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Published: August 19th 2008
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Chick, Chick, Chick performing "Singing in the Rain" How many times has some amazing sight caused me to remark to the empty seat next to me? My imagination sometimes fills the seat with the friend who would appreciate the particular sight most. I must admit that I have grown accustom to virtual companions. The thought of having an actual person filling the empty seat causes some hesitation. I am set in my ways as a traveler. I have lots of don'ts: don't chat with people wearing uniforms, don't stand out in crowds. I get impatient when people ask strangers long complicated questions in idiomatic English. These thoughts weighed on my mind as I waited in the Geneva airport for Debra's plane from Boise to arrive.
I tested her mettle right away by taking her from the Geneva airport directly to the Paléo Festival in Nyon. The Paléo Festival is the European version of Lollapalooza, perhaps with a bit of Burning Man mixed in. We left her luggage in a locker at the Nyon train station and followed 60,000 twenty-year-old kids to the concert. It was raining. In fact it had been raining for several days, so the site-- a city of colorful tents selling kebabs, T-Shirts, beer, and
Protective Bow
A rainbow over the stage at Paleo. handmade jewelry-- was a sea of gooey mud.
We stood under the main stage and listened to !!! (pronounced "chick, chick, chick") playing music that was louder than carpet bombing. But the volume didn't bother me. In fact it blew right past my ears, right past my otherwise judgmental brain, and started everything in my body vibrating in rhythm. I didn't even mind the rain. In fact I kind of hoped people would start throwing mud like they did at Woodstock II. But then I remembered that somewhere in this Bacchanal we had box seats with a roof and an open bar.
We sipped chardonnay while listening to the Arctic Monkeys and Muse. The rain let up and a rainbow framed formed a protective halo over the festival. Around midnight Debra quietly tugged my sleeve and said, "I think I have to go to sleep now." I could no longer remember what traveling alone was like.
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The day before the concert I was invited to dinner by friends of friends. On the phone I begin to describe myself so they will recognize me at the train station. "We know what you look like," they say,
Sea of Mud
This was what the ground looked like after rain and 30,000 pairs of feet. "We saw you on TV!"
All I could think to say was, "I'm sorry."
"That's quite alright," they replied. "It wasn't too bad."
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I intentionally selected students who had little travel experience to accompany me to Switzerland. It's sort of fun watching them be amazed by Europe. I always assume they know more than they do about history geography, and culture.
Last week I took some of them to Spa Lavey Les-Bains because it seemed like a good European experience. It was interesting for me, too. The central pool had a circular wall in the center. Powerful jets in the wall created a fast current that whisks anyone who enters the enclosure around the perimeter. The indoor pool played Mozart under the water. Bathers had a choice of scented saunas. We also had a choice of color therapy rooms: red, yellow, green, or blue. Each color had its particular beneficial effect, but the explanations were well beyond my high school French. After leaving the sauna, I walked through the Polar Nights room in my bare feet. This is a room lit only by artificial star light. An icy arctic wind howls through the room
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Paleo was a city of tents where one could buy New Age foods and accessories. and it is filled with real snow!
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This just in
The only difference between the Swiss Army knives issued to officers and enlisted men: officers get a knife with a corkscrew.
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I am getting to be an expert on the Swiss rail system. Taking advantage of my free rail pass, I've lost count of the number of times I have crisscrossed the country.
The day after the concert Debra and I went to Zermatt. Here at last was the Switzerland I knew from movies. Here was the Switzerland of men in Lederhosen playing giant horns at the base of the Matterhorn.
The next day Presence Swiss took us and the students to Zurich for a picnic. As near as I can tell Presence Swiss is a government organization trying to promote Switzerland's image to foreigners. I think this is the same organization that used to give Swiss Air stewardesses money with instructions to spend it lavishly in foreign restaurants. They told us they were taking us on the picnic because they wanted us to tell our friends how nice Switzerland is and so that maybe we would come back some day. "Don't
Reunion!
After traveling 12,000 miles Debra found Ryan in a crowd of 30,000! you
get it," an incredulous Debra asked the tour leader. "We don't ever want to leave!"
"Oh no," the tour leader replied in a serious tone. "You must leave."
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