Refinements and...

My first espresso, and the absence of my companions propel me to return to my beloved computer. I will continue with my qualifying follow-ups and fill ins. The flight to Frankfurt from Chicago was in a 777 [2-2-2] in Business Class. The food was forgettable and even more so by the frequent ingestion of alcoholic beverages. Mikey can drink this month and the champagne flowed freely. The movies offered on this flight, indeed the entire entertainment package, made me realize how little I know of the “real” world. You could not pay me to watch these movies and the television/in-flight network selections [has this been going on for some time?] were.., old? From prime-time in some parallel universe? Meant to put you to sleep? Well, my noise-canceling headphones were a good investment and the intermittent lumbar massage control on the seat provided enough comfort to get me through the long haul. The Swiss Air to Zurich was a small Avro RJ85/100 with no discernible division between First, Business and Coach. The flight attendant merely offered food and beverage to the first three rows and returned to the galley. The flight was only 45 minutes. Landing in Zurich at the onset of a light rain colored the landscape in rich dark hues. It was lushly wooded with breaths of condensing moisture lifting from the trees. The land was sparsely cultivated and the towns were all small with perfect red rooftops and tight uniform streets and intersections. It all looked so perfect that the aerial introduction sufficed. Is there an underbelly in Switzerland? Do the cities have slums? Are there any homeless? My first encounter with this land of Watches and Chocolate revealed only what a good PR firm would want revealed. Zurich to Rome was on an Air Bus 320 [3-3] and I have already told you about that delightful experience. On the ride to the hotel in Roma I saw a lot of Aixams. They are so like the Smart car you would not tell them apart. The name suggests someone came up with Maxia but that sounded too much like a Japanese model so “let’s spell it backwards. There are probably as many motor scooters as there are cars and one cannot watch the young couples “scooting” about without conjuring up visions of “Roman Holiday” and Audrey Hepburn in a starched white blouse and black capris. BTW, check out the trailer for Pedro Almodovar’s new film [Broken Embraces?] for a glimpse of his affection for Penelope Cruz and his claim that she embodies the essence of Ms. Hepburn. You will be blown away! Ciao, amici.