Turkey 01: On The Plane

13 May 2007
about 8:00 PM
Just outside of Chicago

(About that "about" time: First order of business upon landing in Zurich... BUY A WATCH. Seems the thing to do in Switzerland.)

The moment when you realize this thing that you've been speaking of for months, that has existed solely in your mind up to now, that sounds so exotic when said aloud but in reality terrifies you a bit, that moment just hit me about ten minutes ago. I'm alone on a gigantic airplane going to Turkey. (Well, Switzerland first, but who's counting.)

The realization or feeling in and of itself didn't surprise me. It was the subsequent thought: I'm really glad there's someone to meet on the other side. This traveling alone business is getting old.* Or maybe I'm just getting old. Either way, my spontaneous, semi-stranger traveling companion Gail arrived in Istanbul yesterday, so I'm headed directly to the Blue Mosque to meet her.

*Note: However, I would do Paris alone again in a heartbeat.

Flight update.... I am loving SwissAir. First time flyer, and I expected it to be a notch above the rest since that's just how the Swiss do. The agents were very polite and helpful, as are the flight attendants. Duty-free catalog kind of rules pretty hard. Then there's the entertainment system...

In addition to the in-seat TVs (YAY), the controls, usually just built into the armrest, pull out like a remote control! This is a new one for me. On top of the usual movies, TV, and radio, there are games. And not just games... trivia. Turn the controller sideways, and the buttons are arranged like Nintendo. I've already played the surprisingly and refreshingly difficult trivia, which has a vs. mode so you can play other passengers! I'm easily amused.

Only bummer... The movies suck. And the ones I've seen, thought they sucked, too. Watching "Children of Men" again because it's the lesser of several evils (including "Catch and Release" and something awful with Renee Zellweger). As fate would have it, my very disappointing dinner — which smelled divine, but tasted drab — was served at the very moment that Ki gives birth in C of M. Bon appetit!