Launch Pad Lounge
After surviving a grueling 4 hour drive each way to Maryland and training with Grandmaster Pellegrini, founder of the Combat Hapkido system that the boy and I have been practicing for a while, Susie and I are on our way to Switzerland.
What, Susie? Who’s Susie? Susie is my good, good friend and travel soul mate who was introduced to me by our mutual friend, Bonnie. A College English instructor by trade, but an avid naturalist and intrepid adventurer by avocation, she has a travel style that complements mine like wine goes with cheese. Each May, between Spring semester and Summer session, we take a girls-only trip discovering local birds and plants, good cheap food, 1-star accommodations, and lots of wine. We are flexible and free-wheeling.
Our first trip together, we had to empty out two plastic grocery bags of clothes from her luggage (way too much underwear) and leave them at home. On this trip, her carry-on is lighter than mine! (What a good student, I’m so proud!!)
She came to my house last night and slept in the new pink room. We did yoga on the pier (hot today), had breakfast, and then Mr. E. and the boy took us to the airport. Due to a computer glitch, we could not print our boarding passes in advance, so we had to go to the check-in where the nice man printed them out for us. After security, we filled our water bottles, then took the fast flight to Philly (say that 3 x fast).
When you fly as much as I do (75,000 miles last year), and you have an international flight, they let you and a guest wait for your flight in the comfort of the Envoy Lounge. It’s a beautiful place, a little piece of heaven high above the planes taxiing, with free shrimp-noodle salad, eggplant-feta compote, 3 types of bread, 5 types of cheese, and open bottles of all the red, white, or Bordeaux you can quaff.
Lounging Around
We sit in the corner, our usual place (sad, isn’t it, that we have a usual place?) and use the free internet, read about our destination, and generally relax into the whole flying process. I wish I had a place like this at home.
Gathering energy for the launch, we chill til our 6pm departure. See you in Switzerland!
Practicing Travel 
way to go I’ll drink to that- -reading the blog I feel like I’m flying along!
May 2, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Sounds lovely! It’s still hot here, but thank god there’s a breeze; I refuse to turn on the AC in May–it would just be wrong!! Have a great flight, ladies!
May 2, 2010 at 8:08 pm