Zurich to Davos

So I arrived this morning at 7am into Zurich after an eight hour plane ride and no sleep. You'll love this.....try not to laugh because I wanted to cry. Remember my technological issues? Well I get on the plane, turned on the iPod Shuffle, it didn't work. Now I might be totally inept but all I kept seeing was a flashing orange light and then it shut off. Perhaps a lack of battery power or so I hope . Needless to say no Eminem, no Rolling Stones. I was bummed. On the other hand, I did meet some interesting people on the plane who shall remain nameless. Big topic.....consolidation in the banking industry. Big year for mergers. Valuations are cheap and now is the time to shore up the balance sheet. Be on the look out. In addition, why only Sovereign Wealth Funds coming to the rescue and not the Hedge Fund Industry? They're waiting with cash in hand for the "right moment." They have lowered their risk levels and will be put money to work when they feel these names have bottomed out. Interesting right?

The most amazing part of my three hour journey from Zurich to Davos: driving with a local resident and lovely gentleman named Heinz. He was born in Davos and has lived here his entire life. He took such pride in telling me the history of the country and Davos. He was so well informed about so many political, economic and social issues. I was so incredibly impressed. I asked him how he knows so much… whether he reads papers or watches television news. He said he reads three to four papers a day. Quite impressive!

The best thing about being in Switzerland is the chocolate and the sheer beauty of the landscape. Sometimes you forget that there is this whole world out there. We live in a microcosm or at least I do. To work, to the grocery store, to school to pick up the kids and back home again. Being here reminds me of being a kid. As a kid, we didn't have much. My dad drove a beaten up Peugeot but he took us to Europe as often as he could (my uncle lived here for almost fifteen years). He wanted us to explore, learn about other countries and see the natural beauty. It may not happen right away but I know what I need to do.... get my husband and three boys on a plane and explore!