The Great Swiss Outing, Days 1-2: Smooooooth!!

At long last my latest international excursion was upon me.  After the great experience I’d had on my tour of Ireland last year (see articles entitled When Irish Eyes are Smiling), I was going to utilize the tour’s co-sponsor, Globus Journeys, to take a round the country tour of Switzerland.

Globus did bum me out over a couple of things.  For one thing, if you’re traveling solo, you are not given the option of agreeing to room with another solo traveler, so you have to pay the single supplement up front.  On the other hand, that does guarantee a room for yourself.

The other item is that I had joined the Journeys Club after the Ireland trip which gets tour discounts and, most importantly, absolutely free currency exchange at the top market rate.  However, apparently the Journeys Club is no more and I don’t recall getting notification about it, so there went the currency exchange.

The day of the trip didn’t start out all that rosy either.  My trusty laptop gave up the ghost so I had to borrow one until I returned home.  Then my first flight was experiencing a slight delay and I cringed inside.  My flights didn’t leave me much room for error.  I flew from Omaha to Chicago with a layover of 1 hour, 20 minutes.  Then I was to fly from Chicago to Newark, NJ with an hour layover so I didn’t have much breathing room.

Mercifully, my flight actually made up the delay, arriving earlier than expected.  I also had enough time to grab a quick bite at a McDonald’s before taking off to Newark.  That flight was also early, allowing me to exchange currency at Travelex so I would be ready when I landed.

The flight to Zurich was perfect.  I had a seat at the back of the center section, so I could lean back without disturbing anyone and I was right next to the restroom, if needed.  I spent the flight watching Paranormal Activity and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, eating a surprisingly tasty chicken pasta dinner, and playing Phoenix Wright:  Trials and Tribulations in between a few snatches of sleep.

The flight arrived in Zurich nearly an hour early.  I breezed through customs in a few minutes, grabbed my bag, then met Brane (pronounced Bra Neigh), who would be the tour guide for the trip.  He pointed me towards the shuttle where I met Marty and Val O’Brien of Syracuse, NY who would also be on the tour.  We zipped over to Movenpick Hotel Zurich Aiport, where I was able to check in immediately.

Movenpick Hotel Airport Zurich

I organized my room and then decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.  I discovered that Zurich is like small town America from yesteryear where everything is still closed on Sunday.  That included the City Centre, so I opted not to take a train down there to explore.

Instead, I darkened my room to relax and took a 2 hour nap to beat off some of the jet lag.  I actually managed to find some episodes of Columbo in English after I woke up so I had that on for a bit before washing up for dinner.

At dinner I sat with Emiline and Dorothy of California and Brane talked over what to expect on the tour.  We drank a toast to the success of the trip where I sampled the “famous Swiss white wine”.  As you may or may not know, I am a borderline teetotaler, but this was rather good.  Just the right amount of sweetness and not dry.

Then we were served a 4 course dinner that included a salad with a creamy vinaigrette dressing, an unbelievably awesome pumpkin soup, Chicken Schitzel Parmegiano, and plum pudding for dessert.

After the meal, I could feel the jet lag setting in, so it was time to bang this article out and get some shuteye, though I also met Bruce and Carol of Australia as we were taking the lift.  Tomorrow the adventure truly begins!!!

Return to the Rising Sun, Day 1: Getting There is Half the Fun

It was a journey 4 years in the making.  After the end of our escapades in Japan (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), my friends, Mat O’Donnell and David Sundberg, and I decided we would one day return to experience it anew.  With Mat’s impending wedding in November, it was decided that the adventure would take place in August 2016.

After months of planning and preparation, the day finally arrived to begin our return to the Land of the Rising Sun.

It takes a lot of time to get to Japan and I mean a LOT of time.  On August 16, Dave and I awoke at 2:30am.  Our first flight of the day would leave at 6:20am.

Dave is bright eyed and bushy tailed for the day ahead.

My good friend, Jeff Bevirt, picked Dave and I from my home and drove us to Eppley Airfield where we met Dave’s niece, Amy Joy, who would also be joining us on the excursion.

We would be using United Airlines.  This was my first time utilizing their services and it was pretty good all the way around.  When we arrived at the nearly empty airport, a friendly desk agent took our passports and quickly checked us in and checked in Dave’s suitcase.  Using the “gussie” system of packing, I would be checking no luggage so I’d have one less thing to worry about.

Transportation to Japan provided by United Airlines.

United likes to board early and we started getting on board nearly an hour before our flight started.  I happen to think this is a good business practice as if everyone manages to get onboard early, we can leave a little early which is exactly what happened.

After a brief flight, our little group laid over in Denver for an hour, where we scarfed a quick breakfast from McDonald’s (oh, how I hate to rush a meal) and boarded another plane set to take us to Los Angeles.

At LAX, I made my only miscalculation of the trip.  I decided to change my dollars over to yen while I was there.  I got a pretty good deal, but would learn that I should have waited until I reached Narita International Airport in Japan as they give you a much better deal.  My dough would have netted me an extra 15,000 yen had I waited.  So take my advice, if you go to Japan, always exchange your money at Narita.

We waited through a 2.5 hour layover at LAX before finally beginning the long haul of the trip.  I love to fly, but 12 hours is an awfully long time to be on a plane.  They do their best to distract one with a wide variety of entertainment from movies to music to TV shows.  To pass the time, I read a new Sherlock Holmes pastiche, began a new Nero Wolfe novel, watched a little TV as well as the films Money Monster and Insomnia.

There was something profound about this trip, especially as I was taking it in the daytime and could look out the window.  There’s something deep about looking down on the majesty of the Pacific Ocean and seeing nothing but blue as far as the eye can see.  We also went from day to night to day in a flash as we crossed over to the other side of the planet.  And there was something about flying over the edge of Alaska that put a smile on my face as I looked down upon it.

The food wasn’t too bad on the flight.  United prides itself on its 3 course meals and served us a lunch of teriyaki chicken, rice, vegetable medley, and salad with southwestern rice.  For dessert, they served us a wonderful vanilla bean gelato which was some of best ice cream-type food I have ever eaten.  Before touchdown, they served a breakfast of Udon noodles, though Dave had to be a rebel and order the scrambled eggs.

As I said the journey was long and I only napped for about an hour as excitement fueled my body.  Upon arriving at Narita, we waited for Mat who was delayed as everybody on the planet decided to land at Narita at the same time he did.  This slowed down his going through customs and immigration which my little group blew through in about 15 minutes.

Japan, I have arrived.

We collected our resident expert, then got our J-Rail passes so we could travel through Japan.  Then we hopped on the Narita Express for a 90 minute journey to Shinjuku to arrive at the first house we would stay at through Air BnB where we met Mat’s friend, Mauricio, and his girlfriend, Allison, who would be joining us on a part of the adventure.

Despite being beyond the point of exhaustion our little group went out to dinner at a place called Pronto’s which is a bar/restaurant.  I normally don’t like to eat late, but one thing I appreciate about Japan is that we share a similar size appetite as all servings in Japan are small.  I had some juicy fried chicken with a splash of lemon.  After dinner we stopped at a mini-mart to get some things for breakfast.  I grabbed an orange juice and some of the famed pancakewiches of Japan.

Pancakewich

I passed out and I mean passed out on my tatami mat to end this day’s adventures.

In Search of the Truth

September 11, 2001 was one of the most horrific days in American history.  But what if there was a deeper, darker truth to what happened on that sad day?  What are the ramifications of knowing the real truth?  This is the thrust of Yankee Tavern by Steve Dietz and currently playing at the Circle Theatre.

I don’t usually go into a play blind.  By that I mean I know the general story before I sit down to watch it.  But the only knowledge I had of Yankee Tavern was that it centered around 9/11 and conspiracy theories.  This play is far more than that.  This play is an exciting mystery thriller with comedic undertones that will keep you on the edge of your seat as it twists and turns with compelling characters and electric dialogue until the final moment.

Ryle Smith’s direction is a superior piece of work as he expertly navigates the ebbs and flows of this story, builds beautiful tension, and sets a firecracker pace.  Smith has also directed fantastic performances from his cast of four with each having a sizzling chemistry with the others, making for a sensational ensemble experience.

Smith also does double duty by playing the role of Adam Graves, an adjunct instructor and political writer who also owns the titular Yankee Tavern.  Smith’s Adam is an incredibly multifaceted character.  He’s a bit of a prankster as he messes with his wife, Janet (played by Rose Glock), by making up fake guests to invite to their upcoming anniversary party.  Smith also bestows a wonderful intelligence and logic on Adam which is best demonstrated in his verbal spars with his late father’s best friend, Ray (played by David Sindelar) as they debate about what really happened on 9/11.

But Adam also carries his share of darkness and secrets as he is unable to accept his father’s suicide and has a connection with a former female boss which may be far more than employer/employee.  Smith handles these heavier moments with equal sureness, especially in a climactic argument with Janet in Act II.

David Sindelar gives an award worthy performance in the role of Ray.  A self-professed “itinerant homesteader”, Ray, at first, seems like he’s going to be the kooky comedy relief as he lives in the abandoned Yankee Hotel, talks with ghosts, and sees conspiracies everywhere.  But once Ray and Adam start arguing over 9/11, that’s when you see this character’s true intellect.

Ray’s arguments are amazingly persuasive because they are grounded in logic and verifiable facts.  You may not necessarily believe them, but it does give you something to think about.  The arguments are helped by Sindelar’s sincere delivery.  Sindelar also gets to show some pathos and depth when he talks about why his wife left him and the events of his best friend’s last day of life which demonstrate why Ray’s world is preferable to real life.

It is an arduous role because Ray likes to talk, dissect, analyze, and expound.  The sheer bulk of the dialogue caused Sindelar to trip on his lines on a couple of occasions, but he didn’t let it slow him down or get him off track.

Rose Glock is, at turns, sweet, harried, and haunted as Janet.  Janet is on the same intellectual plane as Adam and Ray and is able to hold her own in their conspiracy theory debates.  But she also has a peculiar form of survivor’s guilt because she didn’t lose anybody in 9/11 which leads to a relationship with an unseen character that causes Janet to have an intense loathing of secrets.  Ms Glock handles the emotional beats of the character well and really gets to shine in Act II with intense showdowns with Adam and the mysterious Palmer.

Kevin Barratt’s interpretation of Palmer is underplayed mastery.  He rarely speaks in Act I, but has a hypnotic presence.  He sits quietly at the bar with two Rolling Rocks, toasts an unseen companion, and seems to be grappling with a heavy burden.  Barratt has tremendously animated eyes that let you watch his shifting emotions without him uttering a single word.  When he finally does speak, he is so soft spoken and earnest that it’s hard to determine if he’s a crackpot or if he truly does know things that he probably shouldn’t know.

Barratt really ramps things up in act II during a prolonged verbal battle with Janet over Adam and his possible connection to a potential key figure in 9/11.  What I found utterly fascinating about Barratt’s take on Palmer is that he is looking for absolution, not revenge.  He has knowledge that he would rather not have, but must seek the truth out to the end for the sake of his soul.

There are few things I love more than a good mystery and this play gave that to me and then some.  This show is about so much more than whether there was more to 9/11 than met the eye.  It is a show about the secrets we keep from each other and that is something that will strike the heart of anybody who watches this play.

Yankee Tavern has one final performance on October 30 at 8pm.  The Circle Theatre is producing this show at First United Methodist Church at 7020 Cass Street in Omaha, NE.  For reservations, contact the Circle at 402-553-4715 or via e-mail at dlmarr@cox.net.  Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and $10 for students, active military, and T.A.G. members.