31 Dec
The round the world trip didn't quite get off to the start
expected. We know that at times we will
be confronted with difficult situations,
problems and surprises, but
we didn't think
that it
would start quite so early on...
We woke up on Wednesday morning with
10
cm
of
fresh snow in
the
garden and a
foreboding
feeling
that
we
were
going to spend
hours in
Geneva
airport
waiting
for
our
delayed
flight...
We had a super surprise when we arrived at the airport, a small
voice called out from behind a
billboard
and out jumped
Gauthier
and
Isabelle!
They had
come to
see us off
!
What great
friends !
We drank
a
coffee
together and
watched the departures screen
getting
redder and
redder
with
"Delayed"
and
"C
ancelled" messages...
Still no news of our
flight to Amman. Then at
11h30, 25 mins
before
the flight, the Amman
flight turned
green with
the
message
"Proceed to
gate".
Yes !
Elated we
hurriedly
said
our
goodbyes, went
through
passport
control and through
to the
gate. We
were met
by
airport security
who
informed us
that
the
airport was closed
and the "Proceed to
gate"
message was an
error
!
No
flights were
landing or
taking off at the
airport that
morning and until it stopped snowing and
the runaway cleared, the
airport
wouldn't
reopen.
We were still in contact with Isabelle and Gauthier who kindly
promised us that if ever the flight was
cancelled, they
wouldn't abandon
us ! Four hours
later, at 15h45
we
were
at
last
informed
that
our flight was
cancelled... The
plane
was
air bound to
Amman
from Zurich, by-passing
Geneva. After
queuing up for an
hour
to
get new flight
bookings
and then
queuing up
again to get
vouchers for a
taxi, we
phoned Jacques
and
Mariam, who
were hosting
New
Year at their place.
Could
they possibly
squash 4
more in
and
put us all up
for
the
night ? They generously replied yes ! A
huge
thank
you; y
ou are
stars !
We arrived at Jacques and Mariam's, like a homeless family, with
our backpacks.
We quickly
contacted
the
Jordan
car hire
firm who were
waiting for us at the airport
and the hotel
in Madaba
to
reorganise both
reservations. Then when
the replanning
was
over, we were able to
relax and take
advantage
of the fact
that
we had
gained an extra
evening
with friends, and not
just any
old evening
- New Year's Eve.
Mariam
kindly lent me
a party outfit,
more
elegant
than jeans and hiking
shoes !
We had
a super
evening,
only 5km
from home
!!!
A
magnificent feast was
laid on - an
unexpected
final
taste
of F
rench
gastronomy
before
our
departure - smoked salmon blenis,
oysters,
foie gras
poëllé, veal
roast,
cheese,
champagne, wine,... We
were
totally spoilt. It
was delicious !
Then in the early hours of the morning, we settled down for some
much needed rest in the playroom, quickly
transformed
into a family
bedroom for the 4 of
us.
A big thank you to all (Isa, Gauthier, Jacques and Mariam
and not forgetting Jean-Luc, Rodge,
Laurent et
Sandrine) who made this a very
enjoyable
and memorable evening. We're going
to
miss
you... see you
soon !
 |
 |
 |
| Surprise
leaving
committee ! |
Departures
board... |
The girls
sadden by the cancelled flight |
 |
 |
 |
| New Year's Eve
at
Jacques
&
Mariam's |
Kids releasing
balloons
in the
garden |
A real feast
! |
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| 