Afterthoughts

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So, I'm back home and recovering from the trip. Changing time zones is much harder now that I have full-blown lupus. Yesterday, I was like brain dead at work. I'm catching up.

So... some thoughts about the trip...

I really loved Switzerland. Sure, it was very expensive but when you factor in that their minimum wage is 25CHF/ hour and how safe and clean it is, I think it's worth the extra money. I'm certainly glad Michael's parents live in Switzerland as opposed to France. In Basel, everything was so clean, on-time, and efficient. I only saw police once and that was at the FC Basel game. (They bring flares into the games!! In the USA, you'd be put on the no-fly list for that!) People didn't need to lock up their bikes and you could drink water out of the public fountains. In Basel, I think we were the only American tourists and that was fine with me.

France on the other hand was too dirty for my taste. I found Paris a little hyped up. I think it was great and amazing to see everything I did in Paris, but now that I've done it, I'm satisified. It was very touristy and crowded which is not my scene. (I've always liked a city like Boston over NYC) I also was almost pickpocket in Paris, and that certainly would never happen in Basel. Paris did have better food though.

So, we will be going back again whether it is next summer or spring. I'd prefer the spring since they don't use air conditioning and I prefer the cooler weather. I'd definitely want to get up to Hamburg to see my family and travel more in Germany. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the less-travelled areas of France, as I'm the type that likes the off-the-beaten path.

All and all I'm glad to be home. I missed my cats and air conditioning. Keep posted to facebook, I'll post some pictures from the trip this weekend and I'm also getting photo books made of the trip.

Thanks for reading 😊

Kristen

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