Trips, part I

Some stories linger needlessly for some time after their epilogue. Identify them for what they are: stories that are over and no longer significant.

Choices and opportunities in life are like food. You don't have to eat all that is offered to you, some of it may even be bad for you, and, in order to eat what you want you may have to ask for it. Only then will you be able to enjoy your meals and maintain a semblance of control. Likewise, in life, if you only take whatever comes your way, you will only succeed in collecting an array of random experiences, which will inevitably shape you into something unpredictable. You have to select from the opportunities presented and pursue what you want instead of waiting for it to bump into you.

On the brighter side, travelling with the plane today was fun. We flew over Corfu, Italy, the Alps, Switzerland. There was still some iced snow left in the creases of even the most hill-like of mountains. I've never seen mountains so green before - it's a hue I didn't know existed. Geneva looked pretty from above, small houses with red roofs and flowers on the window panes. I got to try chocolate with pieces of lime inside. Actually, it even had traces of apple and pineapple, but it looked greenish like lime, like the mountains, come to think about it. I kept the package. Mom didn't give me a strange enough look when I fawned over absinthe-filled chocolate snacks. Ignorance IS bliss.

On the journey from Geneva to Lisboa, the view through the clouds looked positively Alladinian. You know, the part where he and Jasmine fly through Arabia's night sky and sing of discovering the world together.

Journey was pretty much hassle free - thanks to the practical bags and to the appropriate clothing. With only a jacket to carry around, I didn't have to parade like a trademark tourist with several blouses and overcoats tied at the waist. I also didn't get to experience the upmost humiliation of taking my shoes off at passenger control. It is a pity really, I had matching socks on this time.