Grüße aus Basel

Heart-shaped lake at Engleberg

As I write this, I have my bags packed for a one-way trip to the US tomorrow. I'm sitting on our temporary apartment balcony watching the sunset and hearing horns honking to celebrate Switzerland's first win in the World Cup championship. And I'm also very sad to be leaving so many generous colleagues, friends and neighbors that I've had to say goodbye to over the last days.

We tried to fit in many experiences over our last month while in Basel. We took a day trip to Europa Park, a nearby theme park in Germany -- it was a memorable trip for the kids, especially when they could ride rollercoasters with friends multiple times in a row at the end of the day. We went for a last hike in the Alps on a hot day to take in the scenery as much as we could, because photos just don't do it justice. The boys went to the Swiss National Circus with their babysitters as a surprise farewell. My colleagues at work hosted an apero for me that made me feel so lucky to have met so many great people. These are just some of the memories that I want to take with me.

French Chateau stay

As a family, we took one last getaway to the Lorraine region of France to stay in a chateau and experience the countryside. We left for our trip after packing up our house, so we were happy to find an easy place to relax and feel at home for a few days. We enjoyed the regional breakfast -- and especially the homemade Confiture de Lait on fresh bread. The area is a popular area for birding, and storks especially are very prevalent around the lakes in the region. We also took a sobering day trip to Verdun, a monumental battlefield in World War I. It was impressive to see the marked landscape from shells and the remaining trenches. It was a learning experience for the boys, who didn't understand why there was so much fighting and death. We paid our respects at the St. Mihiel American Cemetary, which showed only a small portion of how many lives were taken. Our visit to the region was an interesting reflection on history and how much has changed.

St. Mihiel American Cemetary

We have many memories to take with us, and also hope to keep certain routines with us as we move on to our next adventure. For example, we really have to continue German for the kids as we don't want to lose what they've already learned. And even though Sundays are regular shopping days for the most part in the US, I hope that we can keep this day as a time to be together as a family. As I've said goodbye to many people, I've been reminded of the German saying that I have "one-eye laughing and one-eye crying", which means it is a bittersweet time. I also appreciate the saying that we always meet people twice in life. For this reason, I've hesitated to say goodbye, and would rather say "see you". 

This won't be my last blog entry. I've realized that as much as this was an effort to inform our friends in the US about life in Europe, I can now use it to also inform our friends in Europe about our life in the US. It will certainly be a transition and the beginning of a new chapter. With that, I wish you regards from Basel. Grüsse aus basel... bis später ("see you later").