Tickets booked to Greece!!!

Athens here I come!! I finally booked my flight to Greece and will be officially leaving Switzerland on August 31st. Fotini and Randy have graciously offered to host me for the week at their new home in Athens. It will be an amazing vacation and a trip of a lifetime. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit Greece and here is my chance. This is a huge carrot at the end of the stick and makes leaving Basel that much easier. Of course I am excited to come home but I definitely need a vacation from my vacation. Flight back to Philadelphia is on September 7th arriving at 3:20pm EST

Zurich Fest and Liechenstein!!

This past weekend Zurich hosted their annual "Love Festival”. This street parade is actually a huge European trance - techno costume party. There are “love” floats pumping trance into the crowd with scantily clad women hanging from stripper poles. To say the streets are filled with hedonistic party goers is an UNDERSTATEMENT. People with the equitant of a washcloth (if that) covering their unmentionables. My delicate sensibilities were definitely offended. I would categorize the costumes into (3) basic categories: 1.) Neon fairy whore, 2.) Jungle - leopard whore, or the 3.) the sexy police officer. Group costumes are also very common. My group decided to dress up as "Uncle Sam's". It was overwhelming the amount of positive feedback we received from the happy crowd. Many Swiss and German's stopped us for a picture. The city allows people to drink openly in the street and after about 2 hours you were standing on a layer of trash. We stayed for about 3 1/2 hours which was about 2 hours to long:) Although the official parade begins at 1pm and finishes at 10pm, the entire weekend is dedicated to parties and good times. On average just under a million people line the streets to dance and go bananas.

After the Street Parade we headed to Liechtenstein a small country with an estimated population of 35,000. It is a landlocked alpine microstate in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over 160 km² (about 61.7 square miles). Its capital is Vaduz; the biggest town is Schaan. Liechtenstein has the highest gross domestic product per person in the world according to the CIA World Factbook. Why on earth would we go to Liechtenstein you ask???? Well August 15th is their national holiday with a open bar happy hour at the crown Prince's castle. The reception is held in the royal gardens where fruit, pretzels, sandwiches, and beer are all served in abundance. During the reception the Prince shakes hands with his visitors. How cool is that?

Last few weeks!!!:(!!!:):):)

Well my last few weeks are approaching and I'm scrambling to see everything on my list before I leave.  Basel has been my home for the last 5 months and I definitely feel sad about saying goodbye.  I have learned a lot about myself during my stay and have met many new people.  Just yesterday the older lady (approx. 80 yrs old) said, "You must speak German, haven't you been here for a while?"  LOL.  This cracked me up because she actually expected me to learn German in 6-months.  Learning German is only one of the daily hurdles I face.  In addition, I need to calculate the exchange rate on the fly, convert the temperature, and adjust to the metric system:)  While in Basel I joined a gym called Crossfit which is sort of like boot camp.  Julia one of the grad students living in my building also joined which has helped keep me motivated.  She left this morning so we'll see how strong my commitment really is....  I completed my first Rhine Swim yesterday which was amazing.  You basically strip down to your bathing suit in front of everyone relaxing on the Rhine and jump in with your "special" bag.  The current is strong and very fast so it's important to pay attention where to get out of the water.  Being the little fishy that I'm, I decided to ditch my bag and flow with the current.  I learned my lesson because I almost crashed into a poll.  All is well and I was able to swim away to safety.   The water was freezing due to the rain from the past week and on again off again clouds. Many Swiss are appalled by the idea of swimming in the Rhine as many of the local pharma companies have been fined for illegal dumping.  Basel has gone to great lengths to restore the Rhine and it is absolutely lovely.  I HIGHLY recommend taking a dip if you are ever in Basel.  

American Dad Uniform

Hello Everyone,
I apologize for the lack of responsiveness and updates over the last few weeks. Dad was here for 10 days and left this past Sunday. Many fun stories to tell so I'll start from the beginning.......

Dad arrived on Friday, June 25th tired, hungry, and excited to be back in Europe. He had a direct flight from Philadelphia to Zurich and needed to catch a train to Basel SBB. I received a phone call 45 minutes in to his 80 minute train ride that he had arrived! Impossible. It was completely impossible for him to arrive in only 45 minutes unless he hailed a private helicopter..... Due to sleep deprivation he got off at the Baden stop not Basel. We had to quickly determine when the next train was leaving Baden for Basel and direct him back to the correct platform. Finally after almost 18 hours of traveling Dad arrived in Switzerland in one piece. He had expected Basel to be cooler than the 90 degree weather he left behind in Philadelphia being so close to the Alps and everything… No chance. Of course Switzerland was hit with a heat wave the same week he arrived. This doesn’t sound so bad but believe me people….. unless you have experienced 90 degree temperatures without air conditioning in the dead of summer you can’t comprehend just how quickly your stress level can rise. Anyway moving on……



I promptly dropped dad off at my apartment so he could recover from his long journey and head back to work. It is difficult to explain but my apartment is VERY tiny. The bathroom and the kitchen or as I lovingly refer to it as the “bitchen” is one of the not-highlights of my studio in Basel. I’m sure my dad will respond to this post with his own commentary on my temporary accommodations. On Friday evening, we discovered a cute Italian Bier garden a few blocks from my apartment to watched the Swiss – Honduras World Cup match. Switzerland was knocked out of the World Cup but it was definitely fun getting into the spirit and shout “Hopp Schwiiz!!!” with the locals even though they lost.



As some of you may know I have a lot of energy and wanted to show my father a great time in Switzerland so I created a jam packed itinerary for his 10 day vacation. On Saturday morning we had an 8:30am flight to catch to Vienna for a long weekend. In the flurry of leaving Basel 1st thing Saturday morning and navigating through Vienna I forgot to pack the address of the hotel….. Everything has a way of working itself out as we arrived to the Hotel and were upgraded to a two bedroom apartment in a typical Viennese building with extraordinary architecture and attention to detail with fountains and a massive staircase. I promptly jumped around the apartment like a lunatic excited to have a spacious apartment for the weekend. Dad didn’t fully understand my excitement until we returned to Basel and he was reacquainted with my “bitchen”. Vienna was absolutely beautiful and we ran around the city on Saturday snapping pictures of anything and everything we could find. Dining out was even more mysterious as neither of us read German so we never knew what we were ordering or what we would be eating. I’m still cracking up remembering our slogan from the trip “We don’t know what we are doing”. This is a phase we would used when we were lost, confused, or generally clueless. Dad had Weiner Schnitzel two nights in a row and we tasted appel strudel at every café Even with ALL the fun we were having Dad and I have very different ideas of what it means to visit a new city. We now have a running joke that my trips are like boot camp or “Navy Seal Boot Camp” to be exact. He was subjected to sleep deprivation, irregular meals, limited bathroom breaks, and self inflicted hunger strikes. He quickly learned that he needed a steady supply of pretzels and diet cokes to survive. All joking aside we enjoyed a magical evening at the Vienna Volksopera and a whirlwind tour of Vienna via the Hop-on-Hop off bus tour. We also visited the Belvedere Museum where The Klimt Collection is on permanent display. The original “The Kiss” is housed at the Belvedere Palace and was on exhibit during our visit!!!! If you are a fan of Gustav Klimt then this the your mecca. We wrapped up our tour of Vienna with a traditional Viennese concert where members of the Vienna Walzer Orchestra perform pieces by Johann Strauss and Mozart. Well-known singers and ballet dancers round out the orchestra’s renditions, allowing the vitality of life in the Strauss era as well as the gentle melodies of Mozart to re-emerge and also enticing the audience to join them on a nostalgic trip back through the 18th century and to the merry parties of the "fin de siècle" Vienna. The ballet dancers perform the waltz in inimitable Viennese style, following the violin in a colorful springtime roundel while offering tender declarations of love in three-four time. Included in the performance was an opera singer who was amazing but made a “crazy” face during her performance which launched my father into a full on “giggle” fit which lasted about 2-3 whole minutes!!



On Monday, dad decided he needed a break from the rigorous travel schedule and tried to catch up on his sleep. Little did he know there is NO air conditioning and he was tortured in the 90 degree weather with the sun beating down on my apartment. I returned from work to find a very frustrated and sleep deprived father. To make matters worse we thought the radiator was on and he decided to man handle the knob by accidentally pulling the knob OFF with the dial set to “high”. I then proceeded to have a breakdown and broke into tears thinking we would have to spend the night in my hot apartment with the radiator cranked to “HIGH”. Dad invoked his “MacGyver” skills and fixed the knob with the only tool available…. a butter knife! Thank god he was able to fix the knob because one of us might be dead right now



The rest of the week was very relaxing with trips to the Rheinfelden Sole Uno Spa, the Black Forrest, Lucerne, and Zurich. Dad says he left a piece of his heart in Switzerland and I miss him already. I love you dad!! Thank you for visiting me!!

P.S.- I almost forgot to explain the title of this post. American Dad Uniform or "ADU" is when American father’s wear shorts, white calf length socks, and sneakers. This is how Europeans distinguish American families from other tourists. The “ADU” was in full effect last week while dad was in town!!

Art Basel

ART BASEL -The world's biggest contemporary art fair opened in Switzerland on Wednesday with buyers demanding ever higher standards from galleries as the global economy stages a fragile recovery.


It receives more 1,100 applications from art galleries worldwide, but picks less than a third of them, allowing only about 300 galleries to exhibit in the northern Swiss city's huge exhibition halls over the five days.  The resulting collection, showcasing over 2,500 artists from 37 countries, is not only a feast for the eyes but also a thought-provoking display of artwork spanning the 20th and 21st centuries.  Staples such as Picasso, Andy Warhol and Joan Miro count among prominent names at the show.

But there are also more recent works by icons such as fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and US contemporary sculptor Paul McCarthy.

One gallery featured McCarthy's "dwarf" series, while another displayed a series of photos of the Eiffel Tower by Lagerfeld.

Besides showcasing such latest trends in the art world, this show also affords art lovers a glimpse of rare pieces before they are snapped up by private collectors.


Art Basel closes on June 20.

Manners and Etiquette

Manners and Etiquette are two staples in Swiss society. Children obey their parents, the elderly are treated with the utmost respect, and people greet each other formally with (3) kisses. If you are with a co-work or a friend and they say, "I invite you" this simply means they would like to pick up the check. The first few times this happened I thought "invite me where?" we've already arrived at our destination..... In general the Swiss split the check evenly and the restaurants/bars are VERY accustomed to providing separate bills. In the USA it would be a huge inconvenience for the wait staff to divide the check per patron. Not is Switzerland (CH):) Another item to note is the traffic, cars actually stop for pedestrians. Image that! But beware the tramlines rule the road so don't expect them to stop when you’re at a crosswalk.

Half-way mark..... Three months to go!

I have officially hit the 3-month mark for my stay in Basel! It's a strange time for me at the moment because I have one foot in my life here in Basel and one foot in Philadelphia.

I've settled in at work with a LONG list of deliverables due by the time August hits...... I’ve decided to take a brief time out from traveling and enjoy Basel over the last two weekends. It has been a blast!!! My expat community is growing faster than I know how to respond to all the bbq, dinner, drink, and coffee invitations. On Sunday, the girls and I watched SATC II at the kino in style with cosmos of course! The Rhine is slowly warming up and a few brave souls have ventured in for a swim.

I'm very excited about the upcoming Summer here in Basel. Bergli Books the ONLY English book store in Basel is hosting a WALK Party with Peter Habicht a local author with a reputation for a delightful sense of humor and a skillful way of telling fascinating facts about Basel. Many more exciting details to follow……..



Love you and miss you all:)

Contract Extended until August

Novartis has requested that I stay until the end of August....  Ron is planning on visiting for 2 weeks in June and is finally taking me to Paris!  We might also hit Barcelona or a region in Southern France for some R&R.  Please let me know if you are still interested in visting so I can plan accordingly.  I'm so excited to have an extra month in Basel and continue my adventure..  Also, I might take a trip to Africa in the beginning of September before I come home so anyone who wants to join me please let me know:) 

xoxoxoxo,
Jessica

Long weekend exploring the Alps......

Switzerland had another long weekend due to a bank holiday so I had a chance to travel this weekend.  We traveled to Gruyere, Geneva, Lugano, and Lucerne. Basically one city per day by train logging a total of 13 hours over four days and approximately 1000km.  During the trip I was able to experience Swiss culture in France, Italy, and Germany.  In Geneva and Gruyere they speak mostly French and are a stones through away from the French border.  In Lugano, I was able to expereince the "little italy" of Switzerland and finally relax in the sunshine and eat delicious italian lemoncello, gelato, pizza, risotto with fresh seafood, and of course great wine.  The last leg of the trip was spend in Lucerne on Mount Pilatus (elevation 7000 ft.) which can be reached with the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad and the whole year with the aerial panorama gondolas and aerial cableways from Kriens. Pilatus has the longest summer toboggan track in Switzerland (0.88 miles or 1,350 m) and the biggest suspension rope park in Central Switzerland.  At the top of the mountain it was snowing and views are stunning....

View in Lugano:

View in Lucerne:

Blindekuh

It's Saturday night and Adeeb, Tracy, and I decided to have dinner at "Blindekun" a restaurant where you eat in total darkness. The wait staff is blind and the experience simulates the feeling of blindness. So we hop on the tram and head to Dornacherstrasse which is about 20 minutes from our apartment building. When we arrive they gave us the menu so we could make our selections prior to taking us to our table because you can’t read in the dark of course. Ok, not so strange... Then we are informed of the lockers so we can store our wallets, purses, phones, or ANYTHING that could produce a glimmer of light. After locking up our belongings we are taken the waiting area. While in the waiting area we encounter other guests leaving the dining room covering their eyes and struggling to re-adjust to the light. I thought how bad could this really be or are these people just being dramatic? I guess we'll see:) Then we are introduced to our waitress "Alexandria" or "Alex" for short who is completely blind and speaks very little English. We are instructed to place our hands on her shoulders and form a line so she can guide us to our table. Along the way there are no steps or articles to bump our head (that's a relief). I volunteer to be first and off we go! At first it feels like you are entering a haunted house where you can’t see anything and you only have your sense of smell and touch to protect you. I started to see spots which made me laugh uncontrollably to the point where tears were running down my cheeks. The dining room was completely full and I could hear other guests laughing, talking, and eating. The sound of their voices was overpowering and very loud. Once we arrived at the table we fumbled to our seats and I started to think is it going to be completely dark the whole time? My eyes still have not adjusted to the light and I start to feel cross eyed. I try closing my eyes hoping that it will help me relax. It would be impossible for me to maintain this for the rest of dinner, so I open eyes and give into the darkness. It's important for you to know where your silverware and glasses are so you don't spill anything. Of course during the meal people at other tables were breaking and/or dropping their glasses. Which opens to a discuss at the table " How can they clean up glass in the dark?" and "How does Alex or the other wait staff clean the table after every group?" This is when we start to realize what it must be like to be blind. You have to do everything in the DARK all the time! Eating dinner at Blindekuh was one of the strangest experiences I have ever had. It was fun, exciting, and thought provoking all at the same time!

If you want to visit their website to learn more click here:: http://www.blindekuh.ch/

Ash Cloud shuts down Swiss airspace

The question on everyone’s mind, "is the volcanic ash cloud in Iceland affecting Switzerland?" Yes, yes very much so... Switzerland has decided to shut down their airspace which means they are not allowing any planes to land. Travelers are using any means necessary to get home and the news is estimating that the ash cloud is more damaging to the airline industry then 911. CNN and the BBC are covering this story 24 hours a day with endless reels of grumpy travelers. The situation is so bad that travelers are unable to rent a car or take a train due to the high volume.  AND England is sending the Royal Navy to bring stranded passengers back to the UK.  My boss has been stuck in Lisbon, Portugal since last Friday. The earliest flight he could catch is on 4/23..... Stay tuned:)

Sunny day in Colmar, France

On Saturday we ventured to Colmar. Colmar is a French town about an hour outside of Basel in the Alsace region which is in the north eastern part of France. Colmar is considered the "Capital of Alsatian Wine" producing the best wine in the region. For an American, the most notable fact in Colmar is that it is the home of Frédéric Bartholdi the designer of the Statue of Liberty. Colmar was built in 823! Yes, you read correctly 823!!!! It was founded in the 9th Century and eventually captured by Louis XIV in 1697. The city is very charming and the inhabitants are VERY friendly. You can spend your day wine tasting, eating crepes, shopping, relaxing in the park, renting a bike, or visiting a museum. Colmar is known as "Little Venice" or "la Petite Venice" in French due to the canals throughout the city. If the canals and the crepes do not impress you then the timber framed homes in old town will definitely hold your attention:)



If you are in Basel, then you NEED to visit Colmar, France.

What it means to be Swiss.....

I'm finally starting to feel like a resident of Basel rather than a tourist. My tram map in neatly tucked in my bag and I'm able to get around without it:) The streets and the shops are now familiar. So what's does it mean to be Swiss??? I have a few observations that I wanted to share.... the Swiss are paid higher than any EU Nation other and the gap between the rich and the poor is less noticeable here. The Swiss are very proud of their culture and will pay double sometimes triple for a product in Switzerland rather than traveling 20 minutes to Germany or France for a discount. Because the Swiss are paid a higher wage they have the luxury of buying Swiss:) I'm not sure how long this tradition will last with the younger generation looking for cheaper products in this new global economy. It is fascinating to me that the Swiss are able to maintain this high standard of living for everyone. It almost seems like a niche utopia. I’m finding a few holes here or there. More on these items later

Also, BIG news!!! I finally purchased a Swiss Army knife today made by Victorinox (the original maker of the Swiss Army Knife since 1884).

Ciao!!!

Another Beautiful Weekend in Basel

Now that everyone is back from Easter weekend, I've finally met majority of my neighbors. Most of them are here from the MIT Sloan MBA program for a Novartis internship. On Friday, we organized a dinner so everyone could get to know each other better while exploring Basel. Luckily it was warm enough for people to sit outside at the cafes and people watch. There was a buzz in the air and we were able to enjoy a cocktail outside at one of the sidewalk bars. Very fun! This is definitely something you would not be able to experience in Philly!


On Saturday, I made it to the cinema (or kino in German) for a movie with my new friends from Cape Town. If you are going to see a movie while in Basel there a few things you need to be aware of......

1.) There is assigned seating!! You can't just purchase your tickets and sit where you want. If you want a good seat you need to purchase your tickets in advance.

2.) There is an intermission. I thought there was an issue with the projector and quickly realized that people were going outside for a smoke, ect... This can be a good thing or a bad thing. In my case, the film stopped for intermission during a suspenseful point in the plot.... bummer:(

3.) Movies are played in their original language with sub-titles in German or French. In most cases, the movies are in English with two sets of sub-titles since Switzerland has four (4) national languages.

On Sunday, I made it to an outdoor cafe for a latte and discovered that the cafes provide blankets for their patrons to keep warm in the event that it starts to drizzle or become windy. This was very cute and convenient!

We will miss you GG!

As some of you might know my Great-Grand mother pasted on March 31st. She would have been 93 on Saturday, April 3rd. GG as I like to call her was the matriarch of our family and will be dearly missed especially by my loving father. Below is the Eulogy he will share with our friends and family. I was so touched by his words that I wanted to share them all with you.



Eulogy for Florence Courtney Childs by: Charles Tyrrell



This woman who we are here for today Florence Courtney Childs could have been anyone’s grandmother.

She was loving, caring and was very special to us.

Some of you may know here as Aunt Courtney, Gram, GG or Friend.


There were some of us who were lucky enough to call her Mom-Mom or Grand mom.

I am sure most of you here today have some memory of our Grandmother which has touched your life in some way. Two things come to mind of which I will share:



One is she had a saying that “Everything has a place, and everything belongs in its place” I am still working on this one.



Another custom she had was how to make a perfect cup of tea: boil the water add the water to the tea-bag then the milk first then 2 teaspoons of sugar (she loved the sweets) and was always able to get 2 cups of tea out of one teabag.


This British custom I am also working on.

She loved us all even with our imperfections as all grandmothers tend to do.


But the greatest advice she gave me is still true to this day. Choose your friends Wisely!

As they can either lift you up or drag you down.

For the most part I have been Lucky and have had friend’ s who have always lifted me up.


Debbie and I personally became close to her as she lived with us for the past seventeen years.


It will not be the same when I come home from work and Gram was usually finishing her meal. (she loved to eat)


Whatever it was she enjoyed you could usually tell as she would have it sometimes around her face and the dogs would also enjoy, what she would think she was sneaking to them (but Debbie and I knew and would both get a laugh).



There is a custom she had when eating of always leaving a little on the plate which will remain a mystery which I may never know. I think it may have had something to do with the Depression.



Our grandmother would always think about others before herself. She never liked to ask for help; but would always be there to help other people first.

 Before I finish I would like to thank a few people who were there to help her when she needed it from the bottom of my heart, first my wife Debbie who spent many hours with Gram tending to her needs, and in her final months and days feeding and comforting her and ensuring she was getting the best care possible.



I would also like to thank Pat Slick who was her long time home health-aide of approx. 15 years or more and who became part of our family. She would show up dutifully most days at 7 am to get gram’s day started this was a great help to Debbie and I for the extreme attention and care she provided.

 And then of course there was Gina gram’s nurse of more than 10 years. Without Gina’s knowledge of gram and her devoted care we would have really struggled.


We may no longer see her but will always have special moments which we shared with her.



She will always have a special place in our hearts. Let’s be thankful that we were able to know a special lady like our grandmother.

Basel at 22° C

Basel is even more beautiful and alive when the weather is warm. I definitely have spring fever which is causing me to fall blindly in love with this adorable city. I love how ordinary people dress up just for a trip to the Migros or Coop (these a both two local grocery store chains). I just feel more alive being near them. Something I love even more is the way Europeans hang around outside instead of plopping in front of the TV. They want to be a part of society and enjoy the simple things like fresh flowers, great chocolate, fresh air, and music. The Rhine on a spring day is indescribable. This is what I like about Basel today:)

The Peach and the Coconut

It was explained to me today that in Switzerland American culture is viewed as a "Peach" soft on the outside with a small hardcore.  Americans are viewed as friendly and outgoing on the outside with smaller core of close family and a few friends on the inside.  Swiss German are similiar to a coconut with a hard outter shell and a liquid middle.  While in Basel you will learn/notice that the Swiss German's do not generally speak to strangers and stick mostly to themselves and immediate family.  However, once you are let into their inner circle they will love you for ever!

Fame Disco

After Bar Rouge, I met a Swiss girl named Sarah who invited me to Fame Disco a huge club in the middle of Basel.  Yes, I know what your thinking...  AND yes Sarah was a complete stranger.  She was very sweet and introduced me to all her Swiss friends.  It happened to be ladies night and all the university students were out celebrating the long Easter weekend.  Entrance fee was 20 Francs but the drinks were super cheap in comparision to Bar Rouge.  You can get a vodka and redbull for 5 Francs vs 15 Francs at any other bar in Basel!  Drink prices like everything else in Basel are higher than average!  At Fame the DJ's spin a mix of 80's, House, and R&B music and can expect to dance until the sun comes up!  The only downside is that the trams stop running around 2am so you have to either walk home or pay for a taxi (which again are very pricy).  The prices for cabs actually double in Basel after 10pm.  I paid 15 Francs for a 5 minute cab ride.  Made it home safe and sound:)

Bar Rouge

Right at the top, in the highest inhabited building in Switzerland, convenient close to the sky, the seductive BarRouge is - Cocktail lounge and club all in one. Bar Rouge offers an unforgettable view over the city of Basel and the region. The interior is completely in the color red and with comfortable sofas arranged around the dance floor.  This is a MUST see while in Basel as the views are breathtaking!!


                     

Rheinfelden Sole Uno Spa

Just visited the wellness spa in Rheinfelden about 12 minutes outside of Basel.  This wellness world includes the sauna culture of Siberia and Finland to the bathing fun of the Mediterranean, with a stop-off in the oriental hamam. Float weightlessly in the unique intensive saltwater pool as if in the Dead Sea. I was also able to experience Nordic contrasts in the fire-and-ice pool and hot-and-cold pleasures under the tropical rain or the refreshing alpine waterfalls.  This is a great day trip for anyone coming to visist and very affordable at 29 francs for 3 hours:)

Link to site:  http://www.kurzentrum.ch/en/soleuno.html

Arrived!

Hello Everyone,

I am officially a resident of Basel, Switzerland!!  Moved into the apartment yesterday and even made it to the grocery store to stock up on essentials.  My street is absolutely divine with amazing architecture and bright colors.  I live in a building with other expats here for Novartis from all over the world.  Already, on my way to the store I met a woman that lives in my building from China here with her husband. 

Grocery shopping was a VERY different expereience than shopping in the US.  First off you need to have a 2 francs coin to use a shopping cart and all the prices are printed directly on the products.  As I was trying to figure out how to use the shopping cart I met an older german man who insisted on speaking german to me eventhough I told him "I only speak English."  He stood there for about 5 minutes rambling to me in German while I tried to escape:)    Also there are no shopping bags.  You must bring your own or purchase them at the store for 2 francs a pop.  Over all it was a  fun and different expereince.  I purchased the stinkiist swiss cheese I could find but unfortunately it is smelling up the WHOLE apartment so I need to get rid of it.

Well I'm going to explore more of Basel today.  More to come...  Below is all of my contact information while I'm in Basel. 

My Address:
Jessica Tyrrell
Mittlere Strasse 142, Apartment # 2.3
Basel, CH- 4056 
Switzerland

Phone # at the apartment: (Includes Country Code)
011 41 61 3226988

Sykpe Account: (this is the cheapist way to call me)
jessica08619 or 609.902.1189

Love,
Jessica

Visa in HAND!!

FINALLY....  I picked up my visa this morning and will be able to fly out tomorrow with no issues:)  My 1st day in my new apartment will be on Friday.  Once I get settled I'll post some pics.  xoxoxo

Leaving Thursday, March 25th at 9:10pm

Finally, I received the official authorization letter today and will pick up my visa on Tuesday.  This means I can fly to Basel on Thursday!!!!  So excited!!!!



Itinerary:
Departure:
US Airways flight 798 from Philadelphia to Amsterdam on March 25 Arrival March 26

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight 2037 from Amsterdam to Basle on March 26

Visa Approved

My visa has been verbally approved and I'll be making my way to NYC to have my passport stamped one day next week.  By this time next weekend I'll be livin' it up in my new apartment!  Basel here I come:)