From Basel to Paradise

Then it was there, the week of departure, the week of Adieu Basel and Hi there New York. In the end everything went very fast and I found myself physically faster in my other reality than my mind could follow first.

After the last weeks were more or less the same and in familiar surroundings, this week was a change of pace. On Monday a last morning run along the Rhine. And then working off my preparation to-do list: Tidy up the studio, clean up the apartment, pack my suitcase, water the plants, inform the neighbors, etc. With each ticked off item, my heart became a little lighter. And after a long day, I fell into bed knocked out, but knowing that everything was done. A good feeling.

Good bye my friends, good bye

Because I now make these trips to New York on a regular basis, a certain routine has crept in. I know how everything works and was starting the day with a relaxed mind. During my last breakfast on the balcony, I said goodbye to my beloved swifts that were flying over my head as usual. When I return, they will be back in Africa and my sky will be empty.

Smooth travel across the ocean

The trip went well, no chaos at the airport in Zürich, a good and despite the 8 1/2 hours entertaining flight and also the waiting time at the tiresome immigration kept within limits. Since I flew on the 4th of July, the national holiday of the USA, there was almost no traffic on the way home from the airport and I arrived in less than an hour. I showered, we went out to dinner and ended the evening normally – the best thing you can do, in my opinion, to get a quick handle on jet lag.

I feel very comfortable in New York and if I could, I would spend much more time here than in Basel. The first few days are always like coming home and it’s exciting to visit all the places I like here again. Walking through familiar streets, seeing familiar faces in the little stores in the neighborhood, eating the dishes I’ve been looking forward to in the restaurants… I like Manhattan Valley, where our apartment is located. It’s open and green and has these old, beautiful houses. It’s not classy, but it’s human. You hear more Spanish than English and you’re surrounded by people of all colors and races. My first run was through my beloved Riverside Park, down to Pier 1 and back along the Hudson shore. So beautiful how everything is blooming right now.

Off to the beach

After two days in the city, we drove out to Fire Island, where we rented our little vacation home again for the summer. A one and a half hours train ride, out of the big city, across Long Island to Sayville. There a shuttle to the harbor, then the ferry across the Bay. And then everything else is forgotten. Only nature. water, sand, sky. No cars, no stress and not even a bathing suit on the beach. Just sheer freedom. I love it. The weather is perfect, never too hot and never cold, even at night. The sound of the waves is omnipresent, as is the singing of the birds. The perfect place to switch off and just be. And that’s what I did for now, nothing, just be.

For all Photos of the week click here