Follow Me Around the World

Recently I came across this great website called The Great Circle Mapper.  I decided to spend a few minutes to try and think about all the flights I had taken since 2004 when I started to really travel extensively around the world.  I am sure I have missed a few flights but this is the result:

The alarm had been ringing for at least fifteen minutes as I was able to turn it off.  At first I had no idea how to make Jenny’s blackberry turn off so instead of throwing it against the wall like I wanted too I managed to turn it off.  I gathered up my stuff said goodbye to Jenny and was down the stairs and on my way to the airport bus.  Since I did not have that much money on me Jenny had to spot me 5 euros for the taxi that I needed to again take to the bus.

Once I got to the airport I was not feeling so good but managed to check in and get aisle seats for my first flight to Amsterdam and then for the long one to New York.  After checking in I got some Pans (a common fastfood type joint in Spain) and a drink.  After going through security and getting on the flight I was really feeling bad.  I could barely look at the food I had bought and was just trying to sleep.  Of course I was sitting next to the most impatient and fidgity person I had ever met.  This guy could not sit still.  He was constantly waking me up and it took everything I had not to yell at the guy.  I wanted to take his head and ram it into the seat in front of him, but I held back.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today was my last day in Switzerland.  I woke up at around 830AM and packed up all of my stuff.  Since I had been here for several days now all of my stuff was sprawled out throughout my room.  I also had to balance the weight between my large backpack and my very small one to make sure I was under the weight allowed by Easyjet of 20 kilograms.

Linda decided that the gang, including Danny would head to Berne, the capital of Switzerland and then I would take the train from there to the Geneve airport.  The ride from Sugiez to Berne was about 45 minutes.  Once we got there we parked and walked into the train station in the center of the city.  Our first stop was at a restaurant in the train station for a bite to eat.  It was expensive.

From the restaurant we continued to walk through this very old city.  I think it was founded in the 1200’s.  Most of the buildings are old, cobblestone streets and plenty of shops mixed in.  Anyway we stopped at Switzerland’s parliament to say hello and then continued along.  We then stopped at several points along the wall that Berne was built behind.  Then we went to see the Berne bears.  There has been a Berne bear pit for hundreds of years.  When Napolean made his rein through Berne he raided the treasury and even took the Berne bears!

Then it was on to this tourist center where we watched a very inspirational movie about Berne.  For 3 francs we were able to watch a fifteen minute or so movie that was pretty good and worth it if you want to learn about Berne, its history and what the city has to offer.  After the movie and the tourist center we walked to get some food and then it was time to head back to the train station.  I got my ticket, the four of us walked around and then it was time to say goodbye.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today during my last full day here in Switzerland Linda had some ideas as to what she could show Sarah and I.  After eating breakfast we all jumped into the mini and our first stop was where Linda grew up.  The drive was short but as it turned out her home lays on the border between two cantons; Fribourg and Vaud.  It is strange how the borders were created in Switzerland between the different cantons and if you blink for a second you miss crossing from one into the other.  Anyway Linda’s family moved from this home to her current home several years back but had a lot of fond memories of her old house.  It was a beautiful old house with a big backyard on the foothills of Mont Vully.  At the top of her property is where her family’s vineyard’s are that produces some great white wine.  After her family moved out her parents converted the house into 4 apartments.  One of the people who currently lives there is an old friend of Linda’s.  As we were leaving the gentlemen was outside enjoying the nice warm day.  We stopped to awkwardly say hello and then after a few minutes of Linda and this gentleman conversing it was back in the mini.

Our second stop was a very old town called Estavayer-Le-Lac.  Estavayer-le-Lac is a municipality of the canton of Fribourg, situated on the south shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Estavayer-le-Lac is located between Yverdon and Berne. It is the capital of the district of Broye.  When we first arrived in town Linda drove us to the lake.  We sat along the rocks staring at lake and enjoying a semi-cool refreshment.  It was really peaceful and warm.  I even think I was starting to get a tan!  At one point these pesky swans kept swimming over to us.  It is evident that the summer residents of this beach town feed the birds, which is a big no-no.  Now swans aren’t your garden variety bird.  They can be aggressive and how some serious chomping abilities.  Every time the swans would come over Linda would jump up immediately to run away while Sarah and I stayed calm and laughed.  To make Linda feel better and myself feel cooler I pulled out my Swiss Army Knife to try and scare the swans away but they really didn’t seem to care what I had in my hands.

From the lake we took a short drive through the gates of the town, which surrounds the entire city by high cement walls and found a parking space on a rather steep hill.  Once out we did a loop around this very lovely old town. .  Layered with cobblestone streets, a church in the center and castle towers surrounding it, Estavayer-le-Lac was a really cool place.  We got a pastry from the local shop.  Went inside the church which was also really cool and even bought some lottery tickets.  Sarah loves buying lottery tickets.  The ones she buys are only 2 francs each and she usually buys 5 of them.  She bought her 5 and didn’t win a thing.  I then bought 5 on our way back to the car and had some better luck.  The first one I scratched off I won 4 francs!  I was off to a good start.  I then handed Linda one to scratch off.  She goes “if I win you are going to kill me.”  “Well if you win the jackpot I’m taking the ticket and running” I responded.  She ends up winning 1 franc.  I scratch off the next one and win 2 francs.  My last ticket yielded only 1 franc giving me a grand total of 10 francs!  So I ended up breaking even since I spent 10 francs on the 5 card, but it still feels good to be a winner!

After piling back into the mini Linda had arranged to pick up her friend Christina who is also from Sugiez.  After stopping to pick up this lovely pastry which is basically dough and sugar we got Christina and started the journey to the city of Neuchâtel.  I was excited as I had heard great things about this city from a lot of people so far who kept saying I had to go here.  The journey would take another 20 mintues or so but was well worth it.  The sun was still shining and I was thoroughly enjoying the day so far.  After finding a parking spot the four of us walked to the lake to take it all in.  Unfortunately the sun couldn’t stop the haze from rolling in.  We weren’t able to see the snowcapped alps but were still able to enjoy the Lake Neuchâtel.

From the lake we took a stroll up the very hilly streets of the city to where we could get a much better view of it all.  The walk was trencherous as there were so many darn steps!  At the top it was worth it.  We got a great view of the lake and the red rooftops of all the shops and buildings of Neuchâtel.  That is one great thing about a lot of these older European cities, the buildings are not so big which make views like this possible.  After heading back down, Linda took us to her favorite brewery in Neuchâtel.  The four of us shared a sampler of the 4 beers this brewery makes.  We even did a blinded taste test of which I got 2 out of 3 right (the 3rd one being iced tea which threw me for a loop).

After enjoying some refreshing drinks and that lovely pastry we bought from the small shop in Sugiez, Sarah and I wanted to find a gift for Linda’s parents.  We ended up buying them potted white orchids, some of which had not bloomed yet.  If maintained correctly they could continue to grow back every year and who wouldn’t want lovely white orchids springing up in their garden every year?  I know I would.

From Neuchâtel the four of us headed back to Sugiez, but before going home we stopped at Linda’s elementary school which is located 2 minutes away by car from her home.  It is right on another smaller lake not Lake Neuchâtel.  When we got there we saw some kids playing beach volleyball and one of them turned out to be one of Linda’s friends, and one that I had met at the BBQ the day before.  After Linda and I kicked around the soccer ball for a bit I was invited to play in the next game of beach volleyball.  I rolled up my jeans, threw on my sunglasses and gave it a whirl.  It was time to rock and roll.

It was 3 v. 3 which is challenging but means that everyone sees a lot of action.  I ended up serving several nice balls and in the end my side won the game and Linda’s team lost.  From the beach volleyball court we headed back to Linda’s to change before dinner.  Tonight the three of us plus Danny, Linda’s parents and some family friends were eating at 6PM at the restaurant located inside of the hotel.

After changing quickly for dinner the three of us headed over to the restaurant and was greeted by the group waiting and a glass of wine.  I was handed a menu but it was in French and so Linda’s dad got me an English one which made picking my food a lot easier.  I first ordered asparagus with some other things on the dish.  It was really good.  Then for my main course I ordered sea bass with sweet potato puree and potato gnocchi and a sauce.  We sat down for dinner at 6PM and did not get up until 1030PM.  It was a fabulous dinner had by all.  Lots of wine was consumed from all over the world; California, South Africa, France, and Sugiez, Switzerland.

I also ordered a dessert as suggested by all and got probably the best creme bulee I have ever had (well maybe the one from Xavier’s was a little better but not much).  Then after trying to explain that coffee was not for me I was given a decaf Irish coffee which was also really good.  By the time we got up from dinner I was fully stuffed.  Linda, Sarah and I then went downstairs once in her house to play a little pool, listen to music and have a little night cap.  By 1130PM I was dead tired.  I was falling asleep in the chair while we were hanging out I needed to head to bed after a great day.

Since we had to wake up at like 845AM, my body did not let me sleep well at all for fear that we would all wake up at 12PM or later.  I ended up solidly sleeping until 630AM and then would wake up every five minutes it seemed until 845AM when I proceeded to wake up the girls.  This reminded me of the time I was in Seoul and had gone out with my two local friends, got home very late and needed to be up at 630AM.  That time too I was constantly waking up, making sure I hadn’t overslept.

After eating some breakfast we got into the car to head back to Sugiez.  Before we did so we picked up Yanick who would be joining us for the day.  The ride home was quite pleasant until we hit Montreux.  Once we hit this city along the lake the traffic was almost at a standstill.  Apparently construction had forced one of the lanes in the upcoming tunnel to be closed which led to this horrendous traffic.  Since we had to be back by 12PM, time was of the essence and at this point Linda was starting to get nervous that she wouldn’t be back in time to drop the car off for her mother.  This led to some serious road rage.

Before we could make it home we needed fuel.  Linda had gone way too far on empty and we were all starting to get rather nervous.  I thought for sure we were going to run out of gas as there was not a petrol station in sight.  Finally we came to one, filled up the tank and continued on our way to Sugiez.  All in all we ended up getting back to Linda’s home by 1215PM and her mother was not upset, which was a relief to us all.

Once back at home Linda cooked the five of us lunch (her brother Danny had just gotten home, good timing).  We had curry chicken with tomato sauce and a tomato risotto.  It was a delightful lunch and hit the spot.  Linda had decided she wanted to take us to some places around Le Vully since I had never really explored the area.  I had only been here for one or two nights when it was snowing.  Now the weather was warm, the grass was green and the flowers were in bloom.

Our first top was to the top of Mont Vully.  From there you could see all of the lakes that surround Sugiez and the Le Vully region.  We snapped a few photos and then got back into the cars. I was riding with Danny, Linda’s sister in his black PT Cruiser convertible.  With the weather being so nice it was fun to scoot around the area in such a car.  From the top of Mont Vully, we then went to a very interesting place.  Here the military created caves with installations used in preparation of a possible attack during WWI.  The caves were man-made but built into the side of a mountain.  This is now fully open to the public and for a while the five of us walked through these caves.  It was nice inside because of how cool the temperature was, it was a relief from the increasingly hot temperatures we were experiencing outside.
From this former military installation, we all drove along the lake until we got to this beach house type thing, it was closed so we decided to go to another part of the lake that Linda enjoys going too.  At this place we all grabbed some cooling drinks and sat in front of the very nice lake.  Then it was off to the supermarket.  Linda had arranged for some of her friends in Sugiez to come to a place along the lake about 2 minutes drive from her house.  In preparation of this BBQ the five of us had to pick up food for us to eat.

We ended up getting pretty much a smorgasbord of food.  Chicken, steak, sausages (beef and chicken) and several other things to eat.
After the supermarket it was time to say goodbye to Yanick.  He was off to take the train back to Naters.  Then it was off to the liquor store to get some charcoal for the grill, drinks and chocolate for me to take home for friends and family.  Like usual the chocolate here is very cheap, but very good.  It is all the brands back home but at rock bottom prices.  Switzerland loves their chocolate and actually consumes more than any other country relative to its population.  I bet the same can be said about their intake of cheese as well!
From there we went back to Linda’s to change for the BBQ and then it was off to the lake.  Danny and I started to gather some wood for the fire.  The others began preparing the food and setting up the table.  We would need quite a lot of wood since we were going to be here for a while.  It was tough to find quality wood that was dry and not so green.  We also needed to find sticks for our marshmallows.  After dinner Danny and I were planning to make smores for the gang.  Nothing is better than smores at a quality BBQ.  After finding sticks I took out my Swiss Army Knife and began shaping the sticks to be able to handle the marshmallows.
After gathering wood from down the road Danny and I began to create a nice fire.  The fire would burn basically the whole night and at times was very strong.  It cooked the meat well for us as well as everyone else who came.  In the end there at least 10-12 of us in total.  I got a chance to meet some of Linda’s friends (well I actually met all of them but some of them spoke more English than others).  It was a great night had by all.

Yesterday Linda had arranged with Sarah for us to go to the mountains to see her and what they had to offer. Since the weather was going to be absolutely superb in the south of Switzerland in the canton of Valais where Sarah lives, we decided to take a trip there. After breakfast we got into Linda’s mini cooper but it wouldn’t start. The battery had died again, just like the last time I was in Sugiez. After some discussion with her parents, her Dad decided that she should take her mother’s BMW station wagon for the night. This was much to her mother’s dismay as she needed the car by 12PM the next day. This meant that we would have to leave Sarah’s home in Naters by 930AM at the latest. Time was of the essence and Linda’s mom was not happy about the situation.

Linda and I made great time to the town of Visp where we would be meeting Sarah. Sarah was taking the train 10 minutes from Brig to Visp. We found Sarah, each gave her a hug and then got back into the car to head to Zermatt. To get to Zermatt though we needed to take the train from Tausch. Since Zermatt is a car-free village at the base of the Matterhorn, the only way up is by train. Once up in Zermatt after taking a very nice train we got tickets to take a rack railway built in 1898 up to a place on the mountain where you could see the Matterhorn very well. The weather was looking as good as advertised maybe even better. It was sunny, warm (at least 20 C at the top) and the Matterhorn was looking great. After this second train ride which was scenic to say the least (went up along the mountain with the snow around and everything), 40 minutes later we arrived. Linda, Sarah and I walked around and up to the tippy top where skiers were taking off down the mountain.

Read the rest of this entry »

We woke up at 930AM, a little earlier than we normally do. That was probably my fault as is usual for me on a travel day. I get a little excited/nervous and just want to make sure everything is good before we need to head to the airport. We went down for our final buffet breakfast of the trip. It was delightful as usual.

After making sure all the little things were packed, Jenny and I relaxed for the next two hours until we had to check out at 12PM. Once we were checked out, we waited another half hour to take the Arlanda Express train right to the airport. This train conveniently left from the station 15 seconds from the front door of the hotel. Even better was that on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays there is a special deal for the train; 2 rides for 250 SEK. Normally each ticket is 220 SEK, so here you are getting a real bargain. Jenny and I were very fortunate to have been leaving on a Sunday, and while I can’t say I planned it to be this way, we will take all the discounts we can get in this extremely expensive city.

Read the rest of this entry »