Ok, let's have another go :)
This week was extremely relaxing. Everyday, I wake up to the sun (and think I am late for work), but am able to curl up in my blankets and soak up the sunshine a bit before it is time to get ready for work. I can't explain how wonderful this feeling is, just flipping my pillow over to the cool side, feeling a little bit of breeze from my open balcony door, and bask in the sunshine for a good twenty minutes. Oh, the simple pleasures... I have been enjoying my time after work, exploring the old parts of town, and going down by the Rhein. I think it was Monday or Tuesday, after work I just went down to the Rhein where there are some long steps along the river, and just read, and eventually fall asleep in the sun (yep, me and the sun again). You can't HELP but fall asleep hearing the river right next to your head, after you have been looking at a computer screen all day.
It has been relatively cold here. Showers come and go, and it is absolutely necessary to carry an umbrella at all times, because they are completely unpredictable. As well as a sweater. I am telling you, it is in the 50s and 60s here. I love the chilly change. :)
Went to this small courtyard for a cappuccino with my roommate Katie as well. I love this place. It is a little secret. A mini pants pocket of the city. You know what I am talking about? That little pocket that they put in one of your jean pockets, to look like a mini pocket? Ah, it is just the perfect touch, that is what I am getting at. There were a ridiculous amount of birds. Katie ordered this bread cake, that throughout the entire eating of it, we couldn't decide whether we actually liked it. But no worries, it was still completely eaten, by Katie, me, and a brave, imposing bird.
Splurged on a Swiss design book called Criss Cross. It is beautiful, exceptionally designed and the content is very interesting, featuring all the monumental Swiss design pieces thus far in its history. Exactly what I was looking for here.
Thursday I met up with my bead store friend, Mirjam, to have dinner at her place. I had the address, and was on a mission to walk there, but, typical Lindsey, I didn't have a map and just figured I would stumble upon the street. I walked and got close, but that doesn't count. I asked a mom and daughter who were walking there dog, and they took me to Mirjam's flat. We had this delicious meal of pie crust with cream cheese on it, with grilled zucchini on top! So So Good! We got to talking about life, what God is doing in ours. I had a lot to contribute. We took a walk around the Biers river, which is a small river that runs into the Rhein. And I discovered a beautiful grassy area by the water, and a gorgeous path through the forest that is lamp-lit. We walked a bit down the Rhein, towards the heart of Basel,and I discovered a slew more places I can't wait to have an espresso at (meals at these places are like 30.00CHF minimum, so espresso and a good view is good for me). And I saw the most unique thing... a "community garden." People from the surrounding flats do not have any places to grow their own vegetables, so they have a plot of land a ways away that is theirs to cultivate. I don't know why this is so amazing to me, but each of them are fenced off, and of course, Swiss-immaculate. Love it.
Friday was a relaxing evening of homecooked dinner (bruschetta and pasta) with friends on their balcony in Kleinbasel. Amazing evening, with cards and art discussion, on a brisk chilly evening. These kind of nights are what make me want to stay here forever.
Saturday Katie and I went to Montreux, to catch the tail-end of the Montreux Jazz Festival. After a good 2.5 hour train ride, we arrived to a glimmering lake, sun-kissed, with palm trees and mountains. Katie and I walked the edge of the lake, and couldn't stop commenting how we felt completely and totally relaxed and at peace. The atmosphere was simply perfect, simply gorgeous.
And check this out... a sweet disc-like thing to hang out on over the water! And check out that view...
There were tons of white tents along the water, peddling everything from jewelry to kitschy solar system spray paintings. And food! From Brazilian to Thai, to crepes and churros. And then there was the jazz. My heart just pounded with joy hearing that. I am telling you, I was grinning cheek-to-cheek; I don't think I have smiled like this since Groundhog's Day when Phil came parading down through the crowd. The huge concerts are impossible to get tickets to, without having connections and sacrificing an arm and a leg, but there was free music in the park. Oddly enough, the bands we listened to were from the States (I come all the way over here to listen to a group from Minnesota...), but they were good, and jolly, and swooned me for sure. I am convinced I have been born in the wrong time period, and that I belong with Ol' Blue Eyes and Humphrey in the 40s. There was a guy that was wearing a full-out wool suit and a cream scarf, that I would've sworn was Sammy Davis, Jr... so cool. We rode a boat back to Lausanne on Lake Geneva, where we caught our train. We sort of "lucked out" because we caught the last boat, and then caught the bus, and then caught the last train to Basel. "Luck."
And on Sunday, I went to Luzern, which is about an hour away from Basel by train. It, too, is on a lake, and is famous for its crooked bridges across the water.
The city is absolutely stunning, again with the mountains in the background and living amongst pieces of history. I went to the Lion Monument, which is carved into the side of mountain rock, and is a tribute to the Swiss that were killed while defending Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. There was also a glacier garden. I was somewhat skeptical of it, thinking it was a tourist trap for sure, but decided to go anyways, for a change of scenery. It was really pretty awesome, seeing how the glacier cut through the area, and starting to better understand how glaciers work. The coolest thing was seeing how the melted water, since it has nowhere to go, just spirals down into the earth and cuts away at the rock, to form this magical, smooth pothole and a wicked-crazy curly rock in the center. There was also a tower in which you could climb up to see a great view of the city. I got up there, and it started pouring, rain coming at me from the sides. I had my umbrella packed, so I got that out quickly, but then it started hailing. I was literally the only one around, and I tried to wait it out, but I couldn't. I must be honest, I was getting scared, because it was going on for about 15 minutes, and I couldn't see anyone below, so I started to head down the stairs to the area below, and undoubtedly got very wet in the process. Finally, I got down and close to the somewhat enclosed café, and ordered an espresso and some sour gummis (I got the ODDEST look from the barista there, and then she just started laughing).
When the rain stopped, I headed back to the city to start exploring some more. I admired the beautiful paintings on the building walls from hundreds of years back, took some artsy photos (that is a nice thing about travelling alone sometimes, not feeling bad for taking some artsy shots that take a little longer, you can run on your own schedule). And the one thing I really wanted to see while I was there, was the Picasso museum, which, after I found out was recently combined with the Braque, Klee, and Chagall collections, as well as other miscellaneous famous artists, was amazing. It is pretty well-known I guess, mainly because it has his work, as well as photos of him creating those pieces. The photography was stunning; I love to see great artists at work, in there regular old studios, or in their basements at home. I like seeing works of art I know in the background, that I have seen on the walls of a museum, but not on the floor, being rubbed up against by the cat. The best part of the day was definitely the museum, because I got to do a lot of sketching... something I always want to do, but rarely follow through with. I focused mainly on the Picasso photography; I wanted to be able to capture that human quality. I am pretty proud of some of them. Art... for me.
These guys were all OVER the place, begging for some pretzel scraps.
Ok, I am officially dead tired. Will continue with Sunday's church, the cake incident, and tonight's Bible Study tomorrow. Love.
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