Menu update: yesterday one of the entrees was "ragoût of rabbit in a spicy sauce" (luckily I missed out on that one--I had rabbit once, and contrary to what you might think, it tastes NOTHING like chicken). Today one of the choices is a kind of fish with "Hummersauce". Heh heh heh...

So...Warsaw. Interesting place. It's kind of got that bombed-to-hell-during-WWII-and-rebuilt-by-the-communists-so-everything-looks-like-a-housing-project feel to it (although with apologies to mom, it's nowhere near as bad as Vilnius, Lithuania--although I liked the Old Town in Vilnius better). And there is something vaguely menacing about people coming up and speaking Polish (which sounds a little like Russian, which of course by its very nature is menacing)--do they want money? Directions? A cigarette? Advice? A friendly shoulder to cry on? Still, for reasons I can't quite describe, I kind of liked it. Maybe it's the way they've rebuilt after the devastation of the war and the communist era--the city seems to have a certain energy to it. Maybe it's because the people were pretty friendly, at least the ones who weren't menacing. Maybe it's because I was only there for two days. I wouldn't exactly plan a family vacation there, but I also wouldn't turn down another invitation to go.

One of the things I like to do is pick up the free local papers and try to figure out what's going on. Here's the story about yesterday's snow from one of the local freebies--I think I'm going to start saying "Das ist wirklich super!" from now on:

Schnee und Verkehrsprobleme zum Ferienbeginn

BASEL - Gerade rechtzeitig zum Auftakt der Winterferien wurden die Kinder der Region mit bis zu 25 cm Schnee beschenkt.

«Das ist wirklich super», strahlte die achtjährige Pamela aus Binningen und sauste mit ihrem Schlitten den Margarethenhügel hinunter.

Weniger Freude bereitete der plötzliche Wintereinbruch gestern Morgen den Autofahrern. Auf den Strassen im Baselbiet ereigneten sich dadurch rund 20 Unfälle. Dabei wurde eine Frau verletzt.

Wegen Wind und Schnee wurden zudem am EuroAirport 18 Flüge annulliert und insgesamt acht umgeleitet.

* * * *

Then there was this in yesterday's paper--I have no idea what it means, but it has to do with Dick Cheney's daughter and sounds moderately scandalous, at least in German.

More about yesterday's earthquake. I don't understand a word of it, but you get the idea. Here's something in English--I guess it was centered somewhere in France.

A few minutes ago I was sitting at my desk, working away on a paper, when what do we have? A small earthquake! Nothing serious; just enough to get the adrenaline going a little bit, but I thought I left earthquakes behind when I left California. I guess there is a history here, but still...

Tomorrow I leave for Warsaw, Poland, which I imagine is a delight this time of year. I asked my mom about Warsaw (she travelled a bit in Poland) and at first she said she loved it, then said "wait, no, it was Krakow that I loved--I hated Warsaw!" I'm sure it will be interesting.

Woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow. It doesn't snow often here--probably a little less than in DC--yet unlike in DC, snow doesn't seem to cause utter chaos and panic. It's beautiful. Unfortunately, being an idiot, I left our digital camera with Gretchen rather than bringing it.

Turns out I have a meeting in NYC on March 1, which is good for a variety of reasons but unfortunately I'll have to miss Fasnacht. It actually looks pretty entertaining--oh well, maybe next year when Gretchen can enjoy it with me.

Yet another Beavis and Butthead moment (if our moms are reading this, please stop here)--last night I'm walking past a shop that sells home accessories and they have a bunch of clocks in the window. I look at one of them and what is the brand name? Boner. I swear, you can't take me anywhere...

Geez, I go away for a few days and Duke loses two in a row? What's up with that?

For those who have asked what Gretchen's mom is fighting, it's called leiomyosarcoma. If you're interested, you can find more info here and here.

Special feature about Switzerland in this week's Economist. (You probably need a membership to read all the articles.)

The Swiss aren't exactly known for their cuisine (fondue aside), but one of their specialties is rösti. Imagine hash browns cooked in as much butter as humanly possible, with a thick layer of cheese and other toppings (mine last night had bacon, and not that wussy thin American bacon, but big chunks of the stuff they call "speck" here), topped off with a fried egg, roasted to a hot, gooey consistency that is more or less guaranteed to scald the roof of your mouth. Between the cholesterol and the carbs I'm sure it takes at least a month off your life expectancy every time you eat it, but MAN is it tasty.

Another reason I can tell I'm not in the States anymore--today for lunch the cafeteria served reindeer entrecôte with buckwheat spaetzle (and red cabbage--yuck). The reindeer was actually pretty good. Yesterday they served an omelet with chicken livers (suffice it to say I opted for the veal instead). This is not exactly your typical Fed cafeteria fare.

I think the German word for entrance is "einfahrt" and a driveway or an exit is an "ausfahrt". I feel like Beavis & Butthead, snickering to myself every time I see signs around town with those words. Just doing my part to protect the image of the unsophisticated American...

It's almost time for Fasnacht, Basel's version of Carnival. It's supposed to be a good time, unless of course you find clowns to be particularly disturbing.