Getting efficient at travel has its benefits. I like that I can wake up 90 minutes before my flight and still have time to wait at the gate. Unfortunately the flight was delayed due to fog in both ZRH and PAR.

Bonus: It was sunny above the clouds / fog. The mountains looked like islands in a sea of white.

1 Kürbis, 2 Kürbisse, 3 Kürbissen.

 I was this close to giving up on learning German until she told me it was a joke.

• Words are funny (Arianna’s invention).
• Words are power (us to Arianna).
• Words are powers (Arianna’s invention. We think she thinks that words are super-powers like in some of her big brother’s TV shows (think “Super WHY!“)).

We’re trying to teach her  ”Knowledge is power. France is bacon.”, but she’s not there yet.

When I was young my father said to me:

“Knowledge is Power….Francis Bacon”

I understood it as “Knowledge is power, France is Bacon”.

For more than a decade I wondered over the meaning of the second part and what was the surreal linkage between the two? If I said the quote to someone, “Knowledge is power, France is Bacon” they nodded knowingly. Or someone might say, “Knowledge is power” and I’d finish the quote “France is Bacon” and they wouldn’t look at me like I’d said something very odd but thoughtfully agree. I did ask a teacher what did “Knowledge is power, France is bacon” meant and got a full 10 minute explanation of the Knowledge is power bit but nothing on “France is bacon”. When I prompted further explanation by saying “France is Bacon?” in a questioning tone I just got a “yes”. at 12 I didn’t have the confidence to press it further. I just accepted it as something I’d never understand.

It wasn’t until years later I saw it written down that the penny dropped.