Day 11, Basel.

And we're back! About 15 degrees cooler, Basel was lovely today with nice fresh air and sun in the afternoon.

We visited my former school today, and wandered around looking for a familiar teacher, that we found out wasn't working that day. I left him a note, and the staff in the office thought it was super that I came for a visit.

Next to my school is a park called the Grün 80, or green for the non-learning disabled people. Just kidding. I meant non-German speaking people. I know what the grammar should look like here folks, it's an inside joke. So lay off ;)

The park was beautiful and full of birds and one giant dinosaur that was gifted to the park in 2005 from some Swiss company celebrating 25 years of the park. Imported from New Mexico. Everyone knows they make the best fake, to-scale dinosaurs.

We hopped the #10 tram into the city and had a relaxing day. Visited the stores I needed to hit before heading home for some Swiss essentials--like a butcher shop, see photo--and met with a friend from my school days, Corrine. She now has a little one named Jonas, and he was so sweet! It was great to visit, so I guess I'll have to come back in a couple years and see that boy again!

We wrapped up our day with a date night...as if the last two weeks haven't been one giant date. Am I right, or am I right?! We went to a place that specializes in cordon-bleu. And they had three pages of the style you could choose from...and no option had chicken! Veal or pork. Have I mentioned that I love the way folks eat across the pond? Because I love it. I wish I could eat baby cows everyday. And raw piles of them once in a while. Only kidding. Sort of.

It was a splendid meal to end a splendid day. One more day in the city, and we'll be on our way home!

Day 10. Back to Basel.

A long day. Primarily in the train. After coffee and a stop at my new favorite store the Monoprix, we packed up and headed to the train station in Nice. More than one hour early, we waited for our train that ended up to be late. Really great for us, because we had only 15 minutes to transfer trains in Marseille. And guess what? We missed it. So I had to wait in line with thirty other people who also needed to switch their tickets. Got it sorted out, but now we are running one hour behind schedule with no way to contact our pickup. Should be an interesting next stop in Dijon, trying to figure out that part!

The French countryside is beautiful. Have I said that yet? And it's also great scenery for mastering Plants vs. Zombies. Which I haven't mastered, but I'm getting REALLY good.

My only complaint about the French train system is 2 things:

They seem never to be on time. And my seat today smells like urine. But it could just be me. Literally. I have great reason to believe that we as a pair could peel wall paper from even the carpeted walls of the pink house (which has since been painted!) on Whidby. You're welcome for the shout out, Cheryl!

I will give props to the SNCF (French railway) because they bumped us to 1st class the whole way home. Even though the guy sitting across from me has all the leg room and I'm going backwards in the train...it's still first class, and the seats recline. Sort of.

So we have two more days in Basel with family Fritsche before we head back to Bothell. France gave me a run for my money. My wounds (fever blisters and mosquito bites and have turned into blisters) are healing albeit super painful and might I add, hideous. We decided that I should probably just start going by The Plague. First name The, last name Plague. It's pretty simple, and definitely easy to remember. Oh, and I have sunburn. I'm looking real good these days.

I am really looking forward to seeing my child. Now that I'm suffering from vacation exhaustion (I know, I know), I ready to squeeze that kid and kiss her face. But not until mine has cleared up from the facial plague, of course.

Keep your fingers crossed we arrive back to Basel without further delay!! Vive la France!

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Safe and sound back in Basel. First class all the way! A little wurst salat fresh from the Fritsche Kitchen, a hot shower and cold beer. Nice to be back in the climate of not southern France, lovely as it was!

Day 9, Nice.

Phhhheeeewf. We are exhausted. Vacation has officially caught up with us. It's a good thing the only agenda for tomorrow is sitting in a train for 7 hours.

The weather today was glorious. The sun was shining, the breeze off the sea was lovely and half the hoards of people from yesterday were at church or something, because they weren't in our way. We found an open place for coffee, and stopped in at a place called Monoprix, which seems to me like a French Target. I was in heaven. I'm going back tomorrow for my souvenirs! French toothpaste and such ;) it's always good to have practical souvenir habits.

We walked 3 million stairs to the top of Castle Hill, that overlooks the cape of Nice. It was spectacular! Especially with the clear sunny day we had...wow. We had a search for the museum of the castle, but ironically as we got closer, the sign for museum changed to a sign for a boutique, better known to us a gift shop, and when we arrived at said museum, it was tacky coffee mugs and magnets and postcards of tanned butt cheeks in thong bikinis. So, it was pretty much like a museum of a Roman castle. Pretty much.

There is a cemetery there, split between 3 or 4 religious sects. We walked through the Jewish one, and it's slightly disheartening to read your name on a grave...over and over...and over. One even had Esther and Jacob on it. Had to have a picture.

After a stop at my BFF the tomato lady I wrote about yesterday, we tried to find the natural history museum, with no success. We had correctly navigated to the map's location, but as one American tourist on Castle Hill said about the Roman ruins of a church, "Well where did it go? Was there a war or something?" I guess her understanding of "ruins" is unclear, in a way similar to how we couldn't find the invisible natural history museum...

After a clean up, Tj decided he wanted to take a plunge in the Mediterranean. When in Rome, right? I went only knee high, but the breakers crept up to my scrotal zone, soaking my dress. No matter. The air and water were warm and comfortable. We sat on the beach for some time, watching the families play with their kids, and pregnant women smoking, and fat guys in Speedos, and topless women with breasts to their waists...it was entertaining to say the least. Our favorite instance, the pregnant mom telling her small child it's time to go. He wasn't having it. Kicking, screaming, hitting his pregnant mother--on Mother's Day no less--lucky for him she didn't have a lit cigarette in hand--and she smacks him hard on the rear and shouts, "Voilà!". It was fabulous. And now I might start doing the same. So keep your hounches covered.

We drug our weary selves to dinner around 8, where T had some amazing seafood grill plate, and I had a rack of lamb. Whenever I'm in the Mediterranean I usually crave spiced meat shanks.

We also sat next to three drag queens in the restaurant. To Wong Fu indeed. But none of them looked like Pat Swazey.

Let me just make sure I've covered the high points of the day:

-million stairs
-swimming in the sea
-voilà smack
-drag queens

Think that's it. Oh! And it rained! I thought a bird was shitting on my head, then realized it was this foreign substance I hadn't seen in over a week!

Late and must to bed. We shall see how the sleeping works out. My legs are covered in souce of fwance mosquito bites. And these bitches have drill bits on their snouts. Ouch. Itch. Blistering bites = must wear pants tomorrow. At least it's not bedbugs.

Dinner in the street, Nice, Day 8.

We're eating dinner, in the street. And maybe it's the entire bottle of rosé talking, but I'm pretty sure these people love me!!

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Okay, we're back in our room now, but still, I think these people of France love me!

Today was long...we had coffee down the street (where incenditally we also had a late dinner), and proceeded to the Cours Saleya, where we purchased many euros worth of fruits and vegetable that we indeed didn't cook, but rather will save for our return to Switzerland, and see if familie Fritsche can use them!

The plan was to cook dinner en suite tonight, but after Tj and I played 3 or 4 rounds of cribbage to the tune of a Rhône Valley Rosé, it was hard for me to cook a meal...hence we went out in search of food, and my new group of friends. It was fun, and something I'd been longing to do, and TJ was an excellent sport.

I got to practice my German, French, and even a few words in Russian. He knows I get a boner for such things, and that's why I love him. He looks lovingly at me whilst I try to communicate with complete strangers. He is patient and kind, what I believe love is in Corinthians 13:4.

Quickly, in my seemingly drunken state I'll try to recap our day:
We had coffee, and went to the market that was amazing!! Tj had researched the museum of prehistory and Geico cavemen, so we went! To our surprise, the cost of 4€ was from 4 years ago, and the museum was free. It was quite interesting and we both enjoyed it.

From there we located a park, and we ate lunch at said park. I have no pictures, but let me tell you, we had some sun dried tomatoes smothered with garlic, basil, olive oil and salt that were to die for. I finished the container and am planning a trip back to the market first thing tomorrow!

We ventured back to the main square for ice cream and a few essentials that we didn't end up using...and after I realized I needed a glass of water and to poop (thank you, Laura Noble), I felt good enough to drink nearly an entire bottle of rosé, and eat a full plate of home made gnocchi while Teej ate a whole Niçoise salad.

Late night = fun with strangers.

And now, twenty minutes later, I sit here editing my writing. A true writer, nicht vohl? Tj playing Angry Birds on the Kindle, in his underwater.

I love vacation.


Ps- all the pictures of people you don't recognize, they're folks from the restaurant. I got quit friendly this evening! And to reiterate, they LOVED it!

Day 7, on the train to Nice.

I'm trying something here. My phone has been in airplane mode since our arrival. In the evenings when we've returned from our days adventures, we've had wifi in every place. Because of this, I've only gotten on to journal when I've had internet access, but am now realizing I can do it whenever, save it and post it in the evening. Or, better yet, add to it at the end of the day. Voilà!

We've just boarded our train to the Mediterranean coast, for Nice. There was a nice breeze in Avignon this morning, and we had our croissants and café au lait in the same place as yesterday.

I'm excited to see the water, so is Tj. Despite the fact that I woke up with the herp this morning and my lip is swelling slightly and is in pain, being where we are makes it hard to focus on such trivial things as a herpes simplex. I'll let it go. This time.

The French southern country is beautiful. Rolling hills, tiled roofs, laundry hanging on lines three stories up from shuttered windows. And I have a new hobby: figuring out how to prepare French food.
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Part Deux

Ahhhhh. I know why movie stars like it here. It feels like southern California, but it's in a different country that is in my reality WAY cooler than southern Cal.

We arrived at the station, and this time I lead us straight to our hotel! Hooray! Even so, we were drenched with sweat once again. This place is warm. Not the 88 degree temps we had yesterday in Avignon, but a close second. Our relief was unloading our belongings, obtaining a map from Carolina our hotel lady and finding our way down to the sea. WOW! It was amazeballs to say the least. I'm impressed with the amount of ground we've covered and the terrain we've seen in 7 days. We are a superb traveling team.

We decided to eat dinner on the super tourist drag about a block inland from the coast line. I wanted to splurge for the paella royale (and that doesn't mean the dish comes with cheese!) and naturally wanted to try my favorite salad from the city it was named for, Salade Niçoise! Both were superior, especially the paella...lobster, massive shrimp with eyeballs still in tact, mussels up the ying and creamy rice that tasted like the god Zeus caroling from on high. I realized too late that I wanted to take a photo of our meal...see below plates of eaten food.

We wrapped it up with some fancy dessert Mr. T picked out, and naturally ordered a coffee, our new European dinner ritual ;)
Mine came as ordered, café au lait, and Tj once again received an espresso in the world's tiniest cup. It was certainly a petite cup, feminine sip!

So, now we sit in our tiny studio, smaller than the tv room at home, Tj researching how much to tip in France and the top ten things to see in Nice No working air conditioning, hence our wide open windows and the sound of French yellings in the street. It's different yet again, but still I love it.

Quick note: the fountain and the church were mere attractions on our walk from dinner back to the hotel. If you haven't been here, go.

And ps- thanks for clothes line, Aubtie Deb! Somebody's gonna have fresh pants in the Riviera!