Leaving Geneva

A bientot Geneve...

Where the supply of croissants never tires. Walks to work/home in the morning and evening are the best parts of the day.  Beautiful resident buildings with balconies so large, one can walk in the rain beneath them and never get wet.  Chill of the air against my face blending perfectly with sirens down a back street sounding in the distance. Til next time....

 

Mishap Marvel

I must have been due for a travel mishap...they are cyclical and if you haven't had one in a while you just know its out there waiting for you.

My flight to London had a mechanical issue that apparently enabled it to be flown domestically, but not over a large body of water. This caused us to reroute to JFK, where we 'borrowed' another plane and were given the gift of a 5-hr delay into LHR.  The upside?  I used the AA lounge shower - it was a welcome reprieve.  Time rolled on...

As we began the decent into "Geneve", the sky was dotted with patches of blue with bright sunshine, then clouds with rain lending their dreary fog effect on my view.  It was fascinating to fly through - sun, rain, sun, rain, but made for a most unique rainbow experience. 

The couple in front of me must have been 'important', as they were quickly escorted away the moment they stepped from the plane onto the jet bridge, to a car waiting below (black car of course).  I was tempted to follow them, play the quiet entourage, and hope no one would notice.  UN Diplomat?  Other?  Who knows. 

I find that on BA (British Airways) flights, the mystery 'sandwiches' always scare me just a little.  Thank goodness the scones more than make up for it.  And scones to end a day like this was A-ok for me.

Cheers.

Savory

There is a man in the seat across the aisle. First a giant (and I do mean as big as they probably come) packaged Rice Krispy treat. Gone. Next a giant package of Reece's Pieces. Gone. Next some of the famed Biscoff cookies (Delta fliers you know what I'm talking about). Gone. Topped off with a travelers size bottle of white wine. Gone.

Quite a combo.

My 'in a hurry' cliff bar is looking way better to me now. I will savor every bite.

happy trails.

Chatter

On a recent trip to Europe for work, colleagues and I spent the evenings in typical European fashion, sipping wine of all varieties, and experiencing the local eateries.   And in doing so, were subject to the norms of walking everywhere, freezing temperature or not.  As we sipped and sampled cheese, I was amused by the nature of the conversation that continued.  With colleagues from Switzerland, Russia, Poland, France, and Germany, the chatter started with European History, discussions about Berlin, and ended with testimonials about gliding off the coast of here and there.  No American sports, no American anything. It was a welcomed perspective of the world, and the pleasant reminder that the US is not the center of the universe, albeit wonderful.  I talked to a colleague's daughter about the journey of one's first job, often more of a 'stumbling' into what becomes the path of one's career.  She was anxious about her first job; would she know it if the right one came along, should she take it even if it was not related to her area of study etc.  At 22, her parents live in Geneva, and her grandparents live in Paris. She graduated from NYU (I think).  As she talked, I was thinking and smiling to myself - can she really go wrong here?!  On the walk home, I was shivering, assured only by science that my legs were still attached. The wind was unforgiving, the roads narrow.  As I thawed in the hotel room, I sat and noticed the beams, notched and worn, maybe for a hundred years.  I was in old town after all.  I laid down to sleep and all was quiet except for my own breathing and the wind outside my window.  As I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, my mouth still had a smile on it that refused to close.

Cheers.