We boarded Flight 23 through gate SB30, the one you get to by riding down the luggage conveyors.
Not many people know about the subterranean hangars. The steam dirigible took us into the clouds. It was a strange crowd on board—many unintelligible languages.
The coffee on board was dark and chocolaty, with a wood-fire taste, served by flight attendants who were mountain trolls, a bit grumpy.
In Geneva our dwarf guide took us down the back alleys, where you can still see the occasional “granchat.” They block traffic until they wake up.
A goat man brought us firewood on this brouette, which was parked at the base of the stairs of our stone house.
Not many people know about the subterranean hangars. The steam dirigible took us into the clouds. It was a strange crowd on board—many unintelligible languages.
The coffee on board was dark and chocolaty, with a wood-fire taste, served by flight attendants who were mountain trolls, a bit grumpy.
In Geneva our dwarf guide took us down the back alleys, where you can still see the occasional “granchat.” They block traffic until they wake up.
A goat man brought us firewood on this brouette, which was parked at the base of the stairs of our stone house.
Ha, ha, ha! That's hilarious! I'm jealous I've never seen a grandchat, and I go to Geneva at least once a year!
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeletethis is the most fun i have had on your blog in some time! i would love to see more, and maybe even a book in this direction!
There's a place I want to visit. It's somewhere in eastern Europe, right? A place of murky borders, twisted leafless forests, and a lack of daily newspapers?
ReplyDeleteYup, that's pretty much Switzerland as I remember it. Haven't been there since last summer, but I bet it hasn't changed much since then.
ReplyDeleteJim, these are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteVery smart people have calculated how much time we loose in a lifetime on waiting for a bus, a train, plane,...
ReplyDeleteI think artists have a different view on that.
good to see you back buddy!
ReplyDeletelooks like a little "where the wild things are" influence there, haha.
great stuff, ever thought of writing a kids book...haha...
ok that question was a joke, but maybe a book with more "loose" drawings, "simpiler" would be very cool...just a quick silly book for young kids, that would be freaking awsome!
That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've often pictured what my fellow commuters might look like as aliens.
Just perfect...I love the journey into imagination...you bring it to life so well.
ReplyDeletewow, great stuff! I havent seen a leprechaun use public transit in ages!
ReplyDeleteCool drawings! I always thought it would be cool if people in different countries had to live with their respective folklore creatures. Imagine visiting Greece or the British Isles!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to what inspired these sketches. Like was there really some one on the plane who made you think of a leprechaun? Was your guide particularly short?
This post was worth the wait.I knew there was secret world behind Swiss air! If someone had told me earlier I may have gotten over my fear of flying.
ReplyDeleteHeh! I love these, you should do more!
ReplyDeleteI've had a smile on my face all morning after looking at these. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for grandchats. I'm sure they're everywhere and I just haven't seen them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim!
Cadet--What inspired the sketches? Boredom. Erik was right: most of them were done in waiting lobbies or on trains. I found a glue stick in my sketching bag and stuck whatever was in my pocket on the page to get the sketch rolling.
ReplyDeleteThe little man with the top hat was based on a real guy sitting across from me (he was actually very normal looking). The setting of the grandchat picture was sketched from a real street in Geneva. My imagination is rather weak--I need to have something to look at to get it started.
Thanks for your encouragement, everyone. Maybe I'll look for more unusual creatures around here. And I loved following all your links and seeing your blogs and websites.
I second (third?) the opinion that a book in this direction would be highly enjoyable! The goat man really got me.
ReplyDeleteI live in Geneva, and it's exactly as James Gurney describes it!
ReplyDeleteThe Granchat is a unique local attraction!
Not to be missed when visiting.
:D
I love these, you should do more really its very interesting.
ReplyDeletefunny facebook statuses