Arrival, a warm welcome and green eggs

I arrived in Basel Switzerland yesterday. By the time I arrived it was around 2:30 in the afternoon. My friend came to the airport to pick me up. The airport here is interesting because it sits on the border of France and Switzerland. So when you leave the terminal you have to pick which side you are going to.

My friend picked me up and for some reason I thought she was going to pick me up with a car. But alas, she had come on the bus. Ah to be in a country with robust public transportation! So we hopped on the bus (luggage and all!) and got off in a few stops. After that it was a little walk to her and her husband's apartment.

After hugs hello and introductions - I hadn't met her husband yet - we went on a little walk around the town here and came back to the apartment for dinner. This apartment is really cute and just perfect for a couple. It is two stories and has a lot of natural light. The second floor is just their room and my little bedroom (aka closet), but the downstairs is a lovely living space with a little kitchen, terrace and dining table.

For dinner I was treated to the Swiss specialty - Raclette! It was prepared for me in the traditional way the Swiss eat this at home. So the cheese was not a giant wheel that you see at restaurants, but little slices that are put under a little burner. You take a few potatoes, broccoli and pear slices and then when the cheese is nice and bubbly you pour it over your veggies. They also had a nice spice mix and dried herb blend that you can add. It was so yummy and has me looking up raclette kits to have at home. (This is not my picture, but basically what it looked like.)

I spent most of the evening catching up with my friend who is hosting me. She has been living in Switzerland for several years now and with Covid and the distance we had lost touch. It was great to see her and to hear about her life now. She is a fabulous photographer and I love hearing how entrepreneurial she has been. Growing up with her she always talked about how she wanted to live in Europe and its so cool to see her doing it.

I went to bed around 10:30 and slept remarkably well considering the jet lag. My hosts have to work today and so do I. I hopped on my computer to get some work done and write this. I had some coffee and made myself breakfast. They have green eggs that are hard boiled and I didn't understand why until I started peeling them and could see where the shell was gone so much easier! Sliced up a tomato, two hard boiled eggs and this delicious piece of smoked salmon.

Plans for later are to get dressed for the day, finish working around 4, go to the art museum here and get ready to leave for Paris tomorrow!