Day 252 - Airport

Thought of the day: It's hard to believe that our trip is almost over and we're now already on the flight back to Boulder. Sitting in a humming aircraft 30,000 feet above the ocean provides an unique opportunity for reflection.  During this trip, I have spent an unforgettable week in Greece, made a few excursions in Switzerland, got together with some people, watched sunsets, read books and kept up with the blog as the best I can.  Visiting Switzerland always does a strange thing to me - on the way back, I often feel like I want to become a better person and live my life more fully and more wisely. I don't know exactly why.  Perhaps the beauty and serenity of the landscape have a deeper impact on me than I know, perhaps living in a different culture compells me to become more thoughtful, or perhaps spending time with other people and seeing their different ways of living shed a new light on my own. Unfortunately, this feeling generally doesn't stay with me for very long so I shall appreciate it while it lasts. 

Photo of the day:

In Frankfurt airport, David pulling Lila on her Trunki.  In the background is the airplane that's taking us back to Denver.

Day 222 - Airport

Thought of the day: It had been a long, drawn out day.  The excitement of going on vacation helped overcome the feeling of weariness that inevitably came with spending a long day in the airports and on the flights.  Luckily, out of pure co-incidence, a friend and neighbor of ours was traveling on the same flights with her family.  We were able to meet up and chat for a few times which helped bring some resemblance of normalcy back into this hectic experience. One of the risks of traveling was that one, or maybe several, of us may get sick upon arrival. We tried to be careful but it was not always preventable.  Of course, comparing with traveling in the old days before air travel was popular or even imaginable, we had it really easy.  And the prospect of spending a few exciting weeks in Europe was certainly making the hassle of this trip, or any trip, seem insignificant.

Photo of the day:

A painted wall inside the Frankfurt Airport where we made our stopover. This was one of the many little surprises and oddities we discovered on the trip that kept us entertained.

Day 221 - Lufthansa

Thought of the day: It was finally packing time after Lila's birthday party.  We were used to packing at the last minute and we were getting ridiculously good at it, however, stress level predictably crept up as the departure time was ticking closer.  Music helped save the day.  The stress just melted away with the music in the air.  I couldn't help thinking that silence helped exacerbate unwanted feelings, while music helped create a gateway for them to be released. I can still recall vividly the music we played when we were packing to leave Tucson many years ago on a hot summer day. Since then, that particular music had been associated in my mind with the emotion of leaving Tucson.  In many situations in life, we need music to help us along.  I'm glad that I have a good selection of music at hand.  It may not have changed my life, but it certainly made my life easier on many occasions.

Photo of the day:

Checking in. I was so glad that we finally got everything ready and made it there on time!

Day 142 - America

Thought of the day:  It's a day of disasters and scares.  Before I boarded the flight this morning, I heard and read about the 8.9 earthquake in Japan and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear emergency.  It was, is, a terrible disaster indeed.  And then a few minutes prior to landing, it looked as if our plane was engulfed in smoke that came out of nowhere.  It was eerie and I had never experienced anything like that before on my frequent flights.  The ride in our small plane got bumpy soon afterwards. Some passengers screamed. I was a little scared too but there was nothing I could do other than holding Lila's hand tightly. Luck for us - it was just a scare.  The smoke came from an ongoing Lefthand Canyon fire in Boulder - the third major fire near Boulder in just a few short months - and not from the aircraft. After going through a bit of clear air turbulence, the aircraft proceeded to land smoothly.  I was, needless to say, quite relieved when we landed.  At the same time, I couldn't help thinking how powerless we are over so many things - earthquake, tsunami, fire, plane crash, to name a few.  Yes, the chance of any of these happening to us is very small, but it's still a miracle that we survive every day.  Not only our life is a miracle, every single day of our life is a miracle too.

Photo of the day:

Passengers taking interest in the huge "America - Why I Love You" map displays in Denver International Airport.  Everything in DIA looked beautiful to me today after the flight experience.

Day 135 - Running

Thought of the day: Airport is one of my favorite places to photograph.  Unfortunately I don't get to take many pictures there as I'm usually trying hard to make it to a flight, or holding the hands of a little one, or doing both at the same time.  When I do have the luxury to photograph, it's usually really fun.  The light, the architecture, the travelers of all sizes and shapes, and everything else are so different from what you encounter in your daily life that certain things, or in fact, many things are jumping out at you all at once and crying to be photographed.  Airport is indeed a strange and unusual place.  It's chaotic yet orderly, colorful yet bland, imposing yet insignificant, trivial yet vital.  When you visit an airport the first time, it seems vast and impersonal, but over time, you would have developed your list of favorite bookstores, coffee shops, sandwich places and you feel more at home.  Since I spend so much time in small, quiet cities, visiting the airport gives me a taste of big city living, express style, without actually having to set foot in a big city.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine running on the moving walkway of Denver International Airport - don't ask me at which direction she was running or how the bag got to the other end before she did...  She was very excited to fly to the bay area again to visit the grandparents, so we let her get a little wild, perhaps a little too wild!