Ok, so we start out in Abess (I think I spelled that wrong...) where Nate, an IMLP from
Aircraft Engines, is staying. He'll be my guide on this trip from Paris to Buc, France where
GE Medical has it's European Headquarters. Gotta start early in the morning to get to Buc at
any reasonable time in the morning. We're set for a walk, lots of stairs, a metro ride,
a long walk underground, a regular train, another short walk, a bus ride, and a short walk.
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Here you see the entrance to the metro station, very nicely placed - doesn't stick out too much.
Also note the guys handing out the "20 Minutes" newspaper, the same publication was in Barcelona and
seems to be fairly popular, especially since it gives you a good way to avoid staring at the advertisements
and oddballs in the metro -- you can stare at the advertisements and odd stories in this publication
instead.
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Abess (I know, I know, I'm sure this is the wrong spelling) is an area known historically for it's art community,
and thus the nicely painted mural on the way down quite a number of stairs. There are actually several murals as you
descend.
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Ok, so you take that metro over to Montparnasse-Bienvenüe. Now, the walk from the metro to the suburban trains here is quite a long one,
in fact they've got some nifty people-mover treadmill type things for you to stand/walk on. They've ALSO got the neatest thing I saw
in Paris -- a NINE kilometers per hour walkway! For you non-metric people out there, excel says that 9 km/h is equal to about
5.6 miles per hour. Just enter "=CONVERT(9000,"m","mi")" into a cell with the Analysis Pack activated (run Analys32.xll on
your computer) and you can see this too! Well, I hope I'm converting right...but if not, it's Excel not me! Anyway, back
to the topic at hand - that's pretty darned fast. They're only running it as an experiment and they've put up the
little pen around the entrance so unaware people don't get on the walkway and they've hired "guy in suit" to stand there and
look authoritarian so nobody tries anything too dangerous on it. I REALLY wanted to try this out, but the trains were calling,
so maybe during another visit. Like the flashing lights above as well?
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So here we are at the suburban train area, just a short walk more in our long walk to the train!
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So, now we get on a train to Versailles or Rambouillet or Gazeran. They leave about every 15 minutes, if you get a sans arret, or
direct train, it only takes 13 minutes, the others (omnibus) stop along the way and it takes 25 minutes. So, this one leaves at 47 after
8 and it's 8:46! This was a photo taken ever so quickly!
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Ok, once at the Versailles Chantiers station, you just get off the train, leave the station and go straight ahead down some stairs slightly
to the left, then you're in a general parking lot area where there are lots of chartered buses, find the one with the GEMS
logo on the front and wait until it leaves. These run from 6:50 am to 9:20 am and 3:39 pm to 7:24 pm in the evening (except
on Friday when it goes from 2:40 pm to 6:25 pm, and if you can't make that one you need to re-evaluate your work-life balance). That
means no late work without having to walk a bit to get a city bus or getting a taxi!
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Ah, after getting off the bus, Milwaukee GE Medical employees have to give up their badge for a daily pass and then can enter
the facility. Here's the main building - the Edison Gallery, quite impressive huh?
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And now for something completely different. Well, not completely different. While I was in Paris, on October 11, 2002 the
GEMS Europe Graduation Party was held for IMLPs. It was at a nice little club in Paris and after we watched a fashion show
in the basement.
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Going through the model's mind: "Turn...remember to turn..."
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Going through the model's mind: "Where am I...who am I?"
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Going through the model's mind: "(yes, there's nothing here)"
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Going through the model's mind: "I am the greatest model IN THE WORLD!"
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The models and the designer on stage just after the show
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