Chefprefers BLOG

Our Swissair 3 1/2 hour flight out of Marrakech left on time. I had never flown this airline before and my first impression wasn’t so great. A new plane but lacks an entertainment system. No internet either. We were seated in rows 3 and the upper class in 1 and 2. First class has a total of 8 seats. They draped a curtain between the classes. I was surprised by the lack of an entertainment system since it was an international flight, perhaps not by Europe standards. Anyway, it didn’t matter to me because it gave me time to write in my blog. In the row behind was a man and a three-year-old. It was noted when I looked over and saw my wife’s seat being kicked forward constantly by the toddler being playful. Also behind on the opposite Isle was a Muslim woman and her chihuahua in a basket. The little canine didn’t like to be trapped so it yelped the whole flight. Now, I get it I’m in economy but I felt sorry for the upper class where the noisy jumpy kid and the yelping dog were in row 4. Okay not feeling so bad about the first class but not good for the airline seat allocator. Quick, delete the feedback forms from that flight, they would think. The netted seat pockets were tiny and I couldn’t even fit my water bottle in it, a minus and of course, you had to pay for your refreshments in which they had only a few items available. The $15 muesli wasn’t appetising (photo).

They have a pre-order system which is registered 24 hours before using an app. Fair dinkum. So it wasn’t the best experience (listening to the yelping dog for 3 hours) but we were just glad to continue with our trip.

We arrived in Geneva and enjoyed the $100au taxi fare to the hotel. My wife, yet again found a great place. An inexpensive hotel very close to the major hotels on Geneva Lake. The city is situated in the south part before it turns into the Rhine River. We were only there a night so we maximised our time by catching up with an Aussie mate. He was there for a Radio Frequency management meeting which is held there twice a year. His work colleagues joined us for dinner at Les Brassuers, a pub across from the major train station. Only walking distance so we didn’t need another Uber. It’s interesting ordering food from another country, I was hoping for a kransky sausage or some sort of pork which we were starved for in Morroco. Aka Islamic no no. I ordered the roast pork and sauerkraut.

The next morning we wandered across the street for Breaky. We entered a cafe greeted by a “Bonjour” The bilingual attendant then switched to “Hello” once she realised my hesitation. The cafe was fitted with antique tables and chairs were each furnish had a different design. When browsing the walls you were treated with unique framed artworks. The waitress brought us our coffees and the French iconic croissant. She smiled and said “Bon appétit”

Let me digress

Listening to the different but similar Latin languages is interesting and confusing. English is based on the Germanic tongue and has some Latin similarities. Like for example “Bon” and “Bon” mean “good” and appétit has similar spelling as appetite. So one would translate it as “Good appetite” Also I can only speak English so for me to remember foreign words I need a retainer-like in French where they say “Merci” for “Thank you” I remember “I am at your Mercy” and in Portuguese, they say “”Thank you” as males say “Obrigado” a female says “Obrigada”. So my retainer is “I’m obligated”. Look I’m no language teacher but I can see this is obvious.

After, we walked down to the lake foreshore and enjoyed the scenery. Jen pointed out the statue of Sisi, the Austria-famous Empress which was known as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, she was famous for her beauty, intelligence, and unconventional behaviour. She married Emperor Franz Joseph I and became known for her philanthropy, but she also struggled with the rigid etiquette of the imperial court.

I first heard of Sisi when my wife and I were travelling down the Danube River on a canal tour with my Brother and sister-in-law in 2018. One of the tour options was to tour around the Austrian palace. What I do remember is not Sisi, but the tour guide (Romona) that took us around the Schönbrunn Palace. She was very knowledgeable and toured us well but since it was hot and close to 35 degrees that day. She shows up in a long-sleeved shirt and a puffy down vest over the top and keeps wearing it during the tour. I was in shorts and a T-shirt and dying from the heat. So brave.

Remarkably, I noticed that Geneva Lake was quite clear as seen in the photo.

Our Air Canada flight to Montreal was uneventful although we landed on one wheel and rocked to be stable. There were some claps to thank the pilot but some poor man in front of us emptied his guts. Quite loud fortunately it didn’t smell. Which could’ve triggered some with a sympathising reaction.

We had a 6-hour layover in Montreal to wait for a 25-minute flight to Ottawa. Not ideal but it didn’t matter since we were here 2 days earlier.

My wife’s sister has lived in Ottawa for 30 years and she was very excited to see her close sibling. Although since my wife was in Ottawa last year, their reunion wasn’t as special as previously with Covid lingering.

After picking up our bags, I noticed the “Tim Hortons” doughnut shop in the baggage lounge was closed. Disappointed, we just had to return to this Canadian icon sometime later. Next up, is the Kanata experience.