Day 32: Out of the city and into the future!

January 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment

tired

and excited

Unbelivably but true! Alison and I somehow managed to drag ourselfes out of bed and onto the streets at 5 o’ clock in the morning to head up to New Hampshire for two days of skiing. A very nice 6 hour drive lay ahead of us when we made it out of NYC in the dark. By the time we reached New Haven the sun was up and we felt in bad need of a breakfast. Since there is really nothing along the road except fast food we went for bagel and coffee.

Please look at the bagel picture and tell me: If Picasso had hands made out of breads – what are those?

We reached the the Ski Valley at clock 12 and had a quick change in the car (it felt like two homeless in their hideout already) to take full advantage of our half day pass. In case anyone wonders about my outfit ridicule – and I hope you do, otherwise I am quite offended – it is just another great example of the idiot travelling.

(N.B. the term ‘idiot’ or ‘idiot travelling’ is being used when the galfataltravel is moving on unknown territory or I am experiencing things I haven’t been able to prepare for. I know the term is a little harsh but actually I am enjoying myself the most in the idiot mode. You can’t take yourself serious at all, need to let it all go and roll with whatever is presented to you. It does not matter if you speak the language well, have an university degree and managed to save some brain cells for the actual thinking process – there will be always situations where your personality is reduced to the responsbility of an 9 year old child. Since you don’t know any better!)

By the time I realized I had no jacket to ski in Stella had already gone to sleep, Alison just had digged out something yellow for herself so we pulled ‘the black bomb’ out of a suitcase underneath the couch. Stella bought it once but never wore it because it is enourmous. That being said Stella is 15cm taller than me. As people might know I always had a weak spot for the bomber jacket and finally I got my fair share of that.

So we get the ski, get the travel passes (you had to turn the fortune wheel and we won ‘free brownie’) met the boys Avi and Aric (read Eric) at the ‘chalet’ a building with a communist touch to it and headded out for skiing. Rusty – is the word I like to describe my skiing skills with. But considering the 3 hours of sleep, the long drive and me still not being accustomed to those carving skis it was actually ok. It was just really really really cold.

The boys had already checked out the surroundings and had decided that there was only one decent place in town called ‘The Common Man’ and there we went. What a place! Look at the fireplace! We had dinner at the bar and ‘lot’s of good times’ aka drinks (I sticked to wine since american drinks are at least twice as strong as ours. One – you are drunk, two – you are talking nonsense, three – you can’t remember a thing! And three – that’s the common practice over here…) Upstairs at the restaurant I found a vast collection of old newspaper ads to buy – I was in heaven as you can imgaine! I am not alltoghether sure what we did when we came home – I know we kept having long conversations about what to do next with our lifes and how to be both, successful and meaningful (Avi being a historian, Ali a scientist, Aric a painter and me a - yes, we don’t know what I am exactly – a networker who fled the net maybe?) it was pretty interesting. Since Aric’s speciality is painting old factories we all agreed on him going to Detroit, EASY! Not sure if he felt it though…

We kind of wanted to come up with a solution for each of us but – the pictures only reveal that Avi had beef jerky (dried meat).

Boys let us have the bed and they settled for the couch… Thanks, gentlemen!

Slept like stone…