Boat rides

15 June 2008 

Much activity this past week.  

The kids went with us on a boat ride around Zurich.  Julie, Justin, Tara, Teri and I went the length of the Zurich See last weekend as our last outing before Julie went back to Atlanta.  We had such a good time.  Living with and working beside a lake was never really an idea that I imagined would come to pass.  We are so fortunate.

I was in London on Tuesday for a short meeting.  As I was only there for a few hours, I did  not get to see much. Our offices there are close to the Tower of London which I saw in passing.  I bumped into an old associate from our days in Schaumburg, IL while there.  I will be back in London in another week.  Teri also has a business trip there, so we plan to have a little time off to do some exploring of London and perhaps Ireland.       

Teri and I went to our first movie here as well this past Friday.  Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (loved it even if Harrison is getting on), in English with German and Italian subtitles.  Like the US, the theaters are multiplexes.                

 

Since Justin volunteered to stay home with Tara for the evening, we decided to splurge and rented a Loge.  These are private seating areas, sort of like sky boxes at a US football stadium.  Once Teri got the pass key, we went into our box at the top of the theater and found, upon entry, two lounge chairs and a small refrigerator.  We discovered that the leather chairs reclined with the touch of a few buttons.

In the fridge we found two mini bottles of champagne, snacks, candy and a couple diet coke.  We were in heaven, or at least the movie theater version thereof.  Teri has never really liked going to the movies all that much, but she volunteered to go as often as I would like if such conditions as this were the norm.     

With what I would call a very civilized added benefit, they include an intermission with all movies, when one can go for a comfort break or visit the bar.  This went out of style in the US some thirty years or so for those of you (practically all when I think of it) who are too young to remember movies with Ushers, double features, short subjects, newsreels, program guides, etc. 

In any case we had a wonderful time.  The Life of Riley (a vague reference no one will understand unless Googled).

Also this week in Zurich, we had the Euro 08 football tournament.  Teams from Greece, Italy, Russia, Sweden and other countries are here for a month of soccer.  With them comes the energetic fans who have taken up most, if not all, of the hotel space and daily can be found in the streets, bars and restaurants about town.   

As we headed home from the movies Friday, we had a number of these fans on our Tram singing such songs as "I want to be like You" from Jungle Book and other less recognizable, yet every bit as enthustiastically performed, tunes.     

Switzerland had their own team in the tournament, having earned a place solely due to being a host country along with Austria, which borders us on the east.  While not of the same caliber as the other teams, the Swiss fans were quite proud and excited (not a common Swiss attribute) about the opportunity to participate. 

They have not won a match but put up a respectable showing.

Saturday, Teri and I had an dinner engagement with a colleague of hers from Swiss Re and another couple we met for the first time at dinner.  It so happened that our host comes from Hickory, PA the town of about 18,000 where I grew up.  While I do not know him or his family, we lived within a mile or so of each other.  We compared notes during the evening on growing up in a small town in western Pennsylvania.        

The other couple attending the event have lived here for a long while.  He originally hailed from Italy and she from Estonia.  A very nice couple who gave s insights and advise on living here.  Along with our host, they made us feel welcome and comfortable.    

A very curious but frequently and regular thing happened on the way to the dinner.  As our host lives in Kustnacht, which is across the lake from us (on the so called gold coast), we took a boat from a dock in the town next to our village.   

 

As we sat down at a table in the bow shortly after embarking, we heard someone call my name.  Surprised, I looked up to find Jarow Meyers and his wife from Olathe, Kansas.   I worked with Jarow for several years, at what was once called Universal Underwriters but which has now been wholly absorbed into Zurich Financial Services.  It was their final evening in Zurich and they had taken this boat on a whim to avoid more walking and capstone to their first trip to Europe.      

When I say this is a rather frequent occurrence, I have bumped into more Americans I know here than in Overland Park, Olathe and the surrounds of Kansas City as a regular event, considering  the relatively short period we have resided here.   

I attribute some of this to the narrow the confines of Zurich, the small town population and the relatively high number of people I have met in 35 years with Zurich.  Even given that, it seems rather odd that I have seen some familiar faces from the moment we arrived.  From our first visit to the local mall, where we bumped into someone from Schaumburg IL who worked for the same boss as me, to recent encounters on the local trains, trams, busses (lest I forget Mr. King) and now boats, I am getting a growing sense that this is more than mere coincidence.     

In any case, these chance (?) meetings have taken me back to thoughts of home, friends and family.  

We are so thankful for the good life and new experiences we enjoy here but often talk about those of you with whom we shared many  wonderful times and fond memories.  

Bob