket from Geneva to Chamonix for €25. The distance between both cities is about an hour by road so it was going to be a short ride. We left Geneva at 12 noon, got to our destination by 1:10pm and the exploring began.

Picture 1: The first view of the beautiful city. C'est Magnifique!

Picture 2: Entrance to the Mont Blanc Tramway where you can pay for a train to take you to the top of the hill.

Picture 3: The Gare (Station)

Picture 4: Entrance to Le Brévent where you can take the cable car to the top of the mountain (Mont-Blanc). Mont Blanc means White Mountain in English.

Geneva has a vibrant nightlife. You get to see the beautiful lighting in the city and the water fountain gives off diverse colours of light too.

Picture 1: A view of the city at night

Picture 2: A fountain in Jardin Anglais (English Garden)

Picture 3: ROLEX!

So with this, i wrap up my stay in the wonderful and expensive city of Geneva and onward to the final city to explore which is in the French Alps - Chamonix, France

Picture 1: Bains des Pâquis - One of the high-point of this trip. Lol It is a popular public bath on a pier in Lake Geneva. The entrance fee is 2 CHF and you get to see all manners of people in different shapes and sizes; swimming, relaxing in their bikinis or their naked form. It is inappropriate to take pictures but it is actually one of the best places to relax and enjoy the summer weather.

Picture 2: L'horloge fleurie (Flower Clock) - Iconic outdoor clock made of flowers. A beauty to behold.

Picture 3: Brunswick Monument - It commemorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick. He bequeathed his fortune to the city of Geneva in exchange for a monument to be built in his name (Nice move)

DisGuy:
Visiting the Hadron Collider? Missed this when i went

Naah, maybe another time.

Jake420:
I thought Notre Dame was in Paris not Lyon

Notre Dame is French for "Our Lady" so almost all the major cities in France have a Notre Dame Cathedral with a unique name.

Notre-Dame de Paris is the most popular.

seguno2:
Nigeria has been existing since prehistoric times just like France and Switzerland, which have also gone through several changes in their composition over time.

When i said it is a young country, i meant in terms of technological advancement. Nigeria as a country has not been existing since prehistoric times. We were just clusters of kingdoms in a vast region and people were for the betterment of their kingdoms.

You cannot say the same for these countries. France began a republic in 1792 and the construction of the underground Metro in Paris began in 1898 alongside the many discoveries. Swiss became a country in 1291. These countries also went through "colonization" before they became stand-alone and started their own "colonization".

From the UN, i took a bus to the city centre where most of the attractions were.

Geneva has a good transport system as most of its buses and trams are electrically powered and they charge on the go with overhead cable lines (1st picture shows an example of how it works). This system is common in Europe but other cities majorly use for Trams. For Nigeria to get to this point, we need to solve our electricity crises first.

Picture 2 & 3: Jet d'Eau (The Geneva Water Fountain) - It is a fountain in Lake Geneva which shoots water 150 meters into the air. It is one of the city's most famous landmarks and a must see for all visitors. Also, Geneva has mountains surrounding it and some buses actually go towards that route.

Still in the UN environs, i visited Musée Ariana, also called Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass which is purely devoted to ceramic and glass artworks, and it is one of its kind in the world.

A beautiful structure and it only showcase ceramics and glass!? I was as surprised as you were. Picture 1 and 2

The last picture is Moi, thinking about how much money i have left before this city will finish it . Everything is damn costly. A bottle of water goes for about 4.5 CHF (€4) while the same bottle goes for €1.5 in Paris & Berlin, even MacDonald's charges differently here. The good thing is, the people living here are not complaining much because they get paid well enough to survive in the city.

damtan:
I could have helped you with your luggage naa. Make I just dey carry am everywhere.
I so love France. I'll tour that beautiful country someday

Lool

Yeah it is. Most people just visit Paris and no where else, but the beauty of France lies majorly outside Paris.

castrokins:
Everything Outside Nigeria Is Beautiful. Who Did We Offend Please?

Nigeria is still a young country. We are getting there

GENEVA - smallest of the big cities

I got to my accommodation and it was beautiful. The host is a couple with a 3 year old son, staying in a 3 bedroom apartment (them get money), so using one of the rooms for Airbnb is really a good strategy. It costs €61 per night (67 CHF - Switzerland uses the Swiss Francs but also accept Euros). Hotels in Geneva are quite expensive! so if you are planning a trip, either go for an Airbnb or get a friend that knows a friend that knows a friend.

I started with the United Nations environs before going into the city centre.

Picture 1 & 2: Broken Chair - It stands across the street from the UN office. It symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.

Picture 3: A beautiful fountain close to the Broken Chair. It spurts out water from pores on the floor. A good place to go and do Romeo and Julliet

Picture 4: Palais des Nations (United Nations Office)

After exploring the city of Lyon, it was time to move on to the next destination - Geneva, Switzerland. The distance between both cities is about 2hours 30mins by road and i got a deal of €9 with Eurolines which was quite good.

The journey was actually one of the best i have been in, because of the beautiful sights along the way. Everything was just so structured and pleasant to look at, even the bushes. It was so arranged.

I got to Geneva by 8pm and took a bus to my Airbnb accommodation which is close to the United Nations Office.

Picture: On the road to Geneva from Lyon. I bet that is somebody's village

Still with Lyon, the first picture is a view of the Basilique Notre Dame from the Street (Vieux Lyon) and as i mentioned earlier, it is at the top of a hill and has a wide view of the whole city.

Picture 2 & 3: Musée des Confluences (Confluence Musuem) - A science and anthropology museum with a beautiful structure which also has a nice viewing centre at the top. It is free to enter but some of the artworks are restricted, so you have to buy a ticket to access it.

Picture 4: Parc de la Tête d'Or (Park of the Golden Head) - it features a lake on which boating takes place during these period (summer) and to rent a boat for 30 mins cost about €25. It can be a good family outing. There is also a small zoo in the park.

MrBrownJay1:
Quick tip
When visiting Geneva, remember that it is a very expensive city, and staying on the French side is cheaper. So get a hotel or place to stay in Ferney Voltaire/Ornex (France) for example, and just commute to Geneva (5 mins Uber ride).

Yeah, Geneva is quite expensive so it is better you stay in an Airbnb. Hotels are for the rich. Lol. When i calculated the cost of accommodation and commuting from the French area to the city centre, it was almost the same as staying in the city.

LYON

I am not a big fan of road travel but my stay in this part of the world has changed my orientation towards it so much that i have done a 12-hour bus trip from Paris to Berlin.

So i got to Lyon by 1:30pm and checked in at the Hotel (Hotel De Normandie) which was very close to the Gare (Station) Lyon Perrache. I wanted to go for an Airbnb but the cost between one and a fairly good hotel was not much so i opted for the hotel option.

After resting a bit, i went out to explore the 3rd largest city in the French Republique after Marseille and Paris.

Picture 1 & 2: La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière: It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary whom they said saved the city from a plague that swept Europe in 1643 and also, candles are lighted across Lyon in what is called Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights)
The inside is actually quite beautiful. Mass still holds so one has to be quiet. I am not a Catholic but i wanted to attend a Mass but it was starting late so maybe next time.
Also you can have a good view of the city from the Basilica as it is at the top of a hill and has a dedicated train (Funiculaire) which runs at a steep angle.

Picture 3: Place des Jacobins - it is classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the famous in Lyon.

Picture 4: Place des Terreaux - another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Under renovation)

Hi Guys,

In the spirit of the season, I will be detailing my visit to these beautiful cities on a tight budget. Lyon and Chamonix Mont-Blanc are in the South of France while Geneva is in Switzerland.

The beauty of free movement among member states in the Schengen zone cannot be overemphasized as it has created lot of opportunities and revenue for the participating countries. Even Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria have applied to join the zone seeing what other countries are benefiting.

So my journey started from Paris. I booked a Bus from the Bercy Seine Station en-route to Lyon, the trip was about 5 hours and it costs €17.

My plan is to spend a night in Lyon and 2 nights at Geneva with a day return tip to Chamonix since it is just an hour away from Geneva.

So follow me as we explore

Pics - Bus to Lyon

Abini2012:
My hospitality agency has a job at Leeds Festival 2019 by the last weekend of this month. I dey reason am against going to London for Carnival

Happy birthday Ma'am! Have a good one!

For the bolded, there will always be Festival for you to work in, but the Nottingham Carnival is an experience!

Babyface6:
Hello all,

Please I'm unable to book an appointment for submission to the France Embassy. Is there another way to do it? It keeps showing "no appointment available"
What could be the issue?

To be sure we are on the same page, you are trying to apply for a French visa right?

If Yes, you don't book an appointment to submit. You only go to VFS office at Lekki very early to submit your application, not the French embassy.

If No, then i don't know.

Godson1988:
the name of the school is Toulouse school of management and have gone through their website too .

The Master in International Management is a 2 year program (M1 and M2), and you can apply directly to M2 if you meet the criteria. Their below website is in English and you can send a mail directly to master.international@tsm-education.fr instead of the generic one you did.

https://tsm-education.fr/en/formations/master-1-international-management

Godson1988:
have done that ,they reply back in French.

You got a summary of your request not a reply, like an auto-response.

They should reply you in English soonest. This is Summer and most schools are closed for the break to resume mid August.

Also, i believe you can get what you need at the school website though. What is the name of the school?

Boss Chilisauce,

Make we see na

To whom it may concern.

Let's see how it goes.

skyscraper123:
Hey guys...so I have been following this thread silently since last year and now I have gotten my tier 4 entry clearance...I'm just so grateful..so i felt like sharing part of my testimony... I had the most crappy interview on the 8th and my visa was ready on the 15th of this month..Priority Visa sha... I was too nervous during my interview and said things that were rejection worthy..lol...so in case you are reading and feeling bad about your interview, whatever you did..mine was worse walahi..the interviewer had to convince me that it was just for formality before I could stop saying "no" anytime she asks "am I ok?"
I cried after my interview..you know this kain " I don throway money" cry.. people around were consoling me sef.. I feel that if u ever get nervous when you start the interview and it's terrible...just keep indicating to them whenever they ask that you are a bit nervous... I think that helped cuz half of my interview time was spent on making me calm by the woman.. At the end sha all the glory belongs to God...cuz I kept on praying mehn..

Lol! Congratulations! Like the interviewer said, it is just for formality.

I wonder how it would have been if it had been the US Embassy which is not just for formality

mrphysics:
I submitted my application at the vfs today in Abuja. Those vfs staffs can be frustrating.
I only have one reservation, the DoB on my Waec certificate is wrong by a day. Instead of 13th, it was 12th. But I didn't submit the Waec anyway as we were told it's not needed for postgraduate studies rather copies of degree certificate.

I have a fully funded PTDF scholarship. Should I be worried?

Basically you had no issue then. You will be absolutely fine.

deybholar:
So today, the journey takes us to Sheffield.

Traveled there via Coach instead of using the train (saved some money.) Transportation here isn’t beans.

How's your summer tour going? No pictures?