2007-03-04

The Lost Bag

I flew to Geneva for a meeting at CERN (more on that later). I had had some strange feelings packing my bag (I put my abacus necklace in my pants pocket, for example), but had the thesis I was planning on reading in the bag.

It arrived in Geneva soaking wet - apparantly the El-Cheapo-Airline does not pay for covers for the baggage carts. Whatever, thesis is still readable, clothes will dry, we ask our way and get directed to the wrong bus. When we discover this we hop out of the bus - and stupid me leaves my bag on the bus, I had put it on a bag carrier place.

Stupid idiot. Chasing a bag in a bus is not possible in Geneva. As soon as I got to CERN I asked for help at the reception - they had no idea what to do. They found a 0900 telephone number to call, but couldn't call out themselves, as these numbers are also sex-line numbers..... But the guy I was visiting had a VOIP line to Germany, so I was able to call from there.

No, they couldn't help. Also, they speak French. But I could call in 45 minutes. I tried to get her to page the bus driver - I knew which line, what time it left the airport, and it was a very long bus line, the driver must still be on his bus. She did not seem to understand. We called 2 more times, no, no bag. She suggested I call the lost-and-found the next morning.

I spent a rather sleepless night being angry at myself for being so forgetful and sad about the nice newish clothes I had in the bag - and irritated at not having the thesis to read. Sleep you can do without clothes, but it felt horrible not being able to brush my teeth in the morning. Luckily, the newspaper shop on campus had toothbrushes, deoderant and razors. I got two out of three and dashed for the ladies' room.

Just before the meeting my colleague had a French-speaking secretary call the lost-and-found. And guess what - the bag had just came in, and the guy checking it in found it highly amusing that he had the same last name as mine. I was just so relieved that the bag was found. My colleague drove me down through a horrible traffic jam to retrieve the bag - had to fill out a ton of forms and pay 15 Swiss Franks, and I got my bag back. And nothing was missing, not even my other silver necklace. Extra points for Geneva.

How nice to sleep in my nightgown again and brush my teeth and do my hair the next morning :)

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