Could it be?

Every now and again I check out the English Corner of the Basler Zeitung (the main local paper), and today I was pleasantly surprised to see that stores may in the future stay open all the way until 8:00pm (and 6:00pm on Saturdays). I never realised how much I took for granted being able to shop any time I wanted in the States (OK, truth be told it was like pulling teeth to get me to go shopping any time of day, but it's the thought that counts...I COULD go shopping 24 hours if I really wanted to). Of course, I also learned that evidently rain washes feces into the rivers here, but that's not so much an issue for me because the Rhine is lined with chemical plants, so unlike plenty of locals, I have no intention of swimming in the rivers here under any circumstances.

I hate it when that happens

So tonight I decided to watch my second rental of the weekend, Boogie Nights, rather than fight the crowds downtown (although Swiss National Day isn't until tomorrow, tonight is the big night with fireworks downtown). I was about 45 minutes into it when, all of a sudden, the screen froze and it started making a high-pitched screech. Now I can't eject the DVD or even turn the player off. Tomorrow I'll try to unplug it and see if that helps. No great loss, I suppose, since the DVD player is probably the only thing I've ever bought in Switzerland that was relatively inexpensive, but it's still irritating. Now my entertainment for the night will be trying to calm Grady down every time he freaks out from the fireworks outside and hope he doesn't puke again (which he did two more times this afternoon)...

Two thumbs up

Last night I watched Collateral on DVD. I didn't really know much about it other than that Tom Cruise was one of the stars (not necessarily a selling point), and that it got some good reviews. I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the occasional Hollywood touch, it was entertainingly suspenseful, Jamie Foxx was excellent in the co-lead as a cab driver caught in horrible circumstances beyond his control, and Tom Cruise was a very convincing sociopath. More than anything, it was beautifully filmed and had a really distinctive style, which I suppose isn't too surprising since it was directed by Michael Mann of "Miami Vice" fame. Definitely recommended if you don't mind the sometimes harsh violence.

Then this morning I finished reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry. It's a satire set sometime in the future when essentially everything, including security and defense, has been privatised and is controlled by large corporations (which sounds at first glance a bit absurd, and then you read things like this and say "hmmmm..."). I was afraid the book was just going to be an anti-corporate screed, which I wouldn't have much patience for, but I actually found it to be clever, well-written, entertaining and quite funny. Of course it has a fairly anti-corporate, anti-consumerist bent, but only rarely is it blatantly ideological, and more than anything it's a fun read. It felt a bit like reading a Carl Hiaasen story that's set in the future instead of in Florida.

A morning treat

For some reason Grady only seems to get sick when Gretchen is out of town (do I stress him out?). Sure enough, this morning I was getting ready to take him for a walk when I noticed him eating something under my dining room chair...yep, he'd puked and decided it would make a nice after-breakfast treat. An excellent way to start the day for both of us, all things considered.

Long weekend

This is literally going to be a long weekend because Monday is Swiss National Day, so no work. Woohoo--three day weekend and I'm actually going to try not to go to work so I can do taxes instead (better late than never)! But it will also be a long weekend figuratively because, like the Fourth of July back home, a big part of Swiss National Day (and the days leading up to it) seems to involve setting off lots of firecrackers and fireworks. I'm more or less indifferent to fireworks, but I've realised that Dog + Fireworks = No Sleep. Every time Grady hears an explosion of any sort, no matter how distant, he barks VERY LOUDLY (he's a big softie, but if you hear his bark you would think Cujo was in the house). Oh, and now we're having another thunderstorm, which has the same effect. Good times!

Quote of the day

Me to Gretchen after hearing how she filled the time on the long flight from Frankfurt to Chicago: "I'll bet you were the only one on the plane who read both The Economist and InStyle."

It's the end of the world as we know it...

It's been hot here the past few days. Not DC hot, mind you, but Basel hot (low 90s and a bit humid, but our house has no A/C so it's pretty uncomfortable). About a half-hour ago the skies turned black. Not gray, not dark...black to the point that the street lights all came on at 5:30pm even though the sun doesn't set until 9:00pm or so. It was the sort of sky where back in the States I'd thinking about where to go in the event of a tornado.

Anyway, all of a sudden an enormous din arose from one side of my building. I went to see what was happening and it turned out we were being pelted with hail. Now it may not have been the golf ball-sized or ping pong ball-sized hail that you read about in the US Midwest from time to time (which I'm always skeptical of anyway), but it also wasn't the usual pea-sized. OK, let's call it chickpea-sized. We're talking chunks of the stuff slamming into the windows, blown by a hellacious wind. It made me awfully glad my car was parked in the garage and not sitting outside, because I think I really understood for the first time how a bad hailstorm can cause damage. (There have been non-stop police and fire sirens outside since then.) Bizarro. But at least the temperature has dropped about 10 degrees celsius (20 or so degrees Fahrenheit) so the house might finally cool off...

Déjà vu all over again...

You know that old expression that "when the cat is away, the mice will play"? Well, Gretchen left for Wisconsin this morning, I have to say that when the cat is away, the mice will...walk the dog and take the garbage out. It's been about a year since I had to run home at lunch to walk Grady, so it felt really strange to do that again this afternoon. Gretchen is so good to me that she took time out of her preparations to stock up on groceries and write notes with detailed instructions for taking care of the apartment and Grady, so I should be in good shape. I kept trying to tell her that if I could handle it on my own for four months last year, then three weeks should be a breeze. In reality, I give it two days before I start griping about how it's too hard to hold down a job and take care of the house and dog. I hear the violins warming up to accompany my sad tales of woe...

Exhibition

The photo club where I work is currently collecting pictures for an exhibition on the theme of "Water," with the 12 best pictures going into a calendar. I don't think I've ever entered anything like that, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and submit the following (the first is sunset from Gretchen's family cabin in northern Wisconsin, the second is from near Bondi Beach in Sydney, and the third is a waterfall on the outskirts of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland):

Tour de Wisconsin

You've heard of the Tour de France, but tomorrow I begin on the Tour de Wisconsin. Actually, it's nothing like the one in France, because I won't be riding a bike or anything, but I thought the name was catchy. Here in Basel, our place will become a bachelor pad as I leave Kirk behind to continue working hard to bring home the bacon and dogsit Grady. Considering how much time I used to spend traveling back to Wisconsin while living in Washington, it's hard to believe that it will have been a year since I've been there. Actually, I will be flying over there exactly one year to the day after my Mom died. The year has really flown by... it's been filled with all sorts of amazing experiences and I love living in Basel, but am really looking forward to a trip back to the homeland.

I'm calling it the Tour de Wisconsin because I'll literally be driving around the state. I'll be splitting my time (almost 3 weeks!) between my sister's house just outside of Milwaukee, our family's cabin in northern Wisconsin (Three Lakes), and Madison, which is where I grew up and where I lived with my Mom for 4 months last summer. The most exciting thing will be seeing my sister and her family and lots of very good friends who I miss a lot. And the food, of course. I could probably write a whole post just about lots of yummy things I plan to eat while I'm there. A few days ago, my dear friend Nanci asked "Will you have enough time to eat all that you want to while you're here?". Hopefully, yes, and hopefully she will be joining me for much of it! The trip will also be filled with a whirlwind of emotions, as I suspect I will be flooded with lots of memories of the last time I was there, caring for my Mom, and ultimately losing her to cancer. I can't imagine how weird it will be to see the house where I grew up, and where my parents lived for 40 years, now occupied by new owners.

I'm not sure how much I will blog over the next few weeks, but I'm sure Kirk will contribute plenty while I'm gone, keeping everyone posted on the excitement around Basel, including the upcoming Swiss National Day (which I will miss for the 2nd year!). Now it's time for me to get packing so I can get to the pool this afternoon. It's going to be a hot one!

Storks!

I saw something spectacular this morning. That alone is pretty impressive considering it's only 8:15 AM! While taking Grady for a walk, I saw 10 storks all grazing together in the field near our house! We've written many times before about how cool the storks are around here, but never before have I seen so many in one place. I didn't even know there were that many in Basel. It really was quite a sight. If only I had had my camera... but who thinks of bringing a camera on a 6:30 AM dog walk?

Bummer

About a month ago I linked to a fascinating obituary from The Economist...well, as it turns out, the story wasn't entirely accurate so they had to publish a bit of a mea culpa. Oops...

Is this real?

I was reading a baseball story that said "...he struck out Coco Crisp to end the inning...", and I thought to myself that there surely can't actually be a baseball player named Coco Crisp, can there? But yes, it turns out there is. (If you don't know why I find that so amusing, there was a popular cereal when I was growing up called Cocoa Krispies.) That has to be one of the best sports names to come along since NASCAR driver Dick Trickle. See, this is the kind of stuff you miss when you only get Eurosport in German instead of ESPN...

Crime wave

This morning I took the bus to get a haircut, and when I got off I was surprised to see 12-15 police officers standing along the street and generally looking quite serious. Was there a suspicious package nearby? Perhaps a hostage situation? Soccer hooligans running amok? In these uncertain times, you just never know what sort of serious situation merits a heavy law enforcement presence. Well, it quickly became apparent that this show of force was intended to...check bicycles. They were pulling over every cyclist who had the misfortune of riding past, presumably to make sure they had their license, headlight, etc. I for one feel much safer knowing that Basel's finest are out in full force to keep us safe from the scourge of unregistered bicycles.

A few of my favorite things

From all of Kirk's recent posts about Copenhagen, one might wonder whether I had any thoughts at all about the weekend! I guess I had better add my two cents, but really, I could just say "ditto" to all of what Kirk has already said. We had a great weekend and really enjoyed Copenhagen. Then again, when do we not enjoy traveling? I can't really think of anytime we came home from a trip and said "That place really sucked". Fortunately, we always find something we like about everyplace we visit.

Kirk asked me as we were eating dinner on Saturday night if I had any highlights of our Copenhagen weekend. The first thing I thought of were the roller coasters! We had a great time on Friday night at Tivoli Gardens. It's one of the world's oldest amusement parks and has been right in the center of Copenhagen for over 160 years. We rode some fun rides and had a good time people watching. We saw lots of happy kids were eating huge ice cream cones and "candy floss" (what we know as cotton candy).

We also found that Copenhagen had wonderful bakeries. That's saying a lot, considering we frequently rave about the bakeries in Switzerland. We ate lots of "Danish", although they're not at all like the Danish you find in American bakeries. What we call Danish, they call Wienerbrod, which is really confusing because that means Vienna bread. Yum. It was all good.

Most of all, I think the highlight for me was buying fresh peas! As we've mentioned before, lots of fruits and veggies have a season in Basel, such as cherries, asparagus, and strawberries. Clearly it is pea season in Denmark right now. They were being sold at little street markets everywhere. I bought a big bag of them first thing on Friday morning, and ate them as we walked throughout the city.



Then again, on Saturday afternoon as we were sitting at a cafe, I saw a woman across the street with a cart full of peas for sale. I bought another bag and these peas were even better. I brought so many peas with me back to Basel that I'm actually taking a bag of them to share with a friend this afternoon!

It's the little things

I think maybe one reason I liked Copenhagen so much is that when we asked for a glass of water, they didn't automatically bring us an expensive bottle of mineral water like they do here. Instead they actually brought us normal cold tap water for free...WITH ICE! I know it's one of those uniquely American obsessions that in the grand scheme of things is an incredibly minor nuisance, but I can't remember the last time I was served ice with my water in Europe. And it was gooooooooood...

Hej there!

One of the confusing things about being in Denmark is that the Danish word for hello is hej, which is pronounced "hi". You'd think that would be simple enough, but if we said "hi", they might think we spoke Danish, so our conversations went something like this:

DANISH PERSON: "Hej."

ME: "Hi."

DANISH PERSON: "Sæøre lårøæå røæø?"

At which point I, being an idiot, would not say anything but would just stare in awe, at which point Gretchen would elbow me in the ribs until I asked if they spoke English.

(Of course, this was still probably better than Japan, where "hai" is also pronounced "hi" and means "yes". So we would walk into a shop and they would say "hai", as in "yes?", and our natural response was to reply to "hai" with a "hi" of our own, which I'm sure was quite confusing because the conversation was basically: "yes?" "yes!".)

Woof

I wouldn't necessarily want to live with one in my house, but you just have to love the ever-so-Swiss St. Bernard. I don't understand this article or this one from this week's Migros Magazin (one of our local supermarket rags), but the pictures are worth a look if you like St. Bernards...

A place to call home

Whenever we visit a city, I like to try to figure out whether or not I think I could live there. We're not actually looking to live anyplace else, but it's sometimes kind of fun to figure out if a place is just fun to visit but maybe wouldn't be the easiest place to live (e.g., Barcelona). I end up concluding that I could live in most places that aren't too hot and humid (e.g., Hong Kong and Singapore would be difficult...which begs the question of why my home in the States is Washington, DC, but that's a whole other issue). Gretchen, on the other hand, is much more discerning--most places have something that would make it difficult to live there.

We were both in agreement, though, that Copenhagen was one of the most liveable cities we've visited--I was ready to start looking for housing! The city is attractive and pleasant and clean, the people are friendly (and blonde), there's a really good vibe, a counterculture that I would probably never partake of but would be glad it's there, lots of culture and fashion and design (the latter two of which I also would not partake of), etc. Dogs and kids seemed to be welcome everywhere. Outside of the historic centre, it's amazing how much it reminded me of San Francisco--not so much the architecture, but the atmosphere and the people and even the climate. Or perhaps a cleaner Amsterdam.

On top of that, everyone spoke perfect English but didn't make us feel like idiots for not speaking Danish. On the other hand, we got to hear a waitress ask us if we would like to try a dessert called Rødgrød med Fløde, the pronunciation of which requires indescribable lingual contortions and sounds like it's being said by a Muppet.

So big ups to Copenhagen--now, if I could only figure out how to find a job there (of course, ask me if I would say the same thing after a visit in January and I might have a very different perspective)...

Blonde Nation

We just spent a weekend in the blondest place I've ever seen (and I come from Southern California). I don't think I've ever seen so many blonde, attractive, freshly scrubbed folks in one place.

Living in a German-speaking area, everyone knows Gretchen's name (although they pronounce it sort of like "Graytcheeyen"). As she's been reminded countless times, Gretchen is (a) a really old name (i.e. no one names their kids that anymore); and (b) an important character in Goethe's Faust. In Copenhagen, on the other hand, I was the one who felt right at home:

Really bad music

Most mornings I like to watch CNN while I eat my breakfast, but during commercials (or really boring stories) I flip over to watch videos on MTV. When I say MTV, I mean it generically because we actually have 4 music video channels which means I can usually find at least one of them playing videos. I was reminded this morning of the two worst songs that are popular here right now, both of which are getting way too much play on MTV and both of which should be banned from all radio and TV because I can't stand them. "Lonely" by Akon (which also happens to be one of the top selling ringtones for cell phones in Europe right now) and "La Tortura" by Shakira. Don't know if they're popular in the US too, but hopefully I can escape from hearing them when I leave for Wisconsin next week. They are the most annoying songs ever!

It's a small world

Last night I had a mini college reunion. We had dinner with our soon-to-be-Basel friends Shelly and Jon. Shelly and I were in the same sorority back at the University of Minnesota, but she's two years older than me so I never knew her that well. We have a mutual friend, however, who got us re-connected after all these years upon hearing of Shelly and Jon's relocation to Basel. It's funny how you can see someone after not being in touch (or even thinking about each other, really) for 15 years and just pick up where you left off. I suppose it's not that way with everyone, but it was almost like we were long lost friends reuniting again last night. I'm really looking forward to welcoming some new friends to Basel. So many people took me under their wings when I arrived here last year and I hope to be able to do the same. After all, who else is going to help them understand the most important rules about living in Switzerland? I told them last night about a few things they need to know right away. #1: Always yield to trams. Pedestrians always have right of way, unless a tram is involved. #2: Only throw out trash in official Basel-Stadt trash bags which can be purchased at a special counter at most grocery stores. #3: When buying produce, you have to weigh it on the scales in the produce section and get the price sticker before taking it to the cash register. Maybe I should write a book of helpful tips for Basel expats after leaving here next year.

Here we go again

Since we're trying to make the most of our time here, tomorrow we leave for another weekend away, this time to Copenhagen (which, despite quitting almost 10 years ago, makes me want to try dip again, even though the tobacco has nothing to do with the city and would make me sick as a dog, so never mind). Anyway, it should be fun but because of work I've had no time to do any research so I really know nothing about it--I guess there's Tivoli and the Little Mermaid and all that, but we're pretty much flying blind this time around.

Reading The Big Finn's rant about steep fares in Switzerland reminded me that we booked our tickets using miles. So I sort of thought that the tickets would be, you know...free, more or less (I know there are always little nagging charges when you use miles). In our case I think we had to pay at least 75 francs each for the privilege of our "free" tickets. Still a good deal, mind you, compared to the normal summer fares, but when you add in a round-trip train to Zurich, all of a sudden what was intended to be a dirt cheap weekend isn't looking so cheap anymore...

So anyway, Copenhagen. Maybe I'll get in touch with my Nordic roots and get motivated to plan a fall trip to Norway.

Am I in Basel?

I just saw something that I never would have expected to see in Basel. It was so un-Swiss. I was taking the tram home from a haircut, and there was a man laying on one of the seats, totally passed out. His head was hanging off the seat, face up, with his feet toward the windows. This was at 10:30 in the morning, mind you. At first I thought it was a young guy just sort of joking around and being a bit rebellious (that would be considered rebellious by Swiss standards). But no, he was totally out cold the whole time I was on the tram-- about 15 minutes-- and with no sign of moving even though my tram stop is one of the last on the line. Much to my surprise, other passengers were not doing the usual staring you might expect. I think it must have made everyone uncomfortable because everyone just sort of walked by and tried to sit far away from him. It's much more typical to see people passed out on subways in a big city, but I certainly have never seen anything like it in Basel. How weird.

Dr. Beckmann

For those of you who live in Switzerland and are looking for more info on the miraculous stain remover that I mentioned yesterday, it's called Dr. Beckmann Fleckenteufel. My wonderful husband found a website that describes all the different versions of stain removers they make. Check it out!

This is getting old

Saturday morning: After a long week of work/travel, and with Grady still in the kennel instead of flopping outside our bedroom door, we were both looking forward to sleeping in a little bit (which for us means as late as 7:30 or 8:00am--crazy!). Anyway, we were rudely awakened right at 6:00am by a really loud crash of thunder (and since the window next to the head of our bed was open, there was no missing it).

Sunday evening/Monday morning: It's always nice to start the week feeling relatively rested. So what a treat to have another thunderstorm, this time at 3:30am. (To add insult to injury, Gretchen had agreed to water our landlord's flowers if it didn't rain overnight, and despite lots of thunder and lightning, it never actually rained, so she had to go out and water flowers in the morning.)

Last night/this morning: Yep, this time at 1:30am another big thunderstorm rolled through. And as if the thunder wasn't enough to wake us, the rain started blowing in through our open window, not enough to soak anything but enough to feel like someone was spraying my face with a squirt gun.

In DC you sort of expect a few thunderstorms a week during the summer. Despite plenty of rain here, though, until recently it didn't usually come in the form of thunderstorms. I just wish they would arrive at noon instead of the middle of the night.

Oh, and in keeping with the whiny nature of this post, my allergies are so bad today that I've gone through half a box of kleenex and my eyes are so red and puffy that I look like I'm stoned out of my mind...

A bunch of random stuff

I didn't think any of these random thoughts warranted a separate post, so here they are all in one.

First of all, I discovered the most amazing stain remover this weekend. Would anyone ever think that you could buy an effective stain remover at the pharmacy? I mean a real pharmacy, which are called Apotheke here, and they're much smaller than the American CVS or Eckerd. While in Krakow, Kirk got an ugly stain on his shirt and pants of hot butter and paprika that squirted out of a chicken (don't ask). I thought it would never come out. Then my friend Sabrina told me how she used this amazing stain remover (that she bought at the Apotheke) to get a bike grease stain out of her husband's bike jersey. So she lent it to me, and I couldn't believe how it worked! Side note: I realize as I'm telling this story that it sounds a bit like a 1970s ad for laundry detergent. Anyway, have you ever seen something remove a butter/oil stain instantly? So cool.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Real World junkie. Lucky for me, the European version of MTV shows old episodes. I just finished watching Philadelphia and I have to say I'm a big fan. Probably my favorite season yet. I especially liked Landon, probably because he's a Wisconsin boy so he reminds me of all the cute boys I knew back in the Midwest (sorry Kirk, you know I like California boys too). I decided to do some googling to find out more about Landon, like where he's from, what he's doing now, etc. Turns out that a couple years before doing the show, he was apparently arrested in Madison for "assaulting a horse". It sounds really bizarre. I'm sure it was just a drunken college thing, but I'm not sure I like him as much anymore. I have no tolerance for that.

Speaking of animals, check out this really weird story about a lady in a Washington suburb who was housing almost 500 cats. Yuck. Even though I'm not a cat person, I can understand why people like them as pets-- but no more than 2 in a house, please. That's just gross.

On a completely different topic, I'm reading a good book right now. It's especially appropriate after our visit to Poland. I'm reading The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman. I've been on this kick where I feel like I need to learn more about World War II, so I figured reading a bunch of nonfiction based during that time would be a good way to do it. You may have heard of the movie, but I recommend the book as well.

As for Dennis the Menace, Perdido Key somehow managed to escape. The worst of it hit just east of Pensacola, rather than west as predicted. That means our condo (or at least the shell of it that stands today after barely surviving Ivan last fall) is still standing. Phew.

I told you that would be a bunch of random stuff.

Summer holidays

It's summer holiday time in Switzerland. For those of you who don't know, when Europeans say "holiday", they don't mean Christmas or your birthday or something. They mean "vacation" (as us Americans would say). I have to admit that I've converted to using the word holiday, at least while living in Basel. Everyone knows that Europeans take their holidays very seriously. Nothing like just a quick trip to Disneyworld or a week up at the cabin or on the beach as lots of Americans do. They often take a whole month off at a time. Lots of northern Europeans (Dutch, Belgian, and German, for example) drive in big caravans (RVs) through Switzerland in the summer to reach someplace southern like Italy. Some of our friends left this weekend for a month in Lebanon (where she's from), and another woman I know will be going to Sweden for a month to visit family. Even businesses close. Like the neighborhood bakery that has reduced hours during "Schulferien" (school holidays) and then closes for a few weeks later this summer. For me, other than traveling to Wisconsin for my summer holiday, the real excitement is that I have almost two months off from German lessons! Between my travel schedule, my classmate's holiday in Lebanon, and our teacher's holiday to the south of France, the next time we will meet is September 5. That is so cool. As much as I'm glad I've taken classes while I've been here, I'm beginning to get sick of it, especially knowing I'll only be in a German speaking country for another 7 months.

Home sultry home

Among the things I don't miss is summer heat and humidity in DC. One of the most pleasant things about living here is that even on the hottest days, most nights cool off enough that you can throw open a bunch of windows and try to get a cross-breeze. In DC, opening windows at night would: (a) make the house even warmer and stickier; and (b) let in the evil Asian tiger mosquitoes that find our yard (and my flesh) so welcoming. So hopefully our friends back in DC are doing their best to chill out (literally) during these dog days of summer...

Ha ha ha

Gretchen found this store while walking around Krakow and, having the same 13-year old humor that I have, thought it was funny. So when we saw it while walking to the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, she asked me to take a picture. The best part was that in my haste to find a good place to take the picture, I found myself standing...on a big dog turd. Needless to say, she thought that was even funnier than the store, which I of course didn't understand. Besides, it was her fault I stepped in it in the first place (isn't marriage all about blaming your spouse for your own stupidity?)...

Travel fun

The good: We only had a half-hour layover scheduled in Munich to catch our connecting return flight to Basel. It was tight enough that we were scheduled to arrive in Munich at 6:35pm and board our flight...at 6:35pm. So we figured we'd have a tough time making our flight in the best of circumstances. Then, when storms resulted in a 20-minute delay, we were resigned to either catching a later flight or spending the night in Munich (not the worst thing in the world, mind you). So imagine our surprise when we got off the flight and Lufthansa had a van waiting to take us directly to our plane. Not only that, but they jotted down our luggage info and told us our luggage should make it (which it did). Very impressive.

The bad: Krakow Airport. A relic of the former communist era in every way. Perhaps the most unappealing airport I've ever seen (surpassing even Vanuatu and Vilnius).

The ugly: On the flight from Munich to Krakow, they were doing cabin service and the flight attendant dumped a bunch of tomato juice down my pant leg. She tried to help clean it and ultimately gave me a voucher to get them cleaned, but she never really even apologised. Hey, I'll be the first to accept that accidents happen since I'm usually clumsy (a part of me was relieved that for once there was a spill that wasn't my fault, unlike later in the week when I cut into a chicken breast that promptly shot out a jet of garlic butter and paprika onto a brand-new shirt and one of my favorite pairs of pants), and I didn't get upset at her or anything, but still...

More Krakow

While Gretchen has had most of the fun this week, from what little I've seen, I have to agree that Krakow is definitely worth a visit--I would actually put it above Prague if I had to choose. Tomorrow I finish work and Gretchen finishes sightseeing, then it's back to Basel. We haven't taken a ton of pictures, but here are some scenes from around town:

The Market Square, which is enormous (supposedly 10 acres) and beautiful, even in the rain:



One of the twelve apostles in front of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul:



A riot of color in the interior of the Church of St. Mary (I'm convinced you'd be hard-pressed to find a more Catholic country than Poland):



Wawel Hill with a looming thunderstorm as backdrop:




A new friend admires my man-purse at Chlopskie Jadlo:



And finally, we prepare to eat lard (the one on the left):

Lard

Having grown up in a state heavily influenced by both German and Polish immigrants, much of the food here in Krakow is not that different that what I used to see in Wisconsin. One thing I ate the other day is something I had never heard of before. It's called lard. And it really is just fat. They serve it with bread while you wait for your meal to be served. It comes in a little dish and you spread it on the bread and then sprinkle salt on top. It wasn't as disgusting as it sounds, but I'm not sure I would eat it again. One piece was enough for me. I think that provided a full days worth of calories for an average person. I'm also not sure about the crunchy bits in the lard... I suppose they're something like bacon bits, but not really.

While I'm writing a post, I'll just mention that I'm having a great week in Poland and I definitely recommend it to all. It's a beautiful city with a great atmosphere and the people have so much spirit. As I learn more about the history of this country it seems that it was always being invaded or controlled by someone else, yet the people are so proud and optimistic about life.

Krakow rocks

After a few weather-related delays, we arrived in beautiful Krakow late last night (just after midnight). We just got back to the hotel after exploring the old town for a couple hours this morning and stopping for a good Polish lunch. It's always an adventure ordering food for the first time in a new country where you don't speak the language... but we were not disappointed. Now Kirk has to start his 4+ days of meetings, but at least he had a half day to see the city. Overall, we both give it a big thumbs up. Good atmosphere, lots of old, beautiful buildings, and plenty of streets that are good for wandering/exploring. And everything seems to be really cheap! (at least as compared to Switzerland, that is...) There also seems to be an abundance of nuns. I don't think I've ever been to a city with so many nuns walking around. I'm excited about the opportunity to be here all week. I think I'll really enjoy it.

The world tour rolls on...

This afternoon we leave for a week in Krakow, Poland. It will be a typical week for us: I'll spend the week indoors in meetings while Gretchen takes a break from her Hausfrau duties and runs around town and plays tourist. We haven't done much research beforehand, but it looks beautiful--evidently one of the few cities that was spared in World War II (unlike Warsaw, which I visited last year).

Happy Birthday, Connor!

Today is my nephew Connor's 12th birthday. I can't believe he's almost a teenager. He was my sister and her husband's first child, and I still remember so clearly holding him as a newborn in the hospital. I also remember babysitting him for a week when he was just 5 or 6 weeks old. He was too young to go to daycare, and my sister wanted to get back to work, so I stayed with them for a week in Milwaukee. Connor loves hearing this story. I took their dog, Zeus, out for a quick walk while baby Connor was sleeping and later discovered I had inadvertantly locked myself out of the house. What a responsible aunt I was!

Connor is the performer of the family. He loves being on stage and is totally comfortable being the center of attention. One of my earliest memories of him was how he would stand on the hearth in front of their fireplace with arms outstretched and say "Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, it's GUY SMILEY!!!" (that's from Sesame Street) as if to start a show. Now, having just finished 6th grade, he's already performed in the school musical, sang solos with his church choir, is learning clarinet and cello, and this summer is taking improv classes. I wonder if he's going to start a rock band with the new electric guitar he's getting for his birthday.

Connor's just an all-around a good kid. He has tons of friends (he wanted to invite 35 kids to his birthday party), the teachers love him, the girls think he's cute, and he's good to his younger sister and brother. Although this picture is 2 years old and makes him look like he doesn't have any arms, it perfectly captures his animated ways (not to mention his love of presents). Happy Birtday, Connor!

A Wisconsin girl

The August issue of Outside magazine arrived in the mail today. The cover story is titled "18 Perfect Towns That Have It All". It came as no surprise to me that my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin is on their list. I felt compelled to read aloud to Kirk the section devoted to Madison in the magazine. It starts with this.

"It's easy to fall for Madison. Wisconsin's capital is like a girl who aces all her finals, paddles a mean J-stroke, knows how to tap a keg, and doesn't realize she's a knockout. (Oh, yeah, she can also milk a Guernsey.)"

Then I asked Kirk if he knew any girls like that. He responded with "I've never seen you paddle a J-stroke". (He forgot about the time we went canoeing together in Three Lakes.) I suppose that means he thinks I'm a knockout, doesn't it?!

Dennis the Menace

It looks like the Florida Panhandle is bracing itself for another hurricane, this one named Dennis. It was just last fall when the area was battered Hurricane Ivan. Our family's condo is located in Perdido Key, which was directly in the path of Ivan, and looks like it may take another hit from Dennis. He comes to shore just as our condo (along with many others in the area) is in the midst of being rebuilt. UGH! It seems to have weakened in recent hours, and I only hope that the weakening trend continues. The communities in the Florida panhandle and Alabama coast have already suffered such devastation. If only I had the weather channel so I could watch Jim Cantore report live from Pensacola...

Midwest

This week The Onion has an oldie-but-goodie that I'm sure my Midwestern wife will just love: 'Midwest' Discovered Between East and West Coasts.

Also one of those days

Like Gretchen said, we had a really good day yesterday, but it was also really surreal. It started when I came to work and found out a colleague (not someone I was close to, but someone I nevertheless knew) had died suddenly while hiking in the mountains. I still don't know the details, but I do know that she was fairly young (early 40s?) and in great shape, and she just collapsed and died. So that was a really sombre and sobering way to start the day. Then, while we were out having fun, we had no idea what had taken place in London, a city we love. We were stunned to get home and turn on the TV and see the sadly familiar pictures of carnage and dazed commuters trying to make sense of what had just happened to them. So all things considered, it was a simultaneously great and horrible day...

One of those days

Yesterday, we had one of those days we could only have living in Basel. Kirk managed to take much of the day off so we could enjoy a day together with his Aunt and Uncle visiting from Boise. Despite the rain and cool weather, we had a great day. Frankly, as a tourist, it's probably preferable to have rainy, cool days as opposed to the unbearable heat wave of a few weeks ago. We first drove up to Colmar, France, and enjoyed the Unterinden Museum and a fabulous lunch featuring Alsacian specialities such as Le Gratin De Munster and Tarte Flambé. We also visited the charming Alsacian village of Kaysersberg. Afterward, we took the scenic route and drove back through the Black Forest, stopping in the town of Schönau for dinner. What's better after a big, heavy lunch than a big, heavy, German dinner consisting of scwheinschnitzel, bratwurst, and spaetzle? Not that I'm complaining, it was all excellent. So it was one of those days... breakfast in Switzerland, lunch in France, dinner in Germany.

Birthday memories

July 6 will forever be my Mom's birthday. She would've turned 72 today. I love this picture of her because it captures how much she enjoyed life and how even all the little things bought her such joy-- such as this gorgeous red velvet cake I made to celebrate her 70th birthday. We were all up in Three Lakes for that celebration two years ago (over the 4th of July weekend-- hence the red, white and blue cake) and it is a very special memory for me. She was a great Mom and I miss her every day.

My new stick

This is the way it works in our household. Kirk works hard and makes all the money, and I get to spend it! Mainly that's because I do all the grocery/household shopping, but also because I always like to buy myself treats when we're traveling. Thankfully, Kirk doesn't seem to mind, probably because I cook him dinner and do his laundry and also because (as he put it) "I don't have expensive taste" (unless I'm shopping with Lee, that is...).

My latest purchase (bought in Wengen) is a Swiss walking stick. Back in the day, we would use any old stick we found in the woods as a walking stick. But the Swiss take their walking sticks very seriously. There's a whole industry of walking sticks with various makes and models, and from what I can tell Leki has a monopoly on the product.

I tend to make fun of the "nordic walkers" who use the 2 poles to assist in their exercise routine around Basel (it's kind of like speed walking plus poles). But those who use them in the mountains are much cooler. After my solo hike through the rocky slopes above Beatenberg on Friday morning (Kirk was working), I decided I needed a walking stick. That morning I had too many close calls where I almost slipped on the steep declines and wet rocks. I had visions of me falling and being stranded on the hillside with nobody finding me because the rain was starting up again and there were clearly no other hikers foolish enough as I was to go out for a walk on a day like that.

Here I am with my brand new Leki walking stick getting ready to try it out for the first time (at Männlichen just above Wengen). At the suggestion of the man at the sports store I bought just one since I'm not planning to use them for nordic walking, etc.

What the hail...

A few minutes ago, as I was driving home from the grocery store, it started hailing! Could somebody please explain to me how it can be hailing on July 5? (By the way, now it's sunny out again)

What I learned

I've always known that you should never get between a mother bear and her cubs, but this weekend I learned a new mountain survival tip: never get between an elderly British couple and a field of wild flowers. This must be one of the prime wild flower seasons at higher elevations, because the trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg was filled with sweet elderly Brits tripping over themselves to identify and take pictures of all the flowers. Everywhere we went we heard conversations like "Ooooh, I do say that one looks rather like a yellow chalice flower!" "Oh, yes, quite." Meanwhile, I just wanted to see an Edelweiss, and naturally every time I mentioned that, Gretchen would start singing "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music...I'm still not sure I ever saw any, but now I've got the song in my head.

Not so gute Reise?

So my Aunt Fran and Uncle Jim are in Switzerland for a couple of weeks of sightseeing, and they're supposed to arrive in Basel this evening for a few days. The only problem is that after griping about how hot it had been recently, the past couple of days have taken a serious turn in the other direction. Both yesterday and today started relatively sunny, and by noon the sky was black with lots of thunder and lightning. At the moment it's hailing. In July. If I look out one window it looks like night is falling, but if I look in the other direction I can still see patches of blue sky. Suffice it to say that weather like this isn't conducive to seeing the Alps, the lakes, the city streets, etc. (We were thinking about it this weekend when we saw trainloads of tourists going up to the Jungfraujoch, which is very expensive but on Saturday was completely covered in clouds so presumably everyone had to buy postcards to see what it actually looks like.)

Work hard

Saw this interesting post on work habits in Europe vs the States. On balance it really is healthier here. Gretchen will be the first to say I work way too many hours (which is true), but even in those circumstances it's perfectly normal and acceptable to, for example, take a two-hour lunch (schools don't serve lunch so many people go home to eat with their families, and shops don't stay open past 6:00pm so it's the only time to go shopping). And people look at you funny if you eat lunch at your desk. Of course it's standard to have lots more vacation time--even if you don't use it, it's really nice to know it's there (and in my case, I'm required to take two consecutive weeks off every year--back home that would eat up a good chunk of my annual vacation time). People really do take much of July or August off, and you're not expected to leave a forwarding number. You don't see too many people plugging away on Blackberries. You're not expected to take work home with you. It's not that people don't work hard--they do--but there seems to be a much better work-life balance here.

The Birth of Venus

I just finished reading The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant and I definitely recommend it! A couple months ago a friend handed it to me at book club and said "Have you read this yet? You should." I thought I would take it from her to be courteous even though it looked totally unappealing to me and I never thought I'd read it. About a month ago she asked whether I had finished yet, and of course I hadn't even started it. Now I've learned my lesson. Don't judge a book by its cover (literally). Once I got into it I couldn't put it down!

Everyone loves a parade

Happy 4th of July to all! In Switzerland, of course, it's just another Monday, although I did wear my red capri pants in honor of the big day. As I write this post from Basel, I'm thinking of my friends and family celebrating the holiday in Three Lakes, Wisconsin (where our family's summer home is). I spent every 4th of July there until 1999, which was the year Kirk and I bought our house in Arlington. Our moving date happened to fall on 4th of July weekend, and I was heartbroken to think that I would actually have to be somewhere other than Three Lakes! Since then, it's become a bit more commonplace to be somewhere else, especially now that we're living in Switzerland. Nonetheless, I miss the big festivities. As much as the fireworks in Washington, DC are spectacular (I have seen them a couple times), I think small town America is the place to be on the 4th of July.

In Three Lakes, it starts with a parade, which consists of every type of vehicle from the town including fire trucks, ambulances, construction vehicles, horse drawn carriages, even boats (being pulled by cars/trucks, of course). Every business in town has it's own float, and they all throw candy to the crowd. Then there's your run-of-the-mill high school bands and other random clubs that walk as a group. My personal favorites are the dueling Packers-Bears fan clubs. Most people up there are huge fans of the Green Bay Packers, but you also have lots of Chicago visitors, so they have their own Chicago Bears fan club as well. They get boo'd as you can imagine.

After the parade, you can walk over to the park and enjoy a freshly grilled brat, some roasted corn on the cob, and a beer. Yum. I can almost taste it. This is at 10:00 AM, mind you, but it's never too early for a brat and a beer in Wisconsin. The highlight of the day is the big fireworks show at dusk. As a kid, my Dad would buy lots of little fireworks for us to set off at home, and this tradition lives on. Yesterday, my 9-year old niece told me in detail about all the fireworks they bought for the weekend.

Most of all, I miss being with friends and family celebrating in the northwoods. I have so many years of wonderful memories from there and am anxious to get up there during my visit to Wisconsin next month.

One more thing. I can usually guess when Kirk is going to attach a comment to a post, and I can imagine a number of things he'll want to add to fully describe his 4th of July experiences in Thres Lakes (he's been there a couple times). Either he'll tell you about how you'll need to wear a parka to the fireworks in order to keep warm or he'll make fun of all the trucks driving in the parade. Which is it?

News from Down Under

When we took our vacation in Australia a few years ago, we were lucky enough to go for a drive down the Great Ocean Road and see the 12 Apostles rock formation, which was very Big Sur-esque. Well, ms. mac has sadly pointed out that the forward-most rock in this picture has now crumbled into the sea (the poor quality of the photo reflects how hazy it was when we were there rather than just how hazy our photographic skills were):

Wildlife

While hiking this weekend, we realised that cows are SO last week. When you think of wildlife in the Alps, you might think of marmots (saw one), deer (didn't see any), mountain goats (nope), bears (thankfully, no...and I'm not even sure if there are bears in the Alps), etc. What you probably don't think of are pigs. So imagine our surprise when, at the end of our long hiked down from Kleine Scheidegg to Alpiglen, we turned the corner and came face-to-face with pigs (which were presumably destined for the menu at Alpiglen). Best of all? After hanging out and laughing at them, that night Gretchen ordered Schweinsteak (pork steak)...and then ordered Schweinsbratwurst (pork sausage) the next day.





One other highlight came when we were sitting in our room and heard a bunch of bells. Gretchen went to investigate and called me out to the balcony, where we could see a flock of sheep running through the streets of Wengen. Why a flock of sheep would be running through the town (to get to the other side?) was beyond us, but it was quite a sight. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get a picture, but the next evening we heard the same thing and this time I was able to get a distant shot. And I have to say, there's just something indescribably funny about sheep:

Mountains

Great weekend in Wengen, about which more later. The Reader's Digest version: Saturday was a turbo-hiking day, but unfortunately we only saw the sun for about a half-hour and the mountaintops less than that. This is us at the top of Männlichen looking down toward Grindelwald:



Meanwhile, on Sunday we woke up to a spectacular blue sky and although we had less time for hiking, we managed to squeeze in a beautiful walk where this view from the village of Gimmelwald was typical of what we saw along the way: