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:)