December 17, 2023 – January 21, 2024
At first glance, our itinerary might seem like an odd mix of destinations. It was not random, even if it occasionally felt that way.
Although Heather comes back to Canada almost every year, it had been far too long since we had visited her in Europe. The last time we saw her there, she was living in Geneva, still working on her PhD, and not yet married. Since then, we had attended her wedding in Zurich and her PhD defense in Geneva, both via Zoom, and had still never met her German parents in law. COVID travel restrictions slowed everything down, so there was a lot of catching up to do.
The original plan was reassuringly simple. We would spend Christmas with Heather and Hannes, then escape with them to somewhere warm. Thanks to our family connection with WestJet, and the fact that in winter WestJet only flies to Paris, London, and Barcelona, our travel choices were made for us. The plan was to fly to Paris, take the train to Zurich for Christmas, continue on holiday with Heather and Hannes in the Canary Islands, and then return home through London. Barcelona would have to wait. Midway through the trip, I was asked to visit a client in Dakar, Senegal. At that point, simplicity officially left the building. Sarah returned home from London, and I continued on to Senegal.
We have been to Paris several times, but our previous visit was more than twenty years ago, during our round the world trip with the kids. Central Paris feels much the same, though fashions and cars have clearly changed. The most obvious difference was the sheer number of bicycles on the streets and bike paths. I was also struck by the number of small shops lining nearly every block. They were always there, of course, including boulangeries, pâtisseries, cafés, and restaurants, but also highly specific shops that could probably only survive in Paris. Just down the street from our hotel was a clarinet repair shop filled with instruments in various stages of repair. I briefly wondered whether this might be the only business in the world devoted entirely to clarinets. We even came across an Ikea that could not have been more than twenty feet by twenty feet (6m x 6m), operating solely as a pickup and return location. In the evenings, the streets and restaurants were full everywhere. Apparently, walking around in the evening was not an original idea for us.
Notre Dame is still undergoing major reconstruction following the 2019 fire. The hope is to reopen it to visitors in December 2024, although exterior work will likely continue for some time after that.
Paris was also preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, with signs of the upcoming Games scattered throughout the city. We revisited many of the classic sights, including the Eiffel Tower, a Bateau Mouche cruise, Montmartre, and the Champs Élysées. We also ate extremely well, which alone justifies the entire exercise. France continues to take food very seriously, and we remain grateful for that.
From Paris, we took the TGV to Zurich and then a local train to Tiefenbrunnen, where Heather and Hannes live. Zurich has many beautiful and very old buildings, though without much flair. ‘Conservative’ or ‘sensible’ feels like the right description, which ties into being a global banking centre. Still, it is easy to see the appeal. There is a lake for foiling and swimming, mountains for hiking and skiing, and endless opportunities for road and mountain biking. It is a wonderful lifestyle, provided one does not think too hard about the price of everything.
At last, we met Hannes’ family. His parents have built a new retirement home in Owingen, Germany, and we spent a lovely Christmas with them enjoying raclette and spätzle. The location is ideal from my point of view, with Lake Constance and a windsurfing club just a short drive away for Hannes’ father.
Sarah and I spent New Year’s on our own in Zurich while the kids skied to a pre-arranged hut in the mountains with friends. The fireworks in Zurich were spectacular, launched from a barge in the bay near the city centre. Even more impressive was the artwork projected onto the Opernhaus and the Grossmünster. The effect was created using spotlight projectors from what must have been a hundred metres away. It was a clever idea and beautifully done.
Soon after New Year’s, we travelled to Tenerife for ten days with Heather and Hannes, staying in an Airbnb in El Médano. The weather was warm but not hot, and the ocean was cool but not cold, both of which seems to be the island’s attractiveness in the European winter. Wetsuits were needed for longer windsport sessions, though shorter swims were fine. Tenerife has surf beaches scattered around the island. El Médano has a nearby sheltered bay ideal for wing foiling and windsurf lessons, along with a main beach crowded with kiteboarders, wing foilers, and windsurfers. A few professional windsurfers flew past at speeds that made the rest of the watersport crowd look like they were drifting. Cycling was also excellent. Heather and Hannes rented bikes for a day and reported courteous drivers during their 80km/ 1400m vertical ride to Vilaflor.
Not every part of the island charmed us. Los Cristianos was packed with loud and sunburned tourists, though this was partly redeemed by an outstanding ice cream shop called Il Gelato del Mercato. Playa de las Américas had a rocky surf beach with good waves for skilled surfers like Hannes, even if some locals were clearly less enthusiastic about sharing it.
From Tenerife, Heather and Hannes returned home to Zurich, while Sarah and I continued on to London for a few days. We had not been there in many years either, so we revisited familiar landmarks, walked endlessly, and saw two shows (Hamiton and The Book of Mormon). London, as always, delivered.
The final leg of the journey to Dakar, Senegal was entirely unexpected. I was there advising a power plant developer, and Dakar itself was fascinating. I had time to explore, and my hosts showed me around the city. The visit included a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Île de Gorée, one of the major slave trading hubs for ships bound for the Americas. It was a sobering and powerful place to begin the journey homewards… on Brussels Airlines where they serve 8 different kinds of Belgian beer in business class. But that’s a different story.
