Chapter One: Switzerland

The Departure

I departed Melbourne on Friday 8 November 2002 for a five week round-the-world trip that would take me from Zurich to Graz and Vienna in Austria, across to London, followed by a hop across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City, and a final leap taking me the length of the USA and back all the way to Melbourne.

Could I really do all that in five short weeks? I was only intending to stay in each European location for a matter of four of five days due to my time restrictions, and I wasn't feeling hopeful of gaining any valuable insights into new cultures from such short visits to each destination.

But I wasn't going to let that get in the way of a very exciting trip!

On a sweltering hot early-summers day we squashed into my car for the trip to the airport. Felix was busy making the most of playing with my new digital camera before I whisked it away for my five week journey. (Left to right: Virgil, Maria, Sachiko, Felix) Photo: Virgil Cameron

The trip from Melbourne to Zurich took a total of 25 hours flying time -- not including the two hours spent waiting at Heathrow airport for a connecting flight to Zurich. That's a very long time to be sitting in an aeroplane!

The Boeing 747 aeroplane that transported me, without mishap, for a whopping 23 hours and 10 minutes. The flight was direct from Melbourne to Heathrow airport, with merely one short stopover in Singapore. Photo: Virgil Cameron

People have to literally live in these big aeroplanes for seemingly endless stretches of time. Eating, drinking, sleeping, crying, walking, arguing and going to the toilet are all activities which have to be accommodated within the cramped and undeniably uncomfortable living quarters of the economy class cabin. It's a real marvel that people are lead to believe that they are flying in comfort!

One day I'd like to do an anthropological study of the culture of inter-continental air travel. The only trouble is, I wouldn't have enough money to make all the flights that would be necessary. 

Before I knew it I had crossed over the equator and through countless time zones and had been transported from one end of the globe to another.

But before I could marvel at the mind boggling feats of science, engineering, politics and economics which have combined to allow us to travel safely across the world in a matter of hours, I had arrived in Switzerland, and was beginning my decent -- in a much smaller plane than the previous giant 747-- into Zurich.

My first glimpse of Switzerland, as seen from the window of a small British Airways aeroplane. Zurich could only be seen as we entered the later stages of descent towards the airport, due to very thick cloud. Photo: Virgil Cameron

Zurich seemed so dark from up in the air. I think one of the biggest shocks that seems to hit me unprepared each time that I arrive in Europe, is how short the days are-- in the winter, that is. Each time that I have been in Europe it has been late Autumn or early Winter, and the days have been both short and dark.

On our approach to the airport, Zurich, Switzerland. Photo: Virgil Cameron

The view from the aeroplane, as we approached Zurich airport. Presumably, Zurich Lake can be seen in the distance, with the towering alps in the background. Photo: Virgil Cameron

It was great fun to take these first photos from my new digital camera, despite the dark conditions on the ground hampering the results. In fact, I am very happy with these first few photos because they were taken from a very fast moving aeroplane :-)

Suburban Zurich, seen from the airoplane. Photo: Virgil Cameron

 With the Bauer Family