--May 2009 Itinerary --

Kent State University
MBA International Business Experience

Following is the itinerary for the May 2009 MBA International Business Experience. Past travel has shown that we may need to be flexible during the trip as circumstances can change.

Saturday, May 16 -- Be at Cleveland Hopkins Airport (CLE) by 11.00 for 12.25 departure from Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Continental Airlines flight 224; arrive Newark (EWR) at 13.55. Leave Newark on Continental Airline at 17.45 on flight 80 to Geneva (GVA). Have your ticket information and your passport in hand.

Sunday, May 17 – 7.45 arrive Geneva. Pick up bags, go through customs

8.30 Public transportation to the Geneva Youth Hostel (get transportation ticket in airport baggage area)

9.30 Check into rooms at Geneva Youth Hostel

11.30 Meet in the lobby

12.00 Lunch at the Geneva Youth Hostel or in town

13.30 Walking/bus tour of Grand Saconnex and Geneva; validate Rail passes on Monday

19.00 Dinner at Geneva Youth Hostel

Monday, May 18

9.00 —meet in lobby for briefing and bus to train station (bring Eurail passes and have them validated at station)

10.00 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) -- 34, chemin des Colombettes (Bus 8, 18, F, Z to Nations or UIT)

[12.00 Lunch on own]

14.00 U.N. -- 14, avenue de la Paix (Buses: nos. 8, 11, 14, F, V and Z ;bus stop is "Appia")

[Dinner on own]

[Sometime make train reservations for Tuesday 26 May, 9.15 a.m. train, TGV 9210, from Strasbourg to Paris, arriving 11.34]*****( to me; alternative leaving 8:17 arriving 10:34)

Tuesday, May 19

7.00—meet in lobby for briefing and bus to train station (bring Eurail pass)

8.10—Train to Lausanne (IR 2519, platform 4) arriving 8:43; walk to BRP Int'l, Chemin de Messidor 5-7

9.00 – BRP, International, Martin Soucy

[12.00 Lunch on own]

13.00—train to Veytaux-Chillon (S1 12141, platform 3) arriving 13.36

14.00—16.00 Chillon Castle Tour

16.26—train to Lausanne (leaving platform 2) arriving Lusanne 17.04 (platform 8); then to Geneva (IC 2528 leaving platform 4 at 17.17) arriving 17.50

[Dinner on own]

Wednesday, May 20

8.00 briefing and bus to ICRC

9.00 – 10.30 ICRC (International Red Cross, 19, Ave De La Paix; Buses: nos. 8, 11, 14, F, V and Z; bus stop is "Appia")

10.45 – 11.30 – ICRC museum

[12.00 Lunch on own]

15.00— World Trade Organization, Centre William Rappard, Rue de Lausanne 154,
(Bus 28 from “Appia” to “Jardin Botanique”; 13.06, 13.26)

[Dinner on own]

Thursday, May 21 (Ascension Day Holiday)

8.00 Meet in Lounge for briefing bus to ILO

9.00-12.00 ILO briefings

Lunch at ILO cafeteria 12:00 to 13:00

13.00 – Optional visit to Mount Saleve (bus No. 8, 34, or 41 to Veyrier-Ecole or Veyrier-Douane; cable car, the telepherique, to the top)

[Dinner on own]

Friday, May 22 – Independent travel; Sightseeing/cultural activities (on own) Suggestions: Geneva, Bern, Lausanne, Fribourg, Lucerne, Annecy (Fr), Chamonix, Vallais, Zermatt, Italy or Spain (plan on reservations for Thursday night travel).

Saturday, May 23 -- Sightseeing/cultural activities (on own)

Sunday, May 24 --Travel to Strasbourgh-Ville, France (on own). Note: check to see if you need advance reservation for the train to Strasbourg. If leaving from Geneva, it is about 4 ½ hours; trains leaving at 10:14, 11:14, 12:14 with 1 or 2 changes.

16.30 -- Optional in Strasbourg, meet for walk to central city.

Monday, May 25

9.15 Meet in lobby for departure

10.00— Kronenbourg Brewery

[Lunch on own]

14.00—Meet for Historic Boat Ride

16.30 [Optional, tram/bus travel to France/Germany border for dinner in Germany]

[Dinner on own]

Tuesday, May 26

8.15 checked out and ready to depart for train station

9.15 TVG 9210 to Paris (fast train, reservations required); arrive Paris-Est 11.34

Travel by metro to Hotel Edouard VI [lunch on own]

13.45 meet to metro to Paris Vision Tour of Paris at 15.00

20.00 Dinner at Restaurant --Chez Clement in Montparnasse

Wednesday, May 27

8.15 meet in lobby

9.30 IBM France in La Defense

-- La Défense 5 - Tour Descartes, 92066 PARIS - LA DÉFENSE CEDEX

[Lunch on own]

14.00 at the embassy for security check prior to visit (embassy security office does not allow anyone to bring electronic equipment into the embassy - so please do not bring ipods, cameras, blackberry's, laptops, etc – or we need to “bag them” before we enter).

14.30 U.S. Embassy--2, avenue Gabriel (Metro stop Concorde: 1, 8, or 12 line)

[Dinner on own]

Thursday, May 28

9.00 Depart Hotel Edouard VI, for Versailles (via Gare Montparnasse)

[Lunch on own]

14.00—Sacre Coeur

[Dinner on own]

Friday, May 29

9.00 meet in lobby

9.30—13.00 – The Louvre

[Lunch at St. Gobain]

14.00 Shopping/Opera tour (optional)

[Dinner on own]

Prepare for next day departure.

Saturday, May 30

7.30 Meet in Lobby ready to take cab to Aéroport de Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) for Continental Airlines flight departing 11.20 to Cleveland, arrive 14.30. Have your ticket information and your passport in hand.

Hotel Information

1. Geneva Youth Hostel

30, rue Rothschild

1202 GENEVE

SWITZERLAND

Phone: 011.41.22.732.62.60 (Skype ID genevahostel)

Fax: 011.41.22.738.39.87

(http://www.genevahostel.ch/en/index.html)

NOTES:

Laundry -- Our facilities consist of 3 washing and 3 drying machines, all of which are card operated. The cost is CHF 8.- plus a CHF 5.- deposit. The deposit is given back once you return the electronic card. An ironing board is available against an ID deposit.

2. LE GRAND HOTEL

12 PLACE DE LA GARE

STRASBOURG

FRANCE 67000

Phone: 011.33.3.88.52.84.84

Fax: 011.33.3.88.52.84.00

(http://www.le-grand-hotel.com/uk/index.html)

3. Hotel Edouard VI

61, boulevard du Montparnasse

75006 Paris

Phone: 011.33.1.45.48.94.99

Fax: 011.33.1.45.44.09.25

(http://www.parisby.com/edouardvi/index.html)

The phone numbers shown above are to call those places from the United States. From the US to call Switzerland you dial 011 (international) and 41 (country code). To call France you dial 011 and 33 (country code).

Area Codes: The country code for France is 33. The first two digits of French numbers are a prefix determined by zone: Paris and Ile-de-France, 01; the northwest, 02; the northeast, 03; the southeast, 04; and the southwest, 05. Numbers beginning with 08 can be either toll-free calls or calls that you are charged for (it depends on how the company has set up the number).

Calling France: When dialing France from abroad, begin with the international code (011), then the country code (33), then drop the initial 0 from the area code number. For instance, to call a telephone number in Paris from the United States, dial 011-33 plus the phone number minus the initial 0. When dialing locally, use the full 10 digits, beginning with 0 and the area code. To call France from the United Kingdom, dial 00-33, then dial the number in France minus the initial 0.

Calling Switzerland: The same logic applies to Switzerland, where the country code is 41. Switzerland is divided into a number of geographical areas with different area codes. A phone number consists of the area code and a local phone number. The area code has either two or three digits and starts with a zero such as 01 or 043 for Zurich. The local phone number has seven digits. When calling a number within the same area, the area code is not be dialed.

To call a number in Switzerland from abroad, dial the international access code applies (011 from the USA) then 41 (country code for Switzerland), then the area code without the leading zero plus the local phone number.

Making calls within a European country: About half of all European countries use area codes (like we do) — the other half uses a direct-dial system without area codes.

To make calls within a country that uses a direct-dial system (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland), you dial the same number whether you're calling across the country or across the street.

In countries that use area codes (such as Austria, Croatia, Britain, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Turkey), you dial the local number when calling within a city, and you add the area code if calling long-distance within the country. Example: To call a Munich hotel (tel. 089/264-349) within Munich, dial 264-349; to call it from Frankfurt, dial 089/264-349.

Note that some countries, particularly those with area codes, can have phone numbers of varying lengths. For instance, a hotel might have a seven-digit phone number and an eight-digit fax number. (source http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/phonechart.htm )