Tips for US Newcomers to CERN

• Inroduction
• Arriving at Geneva Airport
• Money
• Transportation
• Electronics
• Language
• Some How To's at CERN
• Food Shopping
• Acknowledgements.

Introduction:

Arriving at Geneva Airport:

• There is public transportation from the Swiss side to CERN (bus) or Geneva (bus or train). But from the French side you will have to take a cab or car (if you rented one from the French side).
• Public transportation to CERN is in middle of changes due to the partially complete tram service. In particular, the 9 bus no longer goes to CERN. You can get up-to-date information on using public transportation toget to CERN at http://ph-dep-usersoffice.web.cern.ch/ph-dep-UsersOffice/ForVisitors.html
• You can get a free ticket for the bus (or local train rides) at the airport. There is a machine dispensing these in the baggage claim area. Get it before you exit customs, as you cannot return here once you leave. If you need to show your bus ticket to an inspector (see transportation below) you will also have to show your plane ticket.
• Remember that France uses Euros and Switzerland Swiss Francs.
• Depending on whether you are going to France or Switzerland, make sure you get from the bank some 1 and 2 Euro or 1 and 2 CHF coins - you'll see why when you get to transportation.
• The French side is much less busy.

Money

• France uses Euros and Switzerland Swiss Francs (CHF).
• In France, you will often see cash register and other displays both in Euros and French Francs (worth about 1/10 a Euro). Don't pay the wrong one!
• The 1/2 CHF coin is smaller and worth more than the 10 or 20 cent ones (before you ask about this, explain pennies, nickels and dimes to me).
• Exchanging money is a non-trivial process. I have found withdrawing money from an ATM to be the simplest method (and often the most economical) to get local currency.

Transportation

By Bus

• To get a ride on a bus or tram, you must buy a ticket at the machine located near most stops. The ticket is good for a certain distance (the number of zones you go through) and a certain time duration. To get to Geneva or CERN from the airport, use Tout Geneve that which costs 3 CHF. Push the button next to you choice, see the 3.00 light up, then deposit the 3 CHF (before the light goes off).
• You can buy one hour, all day after 9:00 AM, or all day tickets for increasing cost. You can also buy 2 zones, 3 zones, or more. The after 9:00 AM 3 zone ticket is a great buy if you are spending a day touring Geneva.
• If you are staying at a hotel, you can get a public transporation free pass.
• Bus and train machines require exact change. They won't take 5 CHF coins, and may or may not take 1/2 CHF coins.
• Inspectors occassionally come on the bus or tram to check whether riders have a proper ticket, and to fine them if they don't.
• Buses and trams display on screens the next stop and the ultimate bus destination.

By Car

• In France, Switzerland, and much of Europe, cars on the right have right of way, unless they have a stop or yield sign. This means that if you are on big road and a tiny one without a stop sign is coming up on your right, that a car there has right of way, and twill likley assert it! Occassionally there are signs on the big road letting you know that there is something coming up where you do or don't have righ of way.
• Rural road speed limits in France and Switzerland are 90 km/hr and 80 km/hr respectively.
• In Switzerland you are supposed to have your car lights on whenever you are driving; I have seen very few people obeying this rule.
• This one seems obvious after you know it: For signs with a place name and arrows at traffic circle exits, the arrow is pointing to the exit, not to a direction you should drive.
• Cars in a traffic circle have right of way, so watch for their signalling:
• Signal left when entering a traffic circle, and right when you are at the exit you are going to leave it by.
• The best advice I got about driving is that if you are in a traffic circle and aren't sure which is the right exit to get out, it is perfectly permissible to go around and around in circles until you have figured it out. This is also a great way to pause if you are getting very frustrated.
• The circle is also a great way to make a U-turn.
• At Swiss/French border crossings, the lane on the right marked with a green symbol is for locals who display this sign on their car and can pass through without fear of being stopped. You stay on the left.
• If you are resident in France, French law says you may not use a Swiss-plated car for more than 7 days. There is no exception for CERN cars.

Electronics

• The European outlet has the ground pin in the wall socket rather than on the cord you plug in. As you might stay in a modern apartment that only has the grounded sockets, make sure that any plug or converter you buy has a hole for the ground pin. Otherwise, you will not be able to plug in your device.

• Switzerland uses a different electrical outlet than much of the rest of Europe. The two pins are narrower and spaced slightly further apart. The receptacles are built so that the full plug has to fit, not just the pins. The standard long oval shaped converters often will not fit. If you are plugging a grounded American plug into a converter without ground, the ground pin will stick out and perhaps spark to the socket base (even if you are lucky and the pin part does fit). The correct solution is to find the full converter from 3 pin US to correctly shaped Switzerland. The alternative is 3-pin US to Europe converter and then a Europe to Swiss converter. Since there is no ground pin on the European plug, there is nothing to stick out and spark. But you still must make sure that the Europe to Switzerland converter has the correct shape or it won't fit. The Swiss plug and socket, compared with the U.S. plug:

  

Language

• Most scientists at CERN speak English. Many of the rest of the people there don't. If you don't know French, an introductory "parlez vous anglais?" (polite form of do you speak English) is a much better way to start a conversation than just speaking English and assuming you are understood.
• If you don't know French well, here is a generalization that may be unfair, but it has been my experience: People in Geneva will switch to English rather than let you kill French. People in France will appreciate your effort, and are less likely to know English (or at least to admit to knowing English).

Some How To's at CERN

• To get registered at CERN you will need a letter from your institution signed by your chair stating that you are employed and that you have full health insurance coverage.
• Phone usage at CERN: If you don't understand it, just ignore the French you hear when you pick up the receiver, then:

  For CERN numbers, just dial the 5 digit extension.

  For Geneva, dial 0-022-number

  For France, dial 10-04-number

  For USA, dial *4 (ignore the French if you don't understand it) - your pin code (talk to someone else to find out how to get this) - 0 (to leave CERN) - 00 (to leave Switzerland) - 1 (to enter USA) - then ten digit area code plus number.

• To phone CERN from USA: 011-41-22- seven digit number.

  To dial CERN from outside, you need 022- seven digit number.

• Room numbers at CERN are building number - floor number or letter - room number. So 32-SB08 is building 32, basement, room B08.
• Addressing letters to CERN :

  Name
  CERN
  Building-Room
  CH-1211 Geneva 23
  Switzerland / Suisse

• The Users Office (where you get your badge in the cafeteria building) has all sorts of useful stuff like maps of local towns and bus schedules.

Food Shopping

• At supermarkets, you have to weigh by yourself produce sold by weight. There is a number displayed with the price. Put the item on the scale, press the appropiate number, and a sticker will come up for you to put on the plastic bag in which you put the produce.
• Supermarkets and other food stores very likely will not give you bags to take your food home in; you must bring your own. Supermarkets will often have strong bags for sale for 30 cents or so.
• Shopping carts are released from the chain holding them to the next cart by inserting a coin (usually 1 CHF or 1 Euro depending on which country you're in) and pressing the appropriate lever. You get the coin back when you return the cart and press the chain back in.
• There are French customs regulations limiting the amounts of various foods (such as dairy products) you can bring in from Switzerland. Some limits are low enough that you need to worry about them even when shopping for your own use.

Acknowledgements