Control.

I have had an experience already today with the issue of control- control of your body, control of your environment, and the perception of your own control of the world around you. I'll spare you the nitty-gritty details and skip to the good stuff...

Having too much control over your life can be dangerous thing. But even worse is the feeling of no control at all.

In a foreign land, doing your best to speak a foreign language, eating new foods, sleeping on a new bed in someone else's apartment, spending different currencies- it can be difficult to feel in control of one's self. I was aware of that. What I didn't know was how valuable some of the small things can be when you feel adrift in your own skin: an office, a cafe vendor, a jacket, a familiar voice, and yes, even a pen. Sometimes all you need is a tiny object to grab hold of, to give you comfort, to remind you that an adventure is not linear and predictable.

To the little unexpected gems that hold great power, perspective, and comfort. Thank you.

The BIG EUROPEAN DESTINATION INVESTIGATION

Family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, interweb wayfarers...if you just engage with ONE blog posting here for the rest of history, let it be this one.

I open up a challenge to you for the benefit of all, and in the spirit of world leader and oft-perceived demi-God Barack Obama, we all must strive together to accomplish this great feat. We will need to dig deep, get creative and put forth an end result that will rock the world. I say to you this: Yes We Can.


The BIG EUROPEAN DESTINATION INVESTIGATION:
As many of you know, I will be based here in Geneva for the next seven months, and during that time I plan to do an immense amount of traveling throughout Europe. In my quest to explore the land, I aim to take advantage of your unique experiences, compile them and create an incredible database of destinations for my upcoming travels. So here's what I am looking for...
-ONE destination city/town/village
-ONE specific destination building/landmark/activity/festival in the destination city.

It's that simple. One city. One activity.

A few guidelines, rules, and tips...
-Please leave your entry as a comment on this posting.
-Please leave your name after your entry.
-Please limit yourself to ONE city. I want there only to be the best of the best.
-A focus of this compilation is frugality... think backpackers on a budget.
-Keep in mind the season. A nude beach in Trondheim, Norway will not be as spectacular in January as it is in July.
-If you absolutely can't limit yourself to a single entry, please email me directly at -mrcarlnelson@gmail.com- with additional suggestions.

And here's the best part...
For each viable entry*: I will make arrangements, visit your city, accomplish your activity, and write a blog entry about the experience! >>>Let's make sure this hits home, people- all you do is comment on this blog; then I GO there to experience and participate in some spectacular endeavor, and you find out about it afterwards right here. Fantastic, huh?
*I cannot guarantee destinations with a specific date parameters (for instance, a grape festival over a specific weekend in April) as I may have other plans. Until I get my HarperCollins book deal for this project, my bank account is finite. As such, some trips may be prioritized over others. I may not be able to reach every destination before I run out of money.

There it is. The gauntlet has been thrown. The challenge has begun. Please let your friends and neighbors know about this, as anyone is welcome to participate. If you wish to contribute to the BEDI fund, please contact me at -mrcarlnelson@gmail.com-.

I'm Carl Nelson, and I approve this message. Enjoy!

Camels and Pigs and Rain

When I arrived here in Geneva, we were in the middle of some unusually warm weather. Now, apparently, we are back to more of the usual- fog, clouds, a little rain and colder temperatures. However, the early morning chills were immediately transformed to feelings of joy when I looked outside and saw THE CIRCUS!!



There are camels, horses, ponies, dogs and a pig unloading from trucks onto the parking lot and grass directly across from our apartment building. How exciting!




On a clear day you would be able to see Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in western Europe, above and slightly left of the circus tent. Directly behind the circus tent is the back of the supermarket- Carrefour- and the main drag of Ferney behind the tan apartment building on its right.

Of course, the current down-side of the circus is the LOUD blaring music they use to advertise their presence...but what can you do? I must be off to prepare for another dinner party- the very best way to meet people in a new country, I have decided.

Love from Ferney!
-CARL

Overly Complicated...

Over the past five days here in France, I have ruminated on this issue of over-complication, aided by a collaboration of great minds at a fantastic dinner party last night. And I have come to a few conclusions...no, as I have only been in this country for less than a week- a country about which I am largely ignorant- I cannot yet conclude these thoughts. So I will push forward and offer these observations...

#1. America is an overly complicated place.
--Every country, of course, has its complications. I will put forth, however, that the land of the free and the home of the brave is TOO complicated a place. And as such, us Americans tend to over-complicate matters.

#2. Here in Ferney, you do a few things and you do them well.
--Take, for example, bread. Or wine. Or cheese. Each incredibly delicious and each made with a great deal of integrity.
-Everyone goes to the market on Saturday. EVERYONE.
-After a hard day of market-ing on Saturday, nothing happens on Sunday. NOTHING.
-You go to work at 9:00 and you come home at 5:00.
-Lunch is from 12:00-2:00.
Surprisingly simple, these things, and yet surprisingly profound. I have found these details of life here to be incredibly refreshing and thought-provoking. What is it about these aspects of daily living that contrast so much with those I have encountered across the sea? And I think the current issue that strikes me is that which I have briefly mentioned above: integrity.


In the USA, we are bombarded with merchandise that falls apart in minutes, food that tastes bad or is bad for you, products that fill such a small niche that they quickly become useless- the quick fix: anything to make a buck. Here the focus is elsewhere. Sure, you will need to walk across the street to drop off your recycling, learn to drive a manual transmission, and walk a little farther to a store that only sells bread- but you can make damn sure that baguette is going to be worth the walk.

A New Day

A new day begins- my first morning here in France, and what a beautiful one it is. Over Lake Geneva, across the thin 2-mile strip of Switzerland and just past the border into France, the sun pours into the optimally tidy living room in which I now sit. Books and papers neatly stacked, matching red furniture against the bright white walls, but with revealing signs of life- an uncapped pen and memo pad with scribbles of an uncompleted task, stacked vegetable crates housing hi-tech gadgets, and a well-worn slate desk displaying the menu of some past dinner party in white chalk. I know my visceral lust for this moment and place will quickly develop into a meaningful and long-lasting love.

After a long day of travel, I was picked up by family friend, host and fast-growing personal friend, hero and confidante: Faith McLellan. Spurting off tips, translations, customs and must-know bits of information like kernels flying from a haywire popcorn machine, I QUICKLY learn to always have pen and paper at hand when I am lucky enough to be in her company. This fact was later explicitly confirmed at dinner, over fresh pizza and LOTS of red wine (a result of a small miscommunication of which size carafe we wanted to replace the first carafe of wine). From Faith I have also become aware of my primary role as taskmaster of odd jobs- already fixing the Wi-Fi (thank you Gerrault & Alain), changing the oven clock, and figuring out the world's most complicated mattress cover. I am still weeks behind my ever-expanding to-do list. ( =

Though I leave behind friends and family I love, I am confident this adventure upon which I have embarked will be incredibly enjoyable, educational and exciting. I don't know much of what is to come, but I'll make sure I keep you posted as life happens.

You can certainly comment here if you so choose. Also feel free to email me at -mrcarlnelson@gmail.com- if you want to hear more details or open up more of a dialogue...the blogging experience is new and still a little weird to me. You can also find me on Skype at the same username: mrcarlnelson.

That's it for now. Au revoir!
-CARL