Learning languages

In Sweden when children are taught languages the focus is on reading and writing. To be able to speak does not seem to be as important. Swedes are often afraid to say anything unless they are confident that what they are about to say is grammatically correct. And how often is it more important to speak perfectly than to just make yourself understood? Most people will only use their language skills on holidays and no one will be upset if mistakes are made. Usually people are just very happy that you try to speak their language. As I was on an Air France flight it became obvious when the swedish man who sat next to me was translating an article in a French newspaper to his wife but when he ordered beer he did that in English. ?? Why are we so afraid of saying or pronouncing something wrong? We never learn unless we try.

Stockholm - Paris 12 Dec

In the afternoon on Wednesday I got on the plane that would take me to Paris where I would transfer to get all the way to Korea. Beneath us, northern Europe was completely covered with thin flat clouds. It looked more like the snow on an early spring day in the northern parts of Sweden. As the sun was setting the clouds turned into a pink shade, almost a little shiny like they were actually made of ice. When the sun came closer to the horizon the pink colour spread over the cloud surface. Soon large parts of the floor underneath us were sparkling in pink which shifted into yellow and pale green at the horizon before turning into the clear blue sky. It all looked so peaceful and made me calm after a stressful morning.
Otherwise it seemed to be rush hour in the air above Europe. Underneath us, above us, next to us and in the horizon I saw many other air planes. Usually in a plane you don't really think about how fast you are moving. It becomes very obvious though when you meet another plane in the air, it passes by very quickly.
And for those who were wondering, Korean Air was good. Very good entertainment system and nice food (bibimbap of course).

Christmas decoration

I knew it! To be able to enjoy Christmas decoration like this you have to leave Sweden. The States and Asia are champions at lighting anything just because of the holidays. I especially like the enormous Christmas tree in combination with the palm trees. :-) I find it fascinating that someone actually came up with these things. In the States my favourite activity this time of year is to drive around the residential areas in search of the craziest decoration. In Sweden this would immediately start a debate about the very hot topic environment friendliness...

Happy holidays!

Korea again

Tomorrow it is time to go to Korea again. When I travel with work it is not uncommon that the trip gets delayed, changed or cancelled in the last minute. This time is not an exception. I should have left the past Sunday but am leaving tomorrow instead. Should have returned this Sunday but will return 22 Dec. Even the airline was changed and I am going to fly Korean Air for the first time. Exciting...
Often private arrangements are affected by travel changes, usually to the worse but this time I get a full weekend in Seoul which is a treat! I did have to pass on a Christmas concert but I am hoping for an abundance of Christmas music in Korea instead (I am very certain I will not be disappointed!). I am eager to see how the Koreans are preparing for the holidays. Christianty is as common as buddhism in Korea so I expect Christmas to be widely celebrated (the commercial side of it is often quickly adapted..).

Inventive parking in Korea

Here in Korea they have their own way of solving the lack of parking space issue. They wildly double park. But this is commonly accepted and also understood that you should leave your car in neutral and with no breaks on. This way the poor person that wants to get passed the double parked cars can just push them away. This of course happened to my colleague with whom I was going to lunch. We ended up pushing about 10 cars (or actually he was pushing and I was taking photos :-) )before a small space opened up in front of his car. The car owners that get their cars pushed around also have to accept that they get smashed together since you don't always managed to get the car to stop before it hits the next one in line. Is this not a very creative way of solving the problem?

Big KISS in Korea

This week work brings me to Korea again. When you arrive at immigration at Incheon Airport outside of Seoul you are greeted with a big KISS. On the numerous Samsung flat screens and on signs everywhere is says KISS. It also says that here at immigration is where Korea greets the world. That's nice, but aren't they going a bit too far here?? I know that Koreans are sometimes very friendly... As you come closer though, you see that KISS is short for Korea Immigration Smart Service. Aha, I thought, and immediately tried to figure out what this really means. I still do not know. You still have to stand in line forever and have your passport stamped by a grumpy immigration officer. So what is the smart service? Are the officers extra smart? Have the Koreans come up with a revolutionary immigration system that is supposed to be extremely efficient? In any case it is invisible enough for the common traveller and is that why they need all the signs...?

One day in Taipei

Earlier this week I acted courier for my company and went to Taiwan and back in a few days. I got about 24 hours to spend in Taipei. I just love these crazy trips! Why do someone really want to go on a trip where you spend more time in the air plane than at the location? I realize I have difficulties finding a good explanation so I won't even try. Part of the time I spent working, mainly visiting a semiconductor trade show. But I did have some time to look around.

First thing I had to do was to go up Taipei 101 which I think still is officially the highest building in the world. In 37 second, with a max speed of about 60 km/h (!), the elevator took us up to the 89th floor. The building has totally 101 floors, hence the name...

As always I am fascinated by the view and since I went there just before the sun went down I got to see the view both in daylight and by night. The view was of course fabulous but as in many cities on this side of the globe the haze is making it difficult to see too far.

In the evening a dear colleague and his taiwanese girlfriend met me for dinner and showed me around some nice places. For example, we went to a night market which is a popular thing in Taipei. At this market there was loads of cheap stores but also lots of food stalls. Here you could find many delicacies like octupus lips and duck tongue, yummy...

Next to the Night Market there was a rather large and brightly coloured buddhist temple. I don't think I have ever visited such a commercial temple. It is not uncommon that you buy, for a small amount of money, wooden pieces och pieces of paper where you can write your prayers and leave at some suitable place within the temple. Much like in our churches where you can buy candles. Here they had taken it a bit further. There where several counters where people queued to buy a "subscription" on prayers. This means that you go there and pay a certain amount of money and someone will make prayers for you during a certain time, eg a year. It sounds awkward to me to buy that kind of service.

Long short trip

Today it seems I am off to Taiwan for a day. Basically it is just to go there deliver a package and go back again. Fortunately enough I get to stay for a night in Taipei. Hopefully I will get a few hours to walk around and see some of the city. I hope for good weather so I can go up Taipei 101 (second highest building in the world) on Sept 11...

Since I am addicted to travels I of course signed up for this trip although it means more hours in the plane than in Taipei. I have never been to Taipei so I am excited!

Kyoto

During my business trip to Kyoto I got one afternoon to spend in the city on my own. I had gotten a lot of suggestions of what to do from colleagues who have spent a lot of time in Kyoto. I chose to go to the buddhist temple Kiyomizu-dera. This temple is situated on the hillside, with a stunning view, west of the city center. It was of course the fact that there was a view that I wanted to visit this site. The first thing I usually do in a new city is to find the highest point.

As always in Japan the area is very well organized and tidy and the temples are kept in very good shape. I almost got the feeling that the temples were built just recently instead of about 400 years ago (the original temples were from the 8th century but were destroyed).

As I was strolling down from the temple area I walked through the Gion district where the Geishas used to be at that time. The Gion district is partly kept in old style with a lot of restaurants and you can see a lot of women walking around in kimonos. It is a beautiful area with small houses and extremely well kept gardens.

By the river down town Kyoto the restaurants build terrasses every year in the summer where it is lovely to sit outside and have dinner or just beers.

When I was walking by myself in Kyoto this afternoon I got an urge to travel again and now I mean a holiday not work. I just love these kinds of slow days when you just see what happens and where you will end up. You have no fixed plans, you just see where life is taking you.

Life...

Unexpected visit to the World Championship in Athletics

Sweden has currently an unusual amount of very good athletes, Carolina Klüft in heptathlon, Susanna Kallur 100 m hurdles, Stefan Holm high jump, Johan Wissman 400m and Kajsa Bergqvist high jump amongst others. Because of this the World Championship in Athletics has been dominating the sport pages in Swedish papers the past weeks. This Championship was held in Osaka, Japan this year. As it happend I went there on business the same day it started.
When I booked tickets to go to a customer site in Kyoto, near Osaka, I was totally oblivious about the fact that there was a Championship coming at all. A colleague, who was also going to Kyoto, pointed this out to me. He suggested that we should try to go there one night and I thought, yes, why not when we are in the area. Of course we just talked about it and never got around to actually arranging tickets.
When I arrived I called another colleague who lives in Kyoto. We arranged to meet up for dinner and he also asked if I didn't wanted to come along to Osaka the next day because they had an extra ticket. Ok, I said, why not. So all of a sudden I had a ticket and to the best day of all, when Carolina Klüft was going to defend the gold medal in heptathlon. And of course she did! A very good day for a Swede be here! I got some bitter comments about it from jealous colleagues back home...
I have never visited such a big stadium before, it took 70000 people. It was not completely full but probably a good 60000 people were present at the end. It was amazing how, when it was time for the 100 m final, 60000 people became totally quiet and as soon as they start running made an impressive amount of noise.
The picture shows the chaos when Tyson Gay came around our side of the stadium after winning 100 m.

Sushi, finally!

First thing to do in Japan is to go find sushi! In Sweden I usually don't feel like eating sushi at all because I know what it tastes like in Japan and as soon as I land here I instantly need to go find some raw fish (and it's not difficult here). The variation of sushi in Sweden is very limited while in Japan you will be busy for a long time if you want to try everything.
This time was no different, I immediately went to a sushi place a colleague had recommended. It was close to the hotel and it was lunch time = I was hungry. It was not particularly crowded and I got a seat at the running sushi counter. Usually I let the plates go by for a while before I choose what to take. I know that I can not eat more than 4-5 plates until I am full so I need to choose carefully.
As I was picking out my first taste of the wonderful sushi the man next to me made contact. He was a middle aged, well dressed, slightly drunk (this was a nice of me) man who started of course to speak in japanese of which I understood basically nothing. This often has no affect on the japanese who gladly continue to talk although you look like a living question mark (don't know if that expression works in english but I'll give it a try :-) ). The only english word he knew was chop sticks which I now know in japanese... But he seemed to be happy talking to me anyway and he pointed out a few very good plates of sushi for me so I was not unhappy either. As I was leaving to go see the city of Kyoto he insisted on paying for my lunch. Thank you!

Welcome to Japan

As I was taking the express train from Kansai Airport in Osaka to Kyoto I saw something very unusual. When the train was leaving the station three men in uniform with white gloves were standing in a perfect line waving the train off. Where else in the world would you see that? Is that really in their job description? I like Japan!

More flying thoughts

Today I arrived in Kyoto, Japan, and during the flight I thought more about why I like flying so much. Because I actually do like the flying itself. And why would anyone like being trapped in a noisy, confined space for more than 9 hours, being served more or less disgusting food, having to go to tiny bathrooms, putting up with sulky stewardesses and other passengers who are always standing in front of the movie screen (where they always show the movies that I did not want to see)? It doesn't really sound like something anyone would do unless forced under threat.
For me one reason is the fact that you are trapped without any contact with the outside world (unless in the new planes where they have internet connection). You have no choice but to just take it easy, read your book, listen to your favourite music or watch a movie. Normally I tend to be very efficient and use my time in the best possible way, which eventually results in exhaustion when I isolate myself from the world for a day or two. On the plane I am forced to just sit there, think about everything and eventually allow myself to be bored.
Although you might think that all flights are the same, you get the same safety instructions, the same drinks before dinner, the food tastes the same and the same message from the pilot, they all are different. The passengers are not the same, sometimes you're lucky and sometimes not. The weather is different and you fly on different times of the day.
This time I left Sweden in the afternoon, saw the sun set and moon rise, saw the lights being turned on in the cities below and the stars coming out. As the moon was rising it was very hard to see the horizon, it was all just different shades of blue. It did in fact look like the moon was rising below the horizon. It was absolutely beautiful. And there I was watching the sky, sipping my wine not having a very bad time at all.
Also you can learn that "määränpää" means destination in finnish. I would never have guessed that you could fit that many "ä" into one word.

Italy - the best tiramisu in the world

Being in Italy is a treat in many ways but the food is absolutely the best part of coming here. During our week we sampled the typical Italian food like risotto, pizza, pasta of different kinds, gnocchi (one of my favourites this week), focaccia, cheese, parma ham and tiramisu. All of this of course came with very good Italian wine (chianti, barbera d'alba, sparkling red and white...) or occasionally a beer. And on top of all this we averaged two ice creams a day, the italian ice cream really is extremely good.

In Pisa I found the perfect tiramisu! I have had one once before which was made by a colleague at ESO (European Southern Observatory) where I wrote my master thesis. This colleague, Paola, was a happy italian astronomer and also an excellent cook. She made my stay at ESO a bright one in many ways (she is the only person I know who speak klingon!). At one point she made a tiramisu and for some reason I missed the occasion when it was eaten. But kindly enough she saved me a piece (I had forced her to..) and I remember it as the best coffee break ever! However the tiramisu in the little cosy restaurant with the cute german waiter was definately in the same league. Although I was already full after having a lovely tuna carpacchio and ravioli I had absolutely no problem finishing every bit of it. Suddenly Pisa is my favourite Italian city.

The perfect flight again!

Going down to Italy I had a fantastic flight again! From the southern parts of Germany it was clear weather (well, that is where I woke up...) and as we were flying over Switzerland I could see the snow covered Matterhorn (to the left) and Mont Blanc (to the right). Guess if I was greatful to have a window seat, on the right side of the plane! Words fail me, just have a look at the picture and you will understand. Click on the picture if you want to have a better look. How can you not love flying?

Italy - perfect for a summer holiday

I just had the fortune to spend about a week in northern Italy. In Italy it is easy to find just about what ever you want, ranging from mountains to city to beach. This makes Italy a perfect country for a summer holiday of any length, really. My friend Isabelle and I had a good mix of beach time (2h), hiking (2 days), driving (not more than a few hours at a time), sightseeing (always a bar at sight), shopping (Milan has it all) and good food (always).
A lot of time were spent people watching, mostly together with a glass of prosecco and some snacks at a nice bar. It is fascinating to see how many of the customers that seem to know the personnel and the little time they stay compared to Sweden. They enter, chat with the bartender (who always seem to know what they want), have their drinks possibly with some snacks that are always served complimentary here at bars in the afternoon and then they leave. This takes usually less than half an hour. Not like in Sweden where you stay for hours, if not the entire night, if you're lucky enough to find a spot in a nice bar. Here there are many small, nice bars and people move around a lot more. Maybe it's due to the climate, maybe the mentality. Either way, I love it.
Also they seem to have a lot more fun working in the bars here, they interact a lot more with the guests which is a lot easier when it is a smaller, not overly crowded place.

Italy!

Finally it's time for some holiday again. Even though it's only for a week I look forward to this trip a lot. I am heading for Milan to meet up with my swiss friend, Isabelle. Last time I saw Isabelle was also in Milan actually, three years ago. It's almost tradition... Then we mainly stayed in the city but this time we have rented a car for six days. The goal is to go to Cinque Terre, which is supposed to be a lovely area along the northern west coast with small villages climbing on the cliffs. Unless it is too hot we will be hiking along the coast, probably sunbathing (in Sweden like in Switzerland it has been quite cold so far so we are longing for sun), drinking wine in the afternoon and maybe even scuba diving. There are lots of possibilities and we have no fixed plans really. Hopefully we might also pass a few wineries on our way. We will see what happens. Exciting!

Kayaking in Stockholm

Today my dear friend Pontus and I had planned to go kayaking in the center of Stockholm to celebrate that he recently turned 30. In the morning it was grey and boring but as we arrived at the kayak rental the sun came out and it turned out to be a fabulous afternoon and evening. The plan was to kayak around the island Kungsholmen on which the City Hall is situated (tower to the left in the picture).

Things do look different from the water. First we passed the area were I live and although I have walked along the cliffs many many times I still found a few new places I have not seen before. As we came to the bars along the water front we were tempted to try to get them to serve us beers in the kayak but the bartenders were too far from the water... After the City Hall we turned left into the channel between Kungsholmen and the City center. This is a calm, lush area which you easily miss hurrying downtown. Several marinas are situated in the channel where you see boat owners packing and getting ready to leave town for the weekend.

Eventually we made it back in time to return the kayaks and what would be better now than a champagne picknick in the park? Said and done, there was still a couple of hours of sunshine for us to enjoy. Fantastic! Thank you Pontus for a great day!

Flying

The flight back to Sweden from Munich was great. The weather was beautiful all the way up to Stockholm. I love sitting by the window on a clear day looking down on the countries we pass. It is like looking at a map but better and I love maps. It is fascinating to look at the small villages and how they are connected, the colour of the fields and by looking at buildings and how the cities are constructed you can see where the center of town is. This time we passed Berlin, Bornholm, Blekinge, we saw Öland and Gotland and I got the best view of the center of Stockholm. I could even see the building I live in. As we were passing the sea between Germany and Sweden I was looking at the boats and how the waves were progressing through the water and how the waves from several boats were interacting. This was one of the best flights I can remember.

Sweden seems popular in Korea

It always surprises me when I realize that people actually know something about Sweden, we are after all a pretty small country. First thing that happened when I got off the plane at Incheon, Seoul was that I met an interesting immigration officer.
- “You Spanish?” he asked me.
- “No, Swedish.” It’s only there with big letters on my passport…
- “Ah, oh, Sweden. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I love Sweden!” Ok, he made a mistake but he doesn’t have to pretend to love Sweden just because of that.
- “Lasse Hallstrom!” (Famous Swedish movie director)
- “Oh, you know Lasse Hallström?!”
- “Yes, favourite director, great movies! Ciderhouse rules, Chocolat…”
- “Yes, I liked them too.”
By now he had finished stamping my passport and wished me a great stay in Korea. Funny how the people you least expect starts to talk to you about Lasse Hallström.

My last taxi ride today before going to the airport was an equally surprising experience. As soon as I had gotten into the car and explained where I wanted to go the driver asked me where I was from. His reaction was similar to the immigration officers; - “Oh, I love Sweden! Abba!” Since his English was just slightly better than my Korean this is where the conversation ended. But he immediately started to look around his car and eventually found what he was looking for, an Abba tape (yes, cassette tape..). He played the tape and together we sang along to Abba for the rest of the taxi ride. He looked very happy when he dropped me at the hotel and so was I.

Cute

Like in other parts of Asia the Koreans like everything to be cute and pretty. On our way to work we passed a road construction site where they had dug a deep hole in the middle of the street. To avoid accidents they had of course put fences all around it. This was not the unusual thing, what surprised me was the beautiful flowers they had decorated the fence with. In what other country would you find this? Also the motorway bridges were decorated with flower as you can see in the picture. Amazing!

Normally for us cartoons are considered a bit childish. Not in Asia. Even big serious companies have cute characters on labels and signs. The company I visited has a winking dog (picture) who is waiving his little finger on the tape that they plug all ports on your computer with (extreme security policy). What would a warning sign for a construction site look like in Europe? Probably it would just be text, maybe a sketch of a man without features and expressions falling down a hole or something similar. In Korea it is a cat wearing a helmet and white gloves telling you what to do and not to do. Different…

Driving in Seoul

It is an experience to go by car in Korea. The traffic is heavy and crazy and I am glad I did not have to drive. Red lights for example do not have the same status as in Sweden. It is not uncommon that they drive although the lights are red as long as you let the pedestrians pass first and then drive very slowly. It is like if you sneak your way over the intersection no one will notice.
This morning we even saw an argument on the street. One taxi and one truck were driving onto the same road from different directions. I guess at least one of them was not following the traffic rules. They started shouting through the windows but this was not the end of it. The truck driver stopped in front of the taxi blocking both lanes and all traffic. He gets out and they start arguing on the street in front of us while we were waiting for a green light. It looked like the truck driver actually wanted to hit the taxi driver but he didn’t, instead he just left looking very angry. In Sweden just honking would be offensive…

In Korea

This week I am on a business trip in Korea. They nice thing about travelling with work is that you get to stay at better hotels than what you would normally do. Although I was very upset when I found out that the sauna at our first hotel was for men only! What is that all about?? I know it is out of the question to have a mixed sauna, but men only?! Upsetting!

Luleå

This weekend I decided to take Friday and Monday off and head up to Luleå in the northern part of Sweden. This is the place where I went to university and also where my sister Viktoria lives with her husband Janne. I almost did not make it due to a strike at SAS which of course started the same day I was leaving. Thankfully there is one more air line operating this route and it was good enough to run extra flights for us unfortunate people who got stuck. This air line also had a very suitable slogan, “FlyNordic – the way it should be”. I didn’t notice it on the way there but when I went back to Stockholm I saw it everywhere. They also had a big poster saying: “The best thing about Stockholm is that it is so easy to get back home again.” He he, they are not really impressed by Stockholm up here. Good reason to try to practice that accent I picked up while living here for five years… :-)


This is a very good season to visit Luleå. The temperature is about the same as in Stockholm but it is light all night long, the trees are just turning green and there are no mosquitoes yet. I still can not get used to watching the sun set when you are finishing dinner around 10.30 pm and then see how it is coming back up just a few hours later. Fantastic! There is something very special about the light up here (accept that there is no light at all in the winter…) and the way it affects your life. In the summer everyone wants to spend as much time as possible awake and outside compared to winter when you want to get indoors as soon as you can. Life is just different in the summer, people have more energy and seem more positive and happy. Winter in Luleå has its charm though, the crisp air, the snow and of course the amazing northern lights. The picture shows the view from my sisters apartment in the middle of the night in May.

Sunday morning walk meeting the tourists

I am glad to see that also Stockholm attracts tourists. And it should because it is in my opinion one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When it comes to beauty it is in the same league as Rio de Janerio but Stockholm also has a freshness about it that is not easily found. On sunny Sunday mornings I often take a walk around Riddarfjärden (the picture) which takes me over the highest bridge in the city from where you get one of the best views of Stockholm. You see the sunshine reflecting in the water, the City Hall, the Old town, Slussen and Långholmen and it is absolutely beautiful. During this 1 ½ hour walk along the water front you have spectacular views every step of the way. Walking along Söder Mälarstrand you see visitors having breakfast on the deck of the boats that now serve as budget hotels. Some are on their way out with a map in their hands trying to locate themselves. This seems to be the ones who are travelling on their own, wanting to discover the city on foot. When you pass the City Hall you meet the crowds of tourists who are taking photos of the view and every corner of the building. If they are lucky a steam boat is just passing by on its way to one of the sites around Stockholm. Big groups of Japanese and Russians are dominating but many other languages can be heard during the 30 seconds it takes to walk through the courtyard and out the back gate. Along the water front you then pass the buses that has taken most of the tourists to the City Hall and will probably in a few minutes take them to the next site, maybe the Royal Castle or the Vasa Museum. Many probably just stay for a day or two but I hope that many of them can take the time to do the walk I just did. It is really worth it!

Going by train to Stockholm

When I visit my sister in Gothenburg I take the train going south west from Stockholm. I like taking the train because you get to see a lot more of the country than if you fly. There is a lot more space and if you have problems being disconnected to the world for three hours you can use their wireless network and write your emails. But the best is just to bring your ipod, listen to your favourite music, make yourself comfortable and just enjoy the ride. Living in the city without a car makes trips to the country side rare. So I like watching the farms, fields, forests and small towns pass by. Since I was brought up in the country I get a special feeling and some flashbacks when I see the farms and small country roads that remind me of the roads that I used to cycle or walk on. Although it is nice being away, coming back to Stockholm is in this case a real treat. When you emerge from the tunnels under the southern parts of the city you find yourself on a bridge in the city center with a wonderful view of the old town and the City Hall. It only lasts for a few moments but it is time enough to fill me with love for my home town. So if you ever approach Stockholm from the south by train do not be too fast gathering your things, do not forget to watch the scenery just before you reach the Central Station.

Göteborg - Gothenburg

During spring in Sweden there are a lot of holidays which gives you the opportunity to go somewhere 4-5 days without actually taking any time off work. It is excellent, really. This weekend I was going to see my sister, Helena, and her family (husband Mikael and son Joel) in Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. It does have a bad reputation of being very rainy and it really lived up to it too… It is nice visiting Gothenburg though, the thing that struck me this time was the amount of cafés with tables on the streets giving me a central European feeling. You could just as well be walking around Paris or Florence. Unfortunately I didn’t get to visit one but my sister and I did find a fantastic wine bar (SoHo wine bar, go there if you get the chance!) which is set in an old furniture store. It has a wine cellar, a patio with sun chairs and where the glass walls can be opened on a fine day, dining tables and sofas for the after work champagne. The place has a very relaxing atmosphere, great decoration and their motto was simple and excellent: “every day is a wine day”. The very bad thing about visiting this wine bar was that none of us felt like drinking wine!? And those of you who know me would also find this very odd. Thing was that a stomach flu had affected all of us more or less this weekend. We had all been looking forward to shopping around at the local fish market, cooking three or more course meals and drinking beer on the sun drenched veranda. Yeah, right… Instead we spent a lot of time in the sofa watching videos, looking out at the rain and taking turns being more or less sick. Well, it never really turns out the way you expect. I did get to see my sister though, which was the whole point in going so I am happy anyway.

Airplane crush (not crash…)

Whenever I see the tracks from an airplane against the blue sky I get this fantastic feeling. You know, similar to being in love and suddenly discovering the subject just before your eyes. You can feel a mix of butterflies in your stomach, total happiness and/or agony because everything might not be exactly the way you wanted it to. Maybe he is walking the other way and did not even see you or he is accompanied by someone and you wanted him all for yourself. Looking at that airplane in the sky I can’t help but thinking about where it is heading, what the people on it are going to do when they get there and how I would feel if I was there. Where would I like to be heading? For how long? With whom? Or would I go visit someone who lives far away? All these questions start spinning around in my head and I end up day dreaming for a minute. When I catch myself doing this I take a deep breath and find that I am a little happier than I was just a minute earlier and anything that might have been bothering me is gone. The image is of an airplane that I saw from my sofa where I sit typing this.

Memorable flight

Often it is the trip itself to somewhere which is the most memorable. One example of such a trip is when I was flying to Geneva. There were four of us going hiking in Chamonix, France, so the plan was to rent a car in Geneva and drive there. Since we were four we did not fit on one row in the plane and I ended up next to a newly wed couple who were on their way to Mauritius for their honeymoon. This was of course something to celebrate and so we did, drinking wine and chatting all the way to Geneva. All three were in a brilliant mood, this was the trip of their life time and I was simply happy because I was going somewhere. It was lovely meeting this generous, happy couple who shared a part of their trip and life with me. I really hope they had a fantastic time and I wish that if I ever get married my honeymoon will start off like that. My three friends looked at me after the flight and wondered what happened. I was very happy both from the nice company and the wine. On our way to the car rental it was obvious I was not driving…