My mind is on hyper-drive when I wander around a town for the first time. The only problem is that I’m not usually thinking of anything very useful or deep, just ruminating on my observations. The first of thought that grabbed my mind in Geneva was how quiet it was. But here are a couple of other thoughts that hopefully give you a glimpse inside my head.

eeewwwww

I hate overhead wires. While Matthew Yglesias argues that overhead wires are just fine in the historic towns of Europe, I see them as a sign that these towns have become complacent in their ongoing development. I love public transport, but it needs to evolve. Overhead wires strike me as a fairly old technology which should be swapped out for a system of rail cars with on-board clean engines, in ground wiring, or a cable car system (I’m sure the tech must have improved since San Fran put their system in the 19th century). While European cities are likely the last places that need to invest in infrastructure overhauls, I think it would be a very positive development.

I swear, every one is different

All the urinals are different. Hang with me here, I know you’re thinking that the urinal on the left looks like any other out there. Truth is it was slightly different, and unlike any other urinal in other restrooms in Geneva. Admittedly, I’ve only been to 4 or so urinals in Switzerland, but no two have been alike. That’s what’s throwing me off. I might be totally off here, but I feel that generally in a certain area it is common to find most of the urinals, especially in public toilets like museums, train stations, and restaurants, to be largely the same. For example, in Munich public toilets they are the little ones with the fly printed on the them (giving you something to aim at). I have to wonder if there is just a proliferation of urinal manufacturers in Switzerland, or if Geneva’s location at the center of Europe means that they have a plethora of choices for sourcing bathroom hardware.

Of course there are other things on my mind, but these are recurring thoughts that seem to come back every time I turn a corner or duck into the loo. Now if only I could get my mind working to understand quantum logic.