Now that Jill is back home in the U.S., I am back to my hectic way of traveling. Any one who has done business travel with me knows that I like to be quick and light. I pack the minimum, carry a small bag, schedule lots of meetings and spend only one or two days per location. I typically go to the office at 8 AM and leave for the hotel or dinner at 8 PM. Not sure why I do it that way, but I feel it works for me.
June is a full month of travel for me. Last week, Thursday and Friday, I spent time in Athens, Greece. With the manner that I travel you don't see much, but I did sneak in a very nice dinner across from the Acropolis. Very cool scenery as this sits on a hill overlooking the city. We didn't go in, but I understand it is over 2000 years old. I'm sure some of you will Google it and let me know exactly. I returned Friday night so I could do some laundry.
On Sunday I flew to Cairo, Egypt for 2 days. The hotel was next to the Nile River and overlooked Tahrir Square. That's the best I could do for site seeing this time. It was HOT and HUMID. On my way to the airport at 7AM it was already approaching 90 and I was sweating in the car with the AC on. The sun shining on me was baking me.
For those that don't know (until Sunday I didn't) Tahrir Square was a primary site in the recent Egyptian revolution. We all watched or read about this event, but I had a rare occasion to have a meal with someone who participated in it, albeit from afar. She described for me the emotions of the 20 or so days. I read on Wikipedia that the news agencies called Cairo a war zone. But what I heard wasn't the violence we associate today with places like Libya or Syria. I'm sure for those who lost loved ones it was traumatic. But to hear my colleague describe it, I was proud for the Egyptian people. From her point of view... The government brought in people (gangs are what she called them) to create fear. Normal citizens were banding together to protect their neighborhoods. I heard how her husband stood outside at night with broom handles, sticks and big rocks to ensure peace in the neighborhood. She told me how Muslim and Christians guarded each other during their specific prayer times to prevent the bad guys from disrupting the prayers. She shared how local companies provided material to construct the make shift village in Tahrir Square. And as she told the story her eyes welled with tears and you could feel how proud she was of her country. It was a lunch I will remember for a long time. To sit with her and hear the stories made me realize how lucky I am to have grown up in the U.S.
I flew back to Paris from Cairo on the 9:15 AM flight so I could catch a flight to Algiers, Algieria at 4:15 PM. I spent last night in Algiers and took a plane today to Tunis, Tunisia. No stories from Algeria, but maybe tomorrow I will hear of Tunisia's revolution.
Tomorrow night back in Paris for the weekend. Next week it is Bucharest, Romania and Istanbul, Turkey. Week after that is Italy (Rome, Bologna, Milan and Turin). The last week of June has me 3 days in Algeria again and then.... Fourth of July weekend at the Lake House! Can't wait to see Jill and the kids!!!
I know it sounds like fun... But it's a job.
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