Weekend in Switzerland

This is another blog from on the road. Again, it is in the middle of the night (2 a.m.) and Katja and I are sitting at Queen Aliah Int. Airport at Starbucks waiting for our flight to Frankfurt and from there to Zurich. I already told you that here most of the flights fly out during night. At least all those we take I have the impression … You will see if you come and visit us. You will land at 2 or so…I don’t know if it is a good sign but today when I checked in, the guy at the check-in desk recognized me and said: “Sabach al Kayr, Mr Fabrisiu! Welcome back!” (“Good morning Mr. Fabrizio”) Indeed he was the person who asked me recently when I flew with Royal Jordanian (everybody just says “RJ” here) if I needed a visa to go to my destination and I told him that I would get the visa at destination. He was very glad to have learned something ;-)

Katja and I are on the way to the marriage of wonderful friends and we are really looking forward seeing many friends again. But I will tell you more later about the marriage…

This week’s highlight were for sure the cars. Katja and I got them and we are so looking forward to go on a daytrip to visit desert castles around Amman. Stay tuned… I will post some pictures.

Otherwise this was a quite week so far. We met friends for “Ferragosto” (Ascention / Maria Himmelfahrt) and hung out at our place in the evening. It is very quiet where we live and we enjoy it. Amman is very busy in the evening after Iftar (sunset). Hopefully next week we will manage to go out in the evening. During the day most of the places are closed or open very late. But on the other hand once they are open they are open very late (midnight or so). Many restaurants and hotels have special offers for Iftar. For us it is just strange to go out and stay out long hours during the week. But on the other hand we start later and so it is not such an issue. It is just different ;-)

So this weekend was really special… we traveled back to Switzerland as we were invited to the wedding of lovely good friends. She is a Spaniard (yes again a Spaniard ;-) and he is Swiss. We left Amman in the early morning and arrived in Zurich the same day at 10ish. Katja’s cousin came to pick us up at the airport and with her was her dad and a bit later Katja’s colleague who wished us good bye when we left Switzerland some three weeks ago came to welcome us at the airport with her nice little boy. We had a coffee together at the airport as I planned to surprise my former colleagues at work and therefore did not plan to leave with them. After some 45 minutes I left and took the train that brought me to the station where my old office is. I called in and my colleague came and opened the door and I walked in to my old office. It was very nice to see all my old colleagues (it sounds strange as I left only some three month ago…). We had a coffee together and I told them how we were doing in Amman so far. It was really nice to catch up with them. Finally I showed them some pictures from our apartment in Amman as I don’t post them.

After a nice chat I took again the train toward my former hometown to meet my buddies. I had sent an e-mail announcing my arrival but I received only some feedback so I did not know how many people would show up. I arrived at the train station and my good friend (he is expat in England right now and was back in Switzerland too) picked me up. We walked to a nice bar where you can sit outside and watch the people passing by and it was just fun to catch up. We then moved on the next Bar / Restaurant where another good friend joined us. We hung out there until it was dinner time and moved on to the Restaurant where we always gathered during the last four years or so… it was a big surprise as some friends already were there waiting and during the evening more and more friends dropped by and it was just so nice meeting all my good friends again. All of them showed up! Thanks a lot guys, I love you all!!! I enjoyed very traditional food and just had fun. At ‘round midnight I was brought to my inlaws place by my very good friend how will come to visit us in Jordan very soon (looking forward to it mate!!). I finally hit the sack at 1ish and slept very well as I left Amman the day before at 0030ish, traveled all way through Frankfurt to Zurich and Basel… but the trip was not over of course. The big event was still waiting. Katja and I got up in the morning, had a fantastic breakfast in under the sun with cheese and all the good things you can imagine at my in laws terrace. It was just gorgeous. We packed everything and left there at 11ish, not before having said goodbye to the extraordinary cousin who picked us up at the airport the day before and brought me some kick-a** flip-flops from the US! Thanks a lot and a hug N.F.!!! We jumped on the train and drove to the city where my mom lives. From the train station we took the bus that stops around the corner from my mom’s house. We got out of the bus and while walking to my mom's place I called my mom on Katja’s Swiss cell phone. She picked up and we started to chat and she was just telling me a story when I opened the door silently and while talking on the phone (she thought I was in Jordan as I didn’t tell her that I would come!) I walked in and she couldn’t believe it! It was really a very nice surprise! We spent the afternoon together and later after the business day was over my brother joined us for dinner. Food was just great (I guess it is always when you go back to mom…) and at around 9:30 p.m. we left and my brother took us to Zurich where the grooms best friend (very good friend to me too of course! Grazie grand'om. Sei un grande!) was waiting to pick us up and drive south where the wedding was planned for the next day. Stay tuned for the rest of the story… wedding story soon in this theater…

Take care wherever you are in this world. Big hug from Amman!

PS: the picture on the top is a city I visited recently in my area...you know where it is? Let me know ;-)

The picture at the bottom is the cliffhanger to the wedding story... do I look nice or not?!