In Which We Make Another Brief Excursion to the U.S.

Last week I accompanied The Spouse on a brief business trip back to the U.S.  Thanks to a lightly filled US Airways flight we arrived in better shape than usual, and I took pleasure in the fact that the entire trip was made via public transportation:  train from Baar to Zürich Flughafen, nonstop flight to Philadelphia, then a good ol’ Septa train from the airport to 30^th Street Station, emerging practically on the doorstep of our condo.  It was a pleasant week, filled with get-togethers with friends, doctor appointments, and shopping to acquire articles that are unavailable or expensive in Switzerland.

The visit prompted a few Observations:

1.  BRRRR!

“Oh, you’re living in Switzerland!  It must be very cold there,” was a common refrain of my conversations.  It seems that when most Americans envision Switzerland, they think of Heidi living high up on some mountain meadow that is ten feet under snow this time of year.

“No, actually it has been fairly warm lately,” I have to admit.  I explain that most people in Switzerland live in the lowlands or valleys where it is green most of the time. 

In fact, I encounter the coldest, snowiest weather of the winter back in Philadelphia.  Over the weekend a cold snap drops the temperature to 8 degrees F (-13 C) and I add long underwear to my usual clothing for my walks through the city.  Midweek, the entire East Coast is pummeled by a blizzard that leaves 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow in Philadelphia.  Which prompts another Observation:

2.  Philadelphia is Beautiful in the Snow

I found myself in Rittenhouse Square early on the morning after the storm and entered a winter wonderland.   

Of course, it is beautiful in every season, but watching early morning light filter through gaps between the tall buildings surrounding the Square was a great delight.

Someone(s) had been out earlier than I and filled the Square with whimsical snow sculptures.

But the wind-blown snow itself created works of art.

Union League Building on Broad Street

I'm not sure whether it was the blanket of soft snow over everything or the period of absence, but I was alive to the beauty of the city that will always be my Home.

3.  Living Without Modern Media is Hard

We shut off cable, internet and cell phone connections when we left for Switzerland, so although our condo was a comfortable place to spend the night, it felt amazingly isolated.  I have a cheap pre-paid cell phone to use when we’re back in the U.S., but to connect with the internet I had to hike to the nearest café offering free wifi.  This promptly demonstrated how dependent I have become upon the internet for constant connection with the world.   Not a pleasant sensation.

Yet, even with cable in the U.S. one isn’t always well-connected.  That fact was highlighted upon our return early this week when we became glued to the Aljazeera channel on our Swisscom cable to watch unfolding events in Egypt. Friends in the U.S. must watch Aljazeera on their computers because it has not been available there.  (I gather that it has been picked up by a smaller cable company.)  We have are fascinated to have access to coverage from all over the world – Aljzaeera, BBC, CNN, and Euronews in English and with our developing language skills, German stations.  We are hoping and praying for the safety and success of pro-democracy forces there and throughout the Middle East.