I
have been to Basel or Zurich 4 times over last 8 years on business but this is
the first time I have felt like I have had any time to really experience it.
There was one other trip where I had a free afternoon but it was freezing and
raining so did not get the same sense I did this time.
Busy
conference days on diversity and inclusion with well-known keynote
speakers. Sitting beside company President is also interesting!
Few
things I love about Basel:
The
bikes. Everyone walks of bikes everywhere. I love this. All mornings I have put
my high heels in my bag and worn my sports sandals and walked to my conference.
What a great start to the day
I
love the simplicity. One towel. One facecloth. No fuss
The
river is gorgeous in the old city . My buddy and I out our feet in for a long
while the other night while we chatted
How
clean and organized this city is
Lush
lush mountains and landscapes everywhere
My
friends here.. I am truly spoiled now. Every evening has been wonderful and
have been treated like a princess. On night friend slept over another night
slept at friend’s house and met his beautiful family and another night dinner
at friend’s with her wonderful family
I
love how the kids are so independent and walk to school alone at 5 yrs! So
peaceful and polite too..Swiss has some very well brought up bebes
Things
that I could live without In Switzerland:
The
food . Lucky me I got delicious food two nights at friends’ houses (thank god as I was famished!) and one
funky yummy resto. Lunches and snacks and breakfasts yucky . Everything has an egg on
top of it. Pasta with egg. Rice with egg. Risotto with egg. I hate big eggs on
my meal.
At
snacks a whole lot of buns and hard brownies. I like carbs but not that much. I
can't eat that for a snack three times a day. Do not ever show me a hard hard
bun with poppy seeds on it or a dry brownie with no icing for the rest of my
life please
The
showers: don't even get me started on this. Don't work.. Are super small..
Super fragile glass doors ... Have HUGE full length mirror in front of them ; (with
no dividing lines in middle for skinniness!) what a horror . I literally almost
decided to jump in the river to avoid this monstrosity
There
is a heat wave in Basel and no pools to be seen. When I say heat wave I mean
heat wave as in 38 degrees at 11pm! Ps they are so environment conscious it is
not that air is on low.. There is no air
conditioning except in some hotels (thankfully mine) not in our conference
center though !!!!
Last
night at my friend’s house his wife showed me to my own bathroom.. Very nice.
Would have been a hundred times nicer if I could have figured out how to flush
the toilet . This honestly took me 25 minutes to find the flusher.
Another
incident: what shall one do when you are a guest and it is 1 am and everyone is
asleep and you hardly know anyone in the house (except your friends of course
tucked cozy in with his wife) and you realize your phone is dead? And you need
your phone to set the alarm? And not only do you need a charger but a Swiss
adaptor for your charger? Do you cry? Alternate between bathroom and plug
trying to hold back tears based in not being able to flush a toilet and not
waking up?
Well
you do the best you can and pray that you wake up on your own . You open the
windows super wide so that as much light and singing birds can get in early
morning to be sure And then you get the added delight of the big Basel clock in
village that chimes . Every hour and every 15 mins!
Problem
solved you just don't sleep and decide to look at clock all night you are fully
alert by 6am.
Benefit:
lots of time to think and solve problems!
All
in all this city both drives me a bit insane and relaxes me and mystifies me. It is
so utterly beautiful and simple in so many ways. Knowing if I lived here I
would be so skiinny from biking and never ever eating.(unless I get invited a
lot to friend’s houses to eat!_
Taking
home with me a lesson learnt (besides how to flush a Swiss toilet)
Simplify.
Simplify. Simplify
So
hahahha quitting housekeeper . Take that! Once you are gone I intend to produce
very little dishes , laundry or garbage.
I
had my Swiss friend help me with this plan as I was totally jet lagged and she
was watching the news. I don't know how much I retained but something about
never putting dirty clothes back in the closet.. or the hamper .
Swiss
simplicity - bring it on!
Oh
ya and no meals needed. A bun and egg will do. Why did I need a housekeeper
anyways??
