Switzerland Adventure 2008

My husband had been to Switzerland 10 years prior to my visit. He went and visited his friend, Gabriella, for a few weeks. After viewing the many hours of video tape and pictures, I feel in love with Switzerland. When my best friend, S, took a position in Geneva, we started making plans for me to come visit. I headed to Switzerland on July 27, 2008. Just getting to Geneva was an adventure. Usually the road to the airport is packed but on this day, it was smooth sailing. Even security checkpoint lines weren't too bad. All ready to catch my flight when that dreaded announcement came over the speakers "Flight #### has been delayed due to weather."

See JFK was shutdown due to thunderstorms and flights leaving JFK were grounded. The flight I was taking from Boston to JFK hadn't even left JFK. Well what to do? I could have waited to see about making the original delayed time but realized that if I did I would miss my connecting to Zurich. So the attendant at the counter booked me on a Air France flight leaving from Boston to Paris and then on to Zurich. Great! I had to locate my backpack and this was a hassle in and of itself. Finally a baggage handler from my original airline company went and collected it from the back room. I grabbed my bag and rushed to the International terminal to catch my flight. After making my way through the lines and security I was able to sit and rest before the flight. My new flight got delayed but it wasn't too bad. Finally I was off and on my way to Paris.

The flight wasn't bad. Got a few hours of sleep before touching down in Paris while the sun was coming up. Now getting around Paris CDG airport is interesting. I basically had to rush to my next gate, which wasn't so easy to find. At least I wasn't the only one with that issue. Hopped a people mover to the tarmac and boarded a prop plane. Such a tiny little plane, so much so that the flight attendant had to move people from the front of the plane so it wouldn't be so heavy. Scary thought!

Finally I touched down in Zurich. Coming out the gate I was hit with the strong smell of stale, cigarette smoke. Since most places in the U.S. are smoke-free, I'm not use to it. This made me want to rush and get outside fast. Going through customs was a breeze. No one was really waiting to check luggage or bags. After exiting customs, I exchanged some money, freshened up in the bathroom and headed across the street to the Eurorail station. Here I authorized my Swiss Pass and waited for my train to Geneva. Sitting in the station, I had a chance to people watch. It always amazes me that people are all the same no matter where you go. You have the younger generation trying to stand out and catch the eye of the opposite sex; the tourist looking sleep deprived; the business crowd rushing to and fro; the elderly taking their time; the families looking for a moment of peace; and the average worker waiting for the end of the day. Eventually I hopped my train and traveled to Geneva where I met up with S and her husband, A. It was good to see them. S still looking cute and adorable as always and A's driving is still the same, just European-ized. After a rocky start, my Switzerland adventure began!