© 2007, 2025 Rex Jaeschke. All rights reserved.
During seven weeks of August, September, and October of 2007, I made a series of trips that I collectively referred to as “The Grand Tour.” During that adventure, I went back and forth across continents and time zones, I visited both hemispheres, and I crossed the International Date Line and the Prime Meridian. Stage 1 was a 3-day business trip to Toronto, Canada, from Washington DC. Two days after I got back from that, I headed east on Stage 2 for a 6-day business trip to Berlin, Germany. The day after I got back from that, I headed west on Stage 3, a 10-day business trip to Seattle, Washington, USA. After five days back home, I headed out on Stage 4, for a 14-day business trip to Singapore. From there, Stage 5 took me to the Gold Coast area of Queensland, Australia, for 12 days, to attend a conference. During each stage, I managed to have time for a bit of pleasure as well. This essay covers Stages 1 and 3.
It was August 2007, and it had been four whole weeks since I was last in an airport, and I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms! And for most of that time, I had a hard time getting interested in work. So much so that, on more than a few days, I gave myself the day off. But now, it was time to get back on the road and earn my keep!
Preparation and Departure for Toronto
I was wide-awake 10 minutes before my 8:30 am alarm. After a shave and shower (it being the end of the month and all), I packed my luggage, a quite small case with just enough stuff for a 2-day trip. I booked a taxi to the airport for a 10:30 am pickup.
On Wednesday, my wife, Jenny, left for three months in Australia to spend time with her parents, especially her ailing father. On Friday, I said goodbye to Ben, an Aussie, and son of my cousin Ruth, who had been staying with me for some days. He was traveling around the continental US in a camper van for the summer. The night before he left, an Aussie/Kiwi, Paul, arrived to stay. He was traveling around the US on his own and would stay at my place for a week or so, keeping an eye on things while I was away.
Paul and I had breakfast together, and my cabbie arrived 10 minutes early. He was from Ethiopia and had been in the US two years. Although it was quite humid, it wasn’t hot, so I let the wind blow through my hair on the drive to Washington Dulles International airport (IAD). We chatted along the way.
I checked in at the business counter, but the agent seemed a bit vague, telling me several times that the paper I’d printed off the internet at home last night was, indeed, my boarding pass. So off through security I went, and the woman there didn’t seem to know up from down but was quite happy with my documentation. However, once I got to United’s business lounge in the mid-field terminal, the agent there told me that that paper was not my boarding pass, and I should never have been allowed through security. So much for the billions we’re spending on homeland security!
I had a pleasant rest in the lounge, sipping French Vanilla coffee, and snacking while reading the national paper, USA Today, and the Financial Times from London. I also chatted by phone with friend Len and then friend Martha.
At 12 noon, I ambled to Gate C20 arriving just as my flight was boarding. Down the ramp I went and made my way up the narrow stairs and down the narrow aisle to my exit seat, 12A. The plane was a compact 50-seat Embraer jet, made in Brazil. (They are very common for short haul routes and have largely replaced the old turboprop planes.) I was in the exit seat on the left side at the front of the wing, so I had a bird’s-eye view.
UA7775 took off on time at 12:18 pm, and we headed directly due north to Canada. It was a bit bumpy as we went through the clouds at 5,000 feet, but after that, it was a smooth ride with clear blue skies. Just as the pilot announced we were coming up to Niagara Falls, I caught a quick glimpse of them out my window, as they cascaded into the Niagara River and up to Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. From there, we turned east and flew over the lake for a bit until we got to Toronto. Then we turned north, passing over the city to the Toronto International Airport (YYZ).
Welcome to Toronto!
Toronto has a very big airport, and with 30 million passengers per year, it’s the busiest in Canada. It’s at the crossroads of travel from Asia, North America, the Caribbean, and Europe, and it handles a lot of air cargo. The first planes I saw belonged to carriers from Israel, Mexico, France, Greece, Jamaica, and the US, as well as Canada’s international and domestic carriers. It took us quite a while to taxi to the terminal, as we had landed on a remote runway.
As we deplaned, I was welcomed to Canada by a large sign written in English and French. After all, this is a bilingual country. After a long walk from the gate to the luggage area, I went through immigration. About two weeks earlier, I got a brand spanking new Aussie passport, complete with computer chip to identify me, and a photo that definitely makes me look like an outlaw. Of course, it was devoid of stamps, so I looked forward to getting my first one. At the baggage claim area, I only had a 5-minute wait until the luggage came out with my bag being one of the first. So far so good. Then it was on to the car-rental desk in the huge parking garage across the street. There, the Avis lady was expecting me and was ever so pleased to give me a rather new mid-size car, a dark blue Chevy Impala, complete with Ontario provincial license plates.
As I left the garage, I found the road signs a bit confusing and immediately took a wrong turn. Don’t you just hate that! This led me to a dead end with no way to back up. So, I drove through another rental company’s yard and out their exit, looking all the while like I had known exactly what I was doing. The second time around the airport, I took the correct exit and was soon on the freeway. Traffic was quite heavy for a Sunday afternoon but moved at the speed limit. Although it was a bit humid, it wasn’t hot, so I had the window down all the way to my hotel, some 20 kms north and east of the airport. (Canada uses the metric system.)
The young ladies at the Holiday Inn hotel front desk were ever so happy to see me and gave me a very nice room up on the 12th floor. You’ve all heard how some place is a “home away from home,” well my hotel room was that and more. The whole hotel was non-smoking; great! I had a king-size bed; wonderful! A refrigerator was included; even better! And internet access was free! There was a large and well-organized work desk and chair, a recliner lounge chair with ottoman, plenty of space, light, and finally, a full-length mirror in which to admire myself.
But wait, that’s not all; the room even had indoor plumbing! In the bathroom, a small bamboo was growing in a vase of stones and water; very artsy. A painting hung on the wall; classy. But I was most fascinated by the water mechanism in the hand basin. No regular separate hot and cold taps here, thank you very much! What we had was a piece of art. There was a saucer-shaped piece of glass about eight inches across, mounted a little tilted off horizontal. In its center was a chrome joystick that one moved around to control the temperature and pressure of the water. The water came from some hidden outlet and ran down the glass disk into the basin, without splashing all over one’s clothes, as many high-pressure systems do. The basin was large, shallow and rectangular, and with the water cascading down into it, it looked like a fountain. It was so interesting that I played with it for some time.
I unpacked my small case, fired up my laptop, got connected to the internet and got my first lot of email. I can’t ever seem to escape that!
A woman at reception steered me in the direction of the nearest supermarket, so I went off to get a few emergency rations. From previous trips to Canada, I had accumulated a lot of coins and a few banknotes, so I brought those in a plastic bag. The intent was to use the cash wherever possible and then my credit card for the big-ticket items, so I wouldn’t have to change money. I strolled the aisles and decided the prices were pretty good. When I got to the register, I pulled out my bag of change and tipped almost all of it into my hand to count it out, hoping I’d have enough. The checkout girl rang up my bill and it came to CAN$14.38. I counted out coins from my hand and, don’t you know, I had exactly $14.38, to the penny! I couldn’t believe it. What are the chances of that happening?
Back in my room, I had afternoon tea and tended to some email. I noticed that my Danish colleague Keld was on-line in Copenhagen, Denmark, so I called him using my handy dandy Skype internet phone, and we spoke for 15 minutes, for free; what a deal! Then I chatted for 10 minutes with colleague Mohamed in Paris, France. I’ll be meeting him in Berlin next weekend, but more about that in a future essay.
At 6 pm, I wandered down to the hotel restaurant to find that I was the only customer. I had a bowl of French onion and leek soup—just like Grandma used to make—followed by teriyaki salmon with rice and vegetables. I managed to take 90 minutes to eat while reading a variety of newspapers and magazines. On the way back to my room, I looked in the lounge and found some of my colleagues having a drink. Some of them I’d only met by phone, so it was good to put a face to each name.
At 8 pm, I went back to my room to wait for a phone call to set up a meeting. That call finally came 90 minutes late; it’s hard to get good help nowadays! Anyway, I worked for a couple of hours. Lights out by 11 pm.
Getting Down to Business
[Next day] I was wide-awake before my 7:15 am alarm. Don’t you just hate that! I ate breakfast in the buffet bar, and had the young woman chef make me a custom omelet and a plate of crisp bacon, all of which I washed down with a pot of tea.
I was in-town to attend a standards’ meeting for an international project of which I am the editor. We hadn’t had a face-to-face meeting for a year, when we’d met in Trondheim, Norway. The host facility was five minutes’ walk from the hotel, so we braved the glorious sunshine at 8:30 am, and walked across the hotel parking lot to the business high rise nearby.
The meeting ran from 9 am until 6 pm, with breaks in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon, plus lunch, which was catered. It was a very productive day, but being the project editor, and keeper of the main documents, I was kept very busy all day. Delegates came from Europe, North America, and Japan.
The group went off to dinner at 7:15 pm, but I declined, as I had a full evening’s work ahead of me. I ate in my room and put in five solid hours of editing and email in order to be ready for Day 2. No rest for the wicked! I wrapped up at 11:30 pm, quite exhausted, with emails still coming in from various parts of the world—someone’s always awake somewhere! Lights out at midnight.
[Next day] I was awake before my 7:15 am alarm again, darn it! I got my early morning email fix, then packed my few possessions in my bag, ran the razor somewhere near my face, dropped my room key in the express checkout box, and drove all 500 meters to the meeting place.
We started at 8:30 am, as we had planned to break early to let people catch flights. Again, we were busy, but by noon, we’d pretty much covered all the agenda items, so we had a long relaxing lunch and chat. I went on-line to my airline to find they had an earlier flight, so I thought I’d try to make that.
The Trip Home
I departed the meeting room at 1 pm and drove the 30 minutes to the airport. Traffic was quite heavy, but, for the most part, moved at a good pace. As I was on freeways all the way, and I hadn’t driven far, I didn’t buy gas for my rental car. As a result, I was charged a premium, CAN$23, to “top it off” at the Avis garage. Oh well, it’s only money!
At the business check-in desk, the young man was ever so helpful and with there being some seats left on the 4-pm flight, he suggested I go standby at no charge rather than pay $100 to guarantee a seat.
When flying to the US from a Canadian airport, one clears U.S. immigration and customs in Canada before departure. The passport guy didn’t even want to give me a stamp, so, officially, I never left Canada. From there, I dropped my luggage and went through security. The halls were cavernous, and Terminal 1 really is a magnificent building complex.
I bought some postcards then moved on to the Air Canada business lounge, which admits members of United Airlines’ frequent flyer program. It was a very classy joint, and I settled down at a business desk to tap away on my keyboard writing this diary.
Some twenty minutes before my flight, I went to Gate 166 to see if they had room for me, and they did. (In fact, the plane was half-empty.) I was the second person to board the Embraer 85-person jet, and settled into Seat 3A, which had plenty of legroom and a good view out the left side.
We took off to the west then circled to the east, getting a good look over downtown Toronto and its famous CN Tower as we passed. Then we turned south and had a smooth 1-hour ride down to Northern Virginia, landing on time at 5:20 pm. That is a busy time for departing flights, especially the overnight ones headed for Europe. Loading up were planes from carriers serving London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, and Frankfurt, with a South African Airways jet going to Johannesburg.
In the main terminal, things were very quiet with all the people already in the mid-field terminals or on their planes. My baggage arrived quite quickly, and I was first in line for a taxi. My Afghani driver was most pleasant and had been in the US almost as long as me (28 years). The weather was a very pleasant 80 degrees F.
At home, I unpacked my work gear and luggage and decided to take a break for the evening. This work business can take over your life if you don’t watch out! I caught up on some news I’d recorded while away and planned some meals.
My Aussie guest, Paul, arrived home soon after 8 pm, after a long day at the Library of Congress where he spent many hours in the photograph section. We dined on fish and salad then watched the second set of three video episodes of Rowan Atkinson’s “Black Adder Goes Forth.” A great end to the day. Lights out at 11 pm.
[Next day] Well, Stage 1 of the Grand Tour was over. Now it was time to unpack from that, and prepare for Stage 2, in two days’ time.
Stage 2 to Berlin came between Stage 1 and 3. The reason they are out of order in my blog essays is based entirely on the number of pages each Stage took in my diaries.
Preparation and Departure for Seattle
September 2007. It was Travel Day, again! My alarm was set for 8 am; however, I was awake at 5 am after eight solid hours of sleep. By 5:30 am, I was at my desk answering and sending new email, and preparing for the next trip, nine days in Seattle, the biggest city in the state of Washington, the northwestern-most state of the continental U.S.
At 8 am, I was in the shower, singing a Verdi opera. (Where are the talent scouts when you need them?) I had a light breakfast, and then packed my bag, this time a larger one as my trip would be more than twice as long. [Did you know that you can get 5-days wear from a pair of socks? Wear them one day, turn them inside out on Day 2, swap feet on Day 3, turn them inside out again on Day 4, then, finally, on Day 5, go without.]
My 10:30-am cab arrived 10 minutes early. It was pleasant out, but the humidity was rising. The driver and I chatted on the way to Dulles International Airport (IAD). As there was no line at the check-in desk, I was served immediately. I was asked if I minded getting a complementary upgrade to First Class. Decisions, decisions! That meant I'd be forced to have a nice large leather seat and be served a better-than average lunch. Well, I guess so, if I must!
I was quickly through security, which, after having done that three times the day before in Germany, once only was a breeze. I rode the bus to midfield Terminal C. Being mid-morning, it was pretty quiet. Most planes at the gates were small jets destined for short-haul domestic flights. However, an All Nippon Air's (ANA) wide body was preparing for its daily non-stop to Tokyo Narita International; a jumbo from Seoul, South Korea, had just landed; and a South African Airways jet was pulling up to a gate.
I bought a USA Today newspaper, browsed in a bookstore, and then went to Gate C17 to wait for my flight. Across from me sat a retired couple from Belgium who had lived in southern France for some years. From Seattle, they would drive to Denver, Colorado, taking three weeks to get there.
Boarding was announced, and we First-Class passengers were invited to step on to the red-carpet boarding area (I am not kidding). I was first on board and settled into Seat 2D, one of the eight coveted seats up front. Pre-takeoff drinks were served. We took off on time with a scheduled flying time of five hours. There were four planes ahead of us and seven more behind as we taxied to Runway 19R.
As we climbed over the rural Virginian countryside, there were no clouds, but a humid haze covered the whole area as we headed west and north. Up front, we were each served a small dish of warm mixed nuts and a beverage. Next came a hot towel to open and cleanse the pores. Just how I begin lunch at home, not!
I read my paper until the movie started; it was “Ocean's Thirteen,” which had a star-studded cast. Then, lunch was served. I had the chicken with vegetables, salad with Asian dressing, and a can of Coke. For dessert, there was ice cream with chocolate sauce, and for the really decadent, whipped cream. It was a pleasure to have a tablecloth, proper China, and metal cutlery. None of those fast food and disposable utensils up-front, thank you very much! I certainly could get used to traveling this way, but I guess if you do that all the time, it would no longer be special.
[I'd be spending the trip at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, a city to the east of Seattle. The MS campus is spread over many acres, with 50–60, 3–5-story buildings nestled amongst the redwood forests, along with all sorts of playing fields and recreational places. On every floor of every building, there's at least one kitchen area. All soft drinks, flavored water, juice, milk, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are free. There's a microwave, refrigerator, plates and eating utensils. And, of course, vending machines full of price-subsidized snacks. And in every second or third building, there's a cafeteria with subsidized-price food. If you have to work, it's a pretty nice environment in which to do it.]
Welcome to Seattle!
We landed at SeaTac International airport (which serves the Seattle/Tacoma area) just after 3 pm, Pacific Daylight Time, after going backwards in time across three zones. I collected my luggage and walked across the skyway to the multistory parking garage, which also houses the rental car offices. At the Avis Preferred-Customer counter, my name was displayed on the electronic board showing my parking space number. I located my new white Pontiac, checked that it had current registration tags, looked for any obvious damage, and then drove off to the exit gate, where security checked my driver's license against my rental contract that Avis had already placed in my car.
I was soon racing north on Interstate highway I-405 at the local speed limit, 60 mph, listening to the radio. By 4:30 pm, I was in my room at my new home-away-from-home. It had a king-size bed, sofa, coffee table, a full en-suite bathroom, and a full kitchen. And, of course, a TV. I fired up my laptop, connected to the internet, and new email flooded in.
Then it was on to the supermarket to lay in supplies for the next few days. Nothing exotic: cereal, milk, juice, fruit, chocolate, nuts, and chips. Basically, something from each of the major food groups! Supper consisted of Chinese food. I did some work, watched some news, and read a paper before collapsing in bed at 10 pm, local time.
Work and Meetings: Part 1
[Next day] I was up by 6:30 am, tapping away on my laptop, and I was in the office by 9 am. And then it was work, meetings, work, and meetings all day. Back in my room, I worked late into the night.
[Next day] I had planned a hike, but as I had a lot of work to do, sadly, I had to forgo that. And the weather was just wonderful too. Bugger! I spent 12 hours “in the saddle” sitting on the stool at my kitchen table, on top of a thick pillow. I made great progress; Bill Gates would have been proud. Late to bed, very tired.
Off to a Professional Football Game
[Next day] I was up early and worked away in my room until 10:00 am. A Microsoft manager (originally from The Netherlands) picked me up at 10:30 am. We drove to downtown Seattle picking up two other MS folks along the way. Our destination, Qwest Stadium, home of Seattle's professional football team, the Seattle Seahawks. It was the opening game of the season with more than 50,000 people expected. We had a parking space right next to the stadium, and as we arrived early, we had coffee at a shop nearby. The fans were out in force with many of them “in costume,” which often included football uniforms and hair dyed in the home team's colors.
It isn't just airports that have security. Men and women had separate entrance lines, and each person received a pat down to make sure they weren't carrying any prohibited items, whatever that might include. Once we were in the grounds, we encountered a 250-person university marching band that was really “getting into it” on the steps leading up the stadium. The sun was streaming down, the sky was blue, and all was right in that part of the world.
Several years earlier, Jenny and I attended our first professional American football game, but we came away decidedly unimpressed. However, this experience was much better. None of this sitting in a hard-plastic seat out in the masses for us Microsofties. No, we had a private box, with comfortable seating for 24 people, private bathroom, plenty of food and drink, game programs, and, of course, several TV screens on which to watch replays and highlights of other games currently going on around the country. How much would you pay to take 23 of your close friends to a game? Well, let's just say I could have bought a nice car with the cost of that one private box for one afternoon!
The visiting team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Florida. Both teams warmed up and 28 hometown cheerleaders did their thing. As with all non-trivial events in this country, it can’t begin without singing the National Anthem. A local opera star did the honors, and we all stood and sang along with our hands over our hearts. All the while, a massive flag that was at least 50 yards wide x 10 yards high was held horizontally above many honor guards' heads, and they ran their fingers through the flag so that from higher up where we sat it looked like the flag was flying in the breeze.
When the visiting team ran out on the field, the boos thundered around the stadium. In fact, the acoustics of the stadium are such that the crowd makes so much noise at critical times that the opposing players cannot hear any verbal instructions from their quarterback. The Seahawk players were introduced one by one, with great fanfare, smoke, and fireworks. I watched quite a bit of the game and talked business with various people in the box. After all, for us, it was a working event.
I was back at my hotel by 5:30 pm, winding down from all the excitement. Of course, I was only allowed out if I got my work done as well. No whole days off for this guy! Consequently, I slaved away at the keyboard for seven hours, stopping occasionally to snack and drink. Lights out around 1 am. By the way, the Seahawks won 20–6.
Work and Meetings: Part 2
[Next day] No alarm clock today, but I was up after seven hours sleep. I had breakfast in my room and was in the office by 9 am. I faded quickly after lunch and went back to the hotel around 3 pm feeling pretty much wiped-out. I treated myself to an early supper at Denny's family restaurant, one of my favorite chains. I managed to stay awake until 7:30 pm, then crashed.
[Next day] I awoke at 7:30 am after 12 hours sleep. After a nice long shower, I felt almost human. I had a leisurely breakfast at Denny's. Then I worked from the hotel all day: writing, handling email, instant messages, and phone calls. At 6 pm, friend and former colleague Jim picked me up and we went to the Black Angus steakhouse for a very pleasant 3-hour dinner. It had been a year since I was last in town, and I was pleased that my usual well-done steak marinated in teriyaki was still available. Lights out at 10 pm.
[Next day] I was awake and up at 6 am. Once again, I worked from the hotel, this time, until 11 am. Afterwards, at the office, I had a casual working lunch on a cafeteria balcony outside. I went back to my hotel at 4:30 to work. From there, I phoned Jenny in Australia. At 6 pm, I drove to the house of friends Peter and Beth for a BBQ. It was good to catch up with them after a year. Back home early with lights out at 9:30 pm.
[Next day] I had a wake-up call set for 5:30 am but was wide-awake at 4:45 am! At 6:15 am, I was parked outside Building 36 at MS picking up colleagues for the trip into the city. There, we parked in a garage then walked to a very nice conference center that was right on the waterfront. A large breakfast food selection was provided, so we took some of that into our meeting room and participated in an international standards' phone meeting from 7 am for an hour. Then we got down to our own business meeting. We took an hour for lunch, which was a magnificent spread in an adjacent dining room. I had two servings of marinated Kobe beef, noodles, and stir-fried vegetables.
We worked away in the afternoon, breaking by 6 pm, at which time we went to a bar on the pier next door for a drink, and to wind down after a long day. I dropped my colleagues back at their cars at the office, ate in my room, and had an early night.
[Next day] I did a couple of hours’ work before picking up my colleagues again, but this time, an hour later, at 7:15 am. The traffic into the city at that hour was very heavy, but as we had three occupants in our car, we took the express carpool lane, which had no delays.
We had another very productive day of discussions. However, instead of having a great view of the harbor out our meeting room window, we saw the side of a very large cruise ship that plied the Inside Passage up to Alaska. In the morning, the passengers from one cruise disembarked, while the new passengers boarded in the afternoon. When the ship departed, to the sound of loud foghorns, we took a break to go outside and watch it. A harbor fireboat spouted water as it escorted the behemoth.
And just for something different, I agreed to add yet another trip to my already busy schedule through year's end.
We broke for the day around 5 pm, with a lot done, but lots more ahead, and with each of us having a list of action items. Once again, we had drinks on the pier nearby, and then I drove my colleague Tristan back to the office. After a bit of work, we had a leisurely dinner at a local restaurant. Back in my room, I sent some emails, packed my luggage, and gave myself the night off. Lights out at 9 pm.
The Trip Home
It was Travel Day. Again? Yes! But I'm just getting comfortable in this time zone! Too bad; you are needed elsewhere!
I woke up at 7 am and watched TV in bed where I ate cereal with fruit and juice. I made some business phone calls as well as calling friend Gerard in The Netherlands. Being a Saturday night there, I thought he might be resting up after a 200-km road race. In fact, the triathlon season had ended there, so he had had a shorter training ride only.
For the most part, I successfully avoided work and packed up my computer gear and remaining personal items. I checked out of the hotel, and unlike my Berlin trip where internet access was more than $15/day, here it cost only $5.50 for nine days. What a deal! I filled my Pontiac with gas, and took my time driving to the airport, staying in the slow lane the whole way.
Check-in went smoothly, and, don't you know, once again, I scored a complimentary upgrade to First Class. Then it was through security and on to the train to the North terminal. Once again, we boarded via the red-carpet zone, but this time, there were 24 of us up front in the Boeing 757. I was in Seat 1D, a window seat on the starboard (right) side.
Flight UA126 took off on time, to the south, on Runway 16C. We followed the coast of Puget Sound a bit before climbing into the clouds for the less-than-five-hour flight to Washington Dulles International. I moved my clock forward three hours, from 1:55 pm, Pacific Daylight Time, to 4:55 pm, Eastern Daylight Time.
The warm nuts came soon after, followed by the hot towel and drinks. For lunch, I chose the salmon on a bed of couscous with spinach. The garden salad was excellent as were the warm bread rolls with butter. After a cup of hot tea, I reclined my seat to take a nap, but the dessert tray just happened to come by. I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream and one of strawberry but declined the hot fudge and the liqueurs. The ride was smooth, except, of course, when my cup of tea was served.
Well, that's it for Stage 3. I now have nearly five whole days at home before I head off again. And that next trip will be a grueling one. Stay tuned to see if I make it.