Chicago to Switzerland

In America, the time is 5:44 am while here in Switzerland it’s 11:45 am.

Flight #1: Chicago to Zurich- check
Flight #2: Zurich to Skopje- pending

Sitting in the very last row of my very large flight, I met a beautiful old woman. I don’t know her name--I usually don’t know the names of temporary airplane friends--but she’s German on her way to Switzerland for her bi-annual family reunion. Can you imagine having your family reunion in the Black Alps every other year? She is the one who pointed out the snow capped alps as we lowered onto the runway. Beautiful simply beautiful.

Beautiful is not how you would have described me as I attempted to sleep on the 8 hour flight. Try to picture this: black eye mask on, neck pillow around my neck, blanket on lap, ear plugs, tray table down, and legs crossed on top of it all while I’m hugging the complimentary pillow Swiss Air provided. I made myself chuckle just thinking about how I looked.

No matter how noble my attempts were to sleep, sleep did not come to me. So now I sit in the Swiss airport waiting for my next flight, sleepy and a little groggy. My fellow travel mates are passed out all around me--sleep only came to the few who have mastered the art of sleeping while sitting up right.

Perhaps it’s knowing that the goodbyes are over or that I am completely tired, but I can’t believe I’m in Europe. It’s raining pretty hard--but these rain drops are falling on Swiss land! Only a couple more hours until those rain drops will be falling on Macedonian land.--and I’m excited.