Caren's Big Thoughts

Adelboden Versus Dallas

Raleigh skyline (at night, which is cheating)

Adelboden, Switzerland and Dallas, Texas could not possibly be more different. They do have some things in common, though. For one, I returned from Adelboden a couple of weeks ago and will head to Dallas a week from today.

For another, both are quite different from my hometown. Adelboden is full of mountains (that people fully expect you to hike up and down) and Dallas is flatter than the proverbial buffalo pancake. Raleigh, on the other hand, is situated between the rolling foothills of the Appalachians and the sandhills of the east coast. Rolling hills is what we have. Ones that are easy to hike up and down, might I add.


Oey, near Adelboden (this is close as they get to a skyline!)

Also, Adelboden is a place of cold, snowy winters and cool, gorgeous summers. They believe it is warm when it is 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Ha! Dallas, on the other hand, can be icy and treacherous in the winter (on rare occasions) but enjoys temperatures above 100 degrees F many times during the summer. Raleigh is somewhere in between these, but leans toward the Dallas side on the heat scale.

A big difference between these towns and Raleigh is the great public transportation. Raleigh is trying hard, but it is far behind the fabulous transportation system in Switzerland and also the getting-better-all-the-time rail, light rail and bus system in the greater Dallas area. We used public transportation exclusively while in Adelboden and I plan to do the same thing in Dallas. I love public transportation!


Dallas skyline (our hotel is adjacent to the ball-topped tower)

Raleigh looks much more like Dallas than it does Adelboden, but Raleigh is prettier, if I say so myself. Still, my excitement in visiting Dallas at least equals that of Adelboden, because Dallas is hosting the RWA national conference this year. As I say every year, I love conference! I will once again be rooming with my dear friends Sabrina Jeffries, Claudia Dain and Deb Marlowe. We are fortunate to have Laura Maldonado rooming with us this year, the fabulous President of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers.

I can hardly wait until the conference next week. Catching up with my writer friends, attending great workshops and parties, pitching to an agent and an editor. Onto the merry-go-round once more! So, as different as this trip will be from my last, it should prove to be just as exciting. But probably slightly easier on my feet!

Anyone else going to conference? Or just on a great trip? Let me know, I love to travel vicariously through others!

posted by Caren Crane @ 9:56 AM