Bonjour, ca va? merci, au revoir!

I’m more likely to start speaking Arabic fluently than ever speak French (ie highly unlikely) but there is something fun about bouncing around saying bonjour! Ca va? Merci, au revoir! which is what one needs to do in Geneva. Thankfully beyond that you can always revert to the universal language of hand signals which I find always work for me. There is far less English spoken in Geneva that you would think for such an international centre.

I am here for a couple of weeks this time, which is longer than I have ever stayed before. On previous visits I have come just in time for my meetings and left as soon as they are over, so never even spent a weekend here, but this time I even have two weekends hanging out here. I’m not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing!! But so far I had a very nice weekend.

I left home last Saturday, went straight to London. When I got to London I was completely shattered. My body is obviously out of traveling practice, because I never used to get so affected by jet lag! Anyway as a result of my jet lag, plane being delayed by about 5 hours and having work preparation to do I was unfortunately unable to do as much socializing I normally do and had to be satisfied with a phone conversation with Clayton and Bridie instead the normal beer, and apologies to Rachel, Dave and Danny for not even calling! I did however manage to have a lovely brunch in the sunshine with Vic and Sue which will be our last London rendezvous as they are both packing up and leaving London in the next couple of months. My visit to London was brief, and I have to confess that yet again I left London with the conclusion that it’s a nice place to visit but I have no desire to ever live there!

From London I went to Oslo. The only other time I have been in Oslo was in 1996 and I absolutely loved it, so as soon as I got off the plane I felt immediately cheered up. Only two days there, but I did get a chance to catch up with Son for a beer, and to go to Vigeland park which is the most beautiful sculpture garden. I’ve wanted to go back there for 10 years! As Ann Lehmann, who first took me there, says, Vigeland perfectly captures and powerfully all of the good, bad and the ugly of human emotion and relationships.

Then to Geneva Wednesday night. I’m staying right near the lake, there are quite a few of my team mates in town and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous so have been doing very enjoyable things like running round the lake through the parks, drinking gin and tonics at the lake side bar, going to the Ferney farmers market over the French border and buying raspberries, nougat, cheese and tapenades and today taking the boat across the lake to a little medieval village. All so very European! They do live well here. Mum, you would love it!

Anyway, that’s my travels so far, though of course I should mention in between there is non stop boring workshops and meetings! Tomorrow I have my most important meeting of the whole trip which I’m actually not looking forward to! It’s a workshop where about 20 people get to rip to shreds my entire years work… what fun that will be, not! Will definitely be in need of a soothing lakeside gin and tonic tomorrow!