Information overload

I have so much to write about our trip to the Emirates that I fear what I am coming up with is closer to a novel than a blog post. As Mark Twain said, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." Once I figure out how to dial back everything I want to say, the posts will come. For now, I just need more time :) 

UAE

I headed to the UAE for the week to take advantage since Nicholas was there for a big conference. I spent a couple days in Abu Dhabi, then Dubai and back to Abu Dhabi before heading back to Geneva. What an amazing trip!

Bridge

I love this bridge in Paris.

It is covered in locks.

Couples come with a lock and attach it to the bridge. 

Mark their names and date. 

And lock it. 

So that their love will last forever. 

Eiffel Tower in Background

History of the love locks.

Paris. Part II Daniella's visit

7:00am came too early and we struggled to get up and out of the hotel room, but by 7:30am we were checked out and on our way to the parking garage to get the car. Except the garage was closed... We couldn't figure out how we were supposed to get in. We checked our ticket and there it clearly stated "Closed on Sundays." How did we miss this when we parked??

We called Daniella to let her know we were going to be late and then tried to figure out what to do. Nicholas could take the train back so he could be to work on Monday, I would stay and drive the car back when the garage opened the next morning. Our great Sunday drive through France was going to be off and disappointment settled on us. Nicholas also realized that we had locked his laptop and work bag in the trunk the night before, so he would be unable to work. 

Suddenly the beautiful and magical Paris turned ugly. None of the cafes were open. I was without caffeine and food. Why did everything close on Sundays in Europe? And why in the world was the parking garage in the center of Paris closed? Ugh, normal, civilized conveniences are extraordinarily rare on this side of the pond. 

We trudged back to our hotel to use the internet and see if we could find anyone that could open the garage. Once we were there and told the front desk clerk what happened, he insisted that there must be some way into the garage. Nicholas had been on hold for 40 minutes trying to connect with the garage company and I frantically scanned their webpages to find any information. 

We finally both just sat in the lobby- hungry, tired, un-caffeinated and unsure what to do next. Just then, another couple from the UK came to check-out. Nicholas leaned over and whispered, guiltily, that they were going to have the same issue. I asked how he could know that and he said he had recommended the garage to them when they arrived on Friday after us! 

I was thrilled! At least it wasn't just us. If there was another car, surely someone would have to open the garage. Nicholas got up and explained to the man what had happened to us and that we were going to have to figure something out. The guy, also named Nicholas, told Nicholas that he was able to get into the garage late last night to grab a coat, after it was closed but he did not speak French so couldn't understand the man on the intercom...

We both exclaimed that Nicholas spoke French and would be able to communicate if the guy would only show where this intercom was. The two guys went off and I sat with the wife. She was young and it was their first time to Paris. They had driven almost 12 hrs to get here. They would have to leave soon to make the ferry back to England. I started to feel better and better as she started to feel worse and worse. I just knew that the guys would get the car. 

The two of us caught up and got to know each other when we started to hear loud beeping from the street. She looked and asked if that was our car. I glanced but didn't see the car and honestly couldn't remember what rental car we had, so shook my head and said "No." Then another car was beeping and I asked her if they had a VW. She jumped up and shouted "Yes!!" Then, I ran to the door and realized Nicholas was waiting in the street for me. We both grabbed our bags and ran out the door. 

Two and a half hours later than we had planned we were on our way to pick up Daniella and get out of Paris!! Never had I been so excited to leave the city :)

And our adventure continued... 

Paris. Part I Daniella's visit

A couple of weeks ago, Nicholas and I rented a car and drove after work on a Friday to Paris to see his little sister, Daniella. We ended up hitting Paris traffic, so we arrived in Paris quite late. After checking into our hotel and grabbing a light meal at a cafe near the Madeleine, we called it a night and got up early the next day to meet up with Daniella and her friend.

Both Daniella and Diego had completed the same medical program in Colombia. They are clearly good friends and it was a comfort knowing she was traveling around Paris with a big, teddy-bear type. After sharing croissants and coffee we separated for the afternoon. Daniella and Diego off to see more sites in Paris and Nicholas and I off to meet some of his old classmates for a lunch. It was great to see everyone, especially my Akane!!

After lunch, we went window shopping and then for a long walk enjoying Paris in the fall. Finally, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner with the soon-to-be doctors :) Diego had invited us to a beautiful restaurant that his family owned and had told us that we were their guests that night. Awesome! While getting ready, the fire alarm in our hotel went off. Hair soaking wet from my shower and random clothes thrown on, we went downstairs to see what was happening. We were told someone smelled smoke (probably someone smoking) and the fire dept was coming... great. We were about to be late meeting D&D and we were not even close to being ready. We decided it was best to just leave than wait around and waste time. All seemed fine at the hotel, but we didn't want to go back upstairs in the off-chance there really was a fire.

So off to a beautiful dinner in Paris with wet hair and old clothes. We were a sight for sore eyes... D&D showed up in a dress and a suit... we were clearly under-dressed. Once we got to the restaurant I nervously looked over the menu, realizing that it was a good thing we were the guests that night, otherwise there was going to be a lot of ramen in our future :)

The meal and evening couldn't have been nicer. The food was delicious and it was fun spending an evening out in Paris with Daniella and Diego. We ended the evening quite late and told her that we were going to pick her up at 8am sharp so we could head out early to see two sites on our way back to Switzerland, with a stop in Burgundy for dinner at one of our favorite cafes. After taking a midnight stroll with Nicholas to see the city lit, we called it a night...

Lying awake

Wrote this last night in bed:

Tomorrow I start meeting the women for my project. I am so excited that I am just lying awake. Will they have interesting stories? Will they be comfortable with me and open up? Will I be able to make something of all of this? Those are the three questions that keep running through my head. 

My notebooks are out. My pens are ready. Phone/recorder charged. Just need to sleep. 

I read somewhere that all projects are fun at the beginning. There is excitement at the potential and unknowns. But it takes hard work to follow through. Successful people know when to follow through and also when to let go. 

However this turns out, I am happy I gave myself the chance to do it.

Fast-forward, I have completed my first interview and am about to run out the door for my second! 

The first interview could not have gone better! Mags is a charming Scottish woman with fiery red hair and a wonderful personality to match! I came home so charged that I knocked out my first draft on her interview. Out the door for round 2! 

“Enjoy the little things, 
for one day you may
look back and realize 
they were the big things.”