I believe it's time for another adventure

On the steps, ready to go! 

When I packed my bags and left home for the airport last night at 8:50pm EST, I had no intention of resuming my blog. However, over the past 24 hours, SO much has happened, that it just feels right to document and share here. Quick side-note, I'm right now planning a slightly different format for my posts (basically less text, more pictures), although that is subject to change.

Anyway, my adventures begin in Basel, Switzerland where I will be hiking (biking?) and exploring with one of my best friends from high school, Michelle, and her fiance, Alex! They have graciously welcomed me into their home for some adventuring over the next week.

Sibling selfie with Mike and Katie before leaving for the airport

10:50pm departure=a true "Red Eye"

Having a dad with knowledge of airline seating plans
definitely pays off... check out the leg room!

Michelle warned me to pay attention to the exit signs at the Basel Airport.
Turn the wrong way, and you could end up in Germany or France! 

I had an hour to kill while I waited for Michelle and Alex. I used the opportunity to plan! Basel is located in the northwest corner of Switzerland RIGHT on the border with France and Germany 

FYI

Alex and Michelle met me at the airport, and together we drove back to their gorgeous apartment. Michelle had a conference call, so I used the hour to explore the neighborhood. Let me just say, Copenhagen has got some competition for the most incredible, feel-good, family city!

Just after 5pm, so there were tons of kids playing together on the streets 

Turns out that Basel is also a BIG bike-friendly city. I saw the same bike shopping carts
and child carriers I'd loved in Denmark

I felt creepy trying to photograph people and their houses in a completely residential area, so
I started snapping shots of textures and everyday objects 

Spring is definitely arriving... birds chirping, flowers blooming 

This house is just chilling at the top of their hill 

Wandering the streets was an incredible experience. I have never seen so many people out and about. Truly, never! TONS of kids playing. TONS of people gardening. People on bikes. People on foot. Old couples, families, school groups... it was amazing! 

The neighborhood was slightly hilly. This was the view from the top of the first hill

Try to pronounce the name of this street 

Backyard of the apartment building equipped with trampoline and fun slides

Random building while we 

Then we took the car to Germany to go grocery shopping. Turns out that the Swiss Franc is very strong right now, while the Euro is very weak. This means that food/goods are roughly three times as expensive in Switzerland as they are just across the border in Germany. We had a great time at the grocery store stocking up for the week!

Turns out that Alex is a 5-star chef! We had an INCREDIBLE dinner of salad (with delicious cured German meat), grilled fish and veggies, an entire cheese course, sparkling wine (purchased on a recent drive into France), and ice cream.

In traditional European fashion, we took well over an hour+ to enjoy our meal.  

But we certainly did finish every last bite!

I cannot believe I'm still awake, but we are all just hanging out in the living area--music playing, candles burning, wine sipping, and working on our respective projects. Tomorrow Michelle and I will begin our explorations around Basel and plan our itinerary for the rest of the week. If today is any indication of what is to come, I'm excited for the next seven days!