And she caves.

Yesterday was the hottest I've been. I wore a shirt that was constricting and a bit heavy. And a black skirt made of a synthetic fabric that didn't breathe at all. Most of the day we were not in AC (contrary to what we were told). I think it was because we spent time in large rooms and common areas that aren't air conditioned, unlike small offices. The 2 hour, 45-minute train ride back to Zurich also was hot. There was AC but it was so weak, it didn't cool the burn I had going on. I was absolutely miserable. I got back to the hostel around 10 pm and it was like a sauna. I'd gotten less than 3 hours sleep before going to Geneva, and not a good night's sleep for a week. Lying in a sweaty bed listening to a large group of Cubans in the park (they look like they were set up for the Cuban equivalent of the Fourth of July) just wasn't on.

So I did what any reasonable person would do. I joined AirBnB and found an air conditioned room within a reasonable distance of the hostel. My hostess, Rosanna, lives elsewhere. She met me at 12:15 am (45 minutes later than she said she'd be there...) and showed me to a small apartment--that has no air conditioning. I had used a search filter on Air BnB to specify AC, so I was more than a bit disappointed. However, I was four floors higher up (farther from traffic) and I had a fan. And there was no park full of all-night-long revellers nearby. So I was happy enough.

The worst part was walking about 12 blocks to the apartment block at Badenerstrasse 414. I hadn't been on those streets before and I had no idea what kind of neighbourhoods I'd walk through. I'm not the world's most adventurous traveler so walking alone at 11:30 pm in a strange city made my heart beat faster. I needn't have worried. I saw women walking and biking alone (always a good sign). Couples and friends hanging out by a fountain. This seems to be a very safe city--and one where people stay up late. I think most of the residents in my building are retirees.

I'm giving myself major props for overcoming several fears. One of which is dealing with a new website with an onerous registration process. Whoever designs these websites didn't have me in mind. I couldn't get it to accept the photo I took of my driver's license, so I went through the 20 questions process. One required me to link to Facebook or LinkedIn. The disclosures page said something about linking to my contacts. I picked LinkedIn, because I don't have many contacts there. I don't know what any of this means--will my contacts get marketing from Air BnB? I would feel terrible if they did--but I was also so heat stressed I'd pawn my dog for air conditioning.
7-22