snow storms and the arrival!

O K !

snows getting thicker, and this place is getting colder... thats what I think until I take the ryanair shuttle to germany... and then, I KNOW that the snow is getting REALLY THICK and the place is getting REALLY COLD!

theres about 2 feet of snow in some places! So, I am on the shuttle, having chats with random people, this time around the crowd included a couple from Hong Kong, [who quizzed me a lot about what I was doing in Strasbourg all the way away from Gujarat! (but they were very sweet!)], a lady from England, who is appling to the same course that my mum is on at Bath spa(!) and a south african dude who went to school with Vismay!! gosh, small world indeed - talk of the seven degrees of separation!

anyhoo... major red alert now: Chris' plane is 1h20mins late... shuttle drivers like: No way am I staying in the snow here - you guys make your plans (she even leaves without giving me a refund- evil woman!)

after much thinking I have a couple of options: [presented here in a project considerations sort of way just so as to prove to myself that I do use project management somewhere!]
1) greet Chris and ask him very politely ask him
* is he fit to drive? [he, I thought would have utilized the time of plane delay in a pub, and as it turned out - yes, he had, good man!]
* has he got his driving license?
* is he willing to drive a 59 euro/night car?
* from Baden Airpark to Strasbourg in France?!
* in a snow-storm?
* without a map?
[I talk to the Europacar guy at the airport and have him arrange me a car on standby complete with winter tyres, fog lights, a spare tyre, anti-icing/freeze kit, a list of potential close german places we could return the car next day to and a first aid-kit!] at the back of my head im thinking, this has got to be one of the stupidest thing the guy has heard in a while!

2) I tear off a travel poster [courtesy: Thomas cook travels counter at Baden Airpark!] and borrow a large marker and advertize in proper hitch hiker style : "Anyone going to Strasbourg?" in English and French... dumb as the idea sounds, it worked! luckily, the third person I asked turned out to be a taxi driver who was waiting for only one person who was an Engineer for a firm near my university. Holding on to the hope that goodness still exists in this world, I keep all fingers and toes crossed till the plane arrives!

luckily, goodness does exist, Chris landed safely, and we were able to get back to Strasbourg, albeit at some ridiculous time in the night! We watch the snow collect outside on the balcony and the windows all night - its really cool! :-)