Day 1 - To Zurich

So I've turned on my iPhone to listen to some music and what came on but Nanci Griffith, I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound. How appropriate!  Seems we've made it on the Zurich flight with no problem but the scary bit will begin about September 20th when we start trying to figure out how to get home two days later, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise. We must face the fact that our Milan flight has filled up. It's still a remote possibility, but we're googling the price of Easy Jet to Barcelona, contemplating an overnight train to Amsterdam and feeling the pain of having to shell out $180 to change a $200 ATL-DFW flight.    But you know, I'll think about that another day. The 20th to be exact.

I've  also turned on my iPad to read the first novel I've ever paid to download. At my travel mates suggestion, I'm reading "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham.  You might be surprised to know that there's someone who's not read John Grisham but that would be me. I'd generally would rather read a book on welding than a piece of fiction.  Unless of course, it's about Italy or France or some other fanciful place. This is the story of a has-been NFL quarterback, or more truthfully, a never-was, who goes to Parma to play for the Italian league.  ( I must google this to see if this league actually exists).  I'm in Chapter 4 and finding it most enjoyable.   The coach, knowing that this new QB job is a complete bummer- a switch from the NFL to a shared rugby field, a tiny fraction of the pay and no cheerleaders(?!) tries to make his first day in Parma of the most enjoyable sort so the loser will stick around. The Parma Panthers are desperate.  The coach takes him to the local trattoria and a wonderful two to three hour meal is had by the new QB, the coach and several of the local players.   Kinda wish I was going to Parma...

Dinner - and a word to the new international traveler - Always get the vegetarian pasta dish offered.  First, it's usually still available when you're in row 26 (unlike the cold chicken salad on this flight). It's also not too dry (standard chicken with some sort of rice) and it's not tiny and bloody (beef).  Tonight was a spiral pasta with a basic tomato sauce. I think it included one token black olive slice. But yeah for me! I don't like black olives.  And even better? Not a mushroom in sight, usually a player on any vegetarian airline meal. Then the usual baby salad with some decent (for pre-packed)  Italian herbed vinaigrette, cheese and Club crackers, white chocolate brownie.  I'm no gourmand, but I like good food and can even cook a bit of it. Truthfully, this was almost on the pretty tasty end of the stick.   I realize that airplane food can't be what restaurant food is but it's frequently crap. I hear that Michael Chiarello is now working for them as a consultant of some sort. Maybe that helps. 

Apple: Please add the most glorious "Mono Audio" option available on the iPhone to the iPad so I don't have to be running both devices and looking like some kind of ugly American with too many gadgets. Deaf people listen to music on iPads too. 

New feature will be "The best thing I ate today".  

Today's best thing? The chicken salad pita at almost healthy place at ATL E concourse.  Yes, it's airport food but pretty well done with very little mayonnaise, a bit of lettuce and a wee small bit of tomato. Pita was a bit dried would have been better toasted. The side of fruit salad and no strange dressing, just tons of a nice variety of fresh fruit. 

So the plan after checking in at our Zurich hotel included Uetilberg Hill (great view of the city, hiking if you want through a scale model of the solar system), walking around the Altstadt (old town), a couple of churches, hour and a half boat turn around Lake Zurich and "Annie's Swiss alpine all things chocolate tasting tour" (Annie really being Ann, one of my travel partners).

Here's the only problem... A front has come in and there's a high today of 57 and a 90% chance of rain with rainfalls up to half an inch.  But you, know on our first birthday trip ten years ago, Sherre, Ann and I spent the first three days in the rain in Paris. I don't know that it ever stopped for more than an hour. We survived. We shall survive again.  The adventures begin.