SFO - PDX- ZRH

I got back to Zuoz yesterday late afternoon. The trip was smooth, my bags were all there, the rolling duffel, the skis and the boot bag. Since this time I traveled alone and didn't have enough hands for all this baggage, I had the two largest items shipped to myself by train from Zurich. It's so much easier changing trains (remember - it's 4 trains from the airport!) without schlepping all that weight and, an added bonus, no suitcase to unpack at arrival! The downside is that it takes forever for the luggage to get here - on Monday only!

When I landed Switzerland was under a thick layer of fog, but from the plane I could see the high peaks of the Alps poking through. As the train pulled out of the tunnel and into my valley, I was greeted by the golden larches lit up by the sun, under a perfectly blue sky. I couldn't have wished for a better welcome. I hesitated to go for a walk, but it was late afternoon when I finally got home and in the end I felt too tired. I took a long walk today - but under cloudy skies and snow flurries. In spots there was ice on the trail.

Leaving Portland was harder now than it had been in January - because this time my return is much more uncertain. Also because my stay offered the best of life in the Pacific-Northwest - among others the visit to Claire in San Francisco. After repeated trips I am finally starting to be "blase" about being in San Francisco - for so long the Golden Gate had been the symbol of impossibly far away destinations! Now it's no longer about the city, but all about hanging out with Claire. And luckily, we managed to do a lot of it! She took me to North Beach where the Airshow rehearsal was taking place. The weather was perfect (as it was during that whole last week in the US) and since this was my first air show I was blown away. The jets seemed just a few feet above the water - I could have sworn that some flew under the Golden Gate - and the noise was overwhelming. At times it felt like they were zooming in-between buildings. A few questions sprung to mind: does the show get an exemption from the San Francisco noise ordinance? How many tax dollars are burnt into thin air, and are the CO2 emissions offset? Is a 10% fatality rate for the Blue Angel pilots a fair price to pay for the stunning show?

One day, trying to get away from the noise of the planes and the crowds we went to Berkeley. The waterfront is not worth the trip (except perhaps for the snowy egret), but it was fun seeing the university campus for the first time since 1976... Claire took me to a farmers market (sorely missed here in Zuoz) and together with Colin we strolled up through Buena Vista Park and the Haight neighborhood - the former hangout of the hippies. She barely beat me at scrabble and in tandem we baked a fabulous pumpkin pie. I was utterly impressed when I found out that she is on a first-name basis with the drivers of the California Cable Car, and she kindly introduced me to them!

The return to Portland was awkward. Like so many times before, I was coming home... or was I? While during my first week in Portland I was feeling numb and distanced from the city, this time I experienced a feeling like tenderness and compassion for my fellow Portlanders. I felt sorry for the many overweight people who cannot afford good food and who don't have the time to exercise while working two jobs to be able to pay the bills. I felt sorry for the many unemployed people who don't have the option of running away to another life, to another country to try their luck. I felt sorry for all the good folks who have not had the opportunity to see the world, to hike in mountains, to listen to an organ concert in a Gothic cathedral. Yet, I applaud them for their love of farmers markets, public libraries, good coffee, accessible beaches and I love them for their kindness, helpfulness and smiles.

Since I was quite spaced out during my dinner at Martin's on my first night in Portland, I was happy to be issued a second invitation. And what an invitation it was: he decided to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, on Monday October 11th. Not only did he and Laurie invite the usual holiday crowd, but they all came: Ernst, Marianne, Cecilia and Roger - only Claire, Eric and Grand-Pa were missing. Despite the fact that just about everybody had to work the next day, we took our time to eat the traditional meal, including pumpkin pie, sample different wines, tell our stories, enjoy being all together. Since I will miss the holidays this year this meant a lot to me, and I thank Martin and Laurie from the bottom of my heart.

Additional thanks: Claire for a great time, Colin for putting up with me, Denise, Lynn, Kathy, Carole and Evelyne for making time in your busy schedules, Marianne, for housing and chauffeuring me; Ernst, Marianne, Cecilia and Roger for showing up for the Canadian Thanksgiving, Catherine for a wonderful French meal with great friends, and for driving me to the dentist; Rosine for acting as my cab driver; Beth for driving me to yoga, and Hannah for feeding me chanterelles and driving me back to Marianne's; Jody for the ride to and from the pool; Ria for the final ride to the airport, the helping with the luggage, and the moral support.


Pictures:

1. The golden larches lining the Engadin
2. San Francisco Airshow acrobatics
3. UN Plazza Farmers Market, San Francisco
4. View from my window as I got to my apartment in Zuoz on Friday Oct. 15 at 4:40pm