Ciao

This will likely be my last post from across the sea. One week from today we will be home in Baltimore. Our last week is going to consist of packing and our last European adventure to Amsterdam (Van Gogh & tulips for me!).

So this week, I am just trying to soak in all that is Basel so I can remember until (I hope) one day I return. Rob will be coming back once a month to work in the office here (the other work will be done from home) so I am hoping to make it back at some point. So I thought I would make note of some of the things that I'll miss about being here. (Obviously there are some things that I won't miss - the people are not exactly warm and fuzzy but that is not what this blog is about!)

I'll start with a few of the biggies - of course being so close to so many beautiful places. I don't think it will truly sink in until I have been home for a while as to how many incredible places I've been in the past 6 months. We are extremely fortunate and I hope to never forget the beautiful places and our memories at each one. And it has been wonderful to have so many friends and family visit us. We don't really have a ton of friends in Basel so being able to share our experiences with so many of our favorite people has made our experience that much richer.

I will miss the brilliant blue sky and the lush green grass. These are colors brighter than any in the Crayola box. My theory is that the color of the grass is due to the rich Alpine water and the sky because of limits on industry in the area. It's hard to describe the beauty of things as seemingly mundane as grass and the sky but these images will stay with me.

I will miss of course the mountains. Until now, I had really only seen the Rockies once and some little bumps in western Maryland so I don't have too much to go on but I know that there are few places in this world as still, natural and beautiful as the mountains I've seen. People here talk about them as a place to find their solace. When you are in those mountains, you truly are awed by God's hand.

I have loved experiencing a different culture. Although this was not always easy (i.e. when I almost got thrown off a train for having my feet on the seat), it has given me a new perspective on my life, life in the U.S. and how it fits in (or doesn't) on a more global level. It's interesting when I think about that because this western European culture is more like ours than any other in the world. I don't pretend to have a worldly view having never been to Asia or Africa or even eastern Europe - but just find that I am seeing things now through a wider lens than before.

With that, I will conclude for now. I hope everyone has enjoyed our Swiss adventures. I know it is difficult to make a trip to Europe so I hope I have allowed you to get a taste for what life here is is like. Now I get to come home to all of you and continue my adventures with all of you. I know that I will be back though and I know that my life has been forever changed by this experience.