Spring is coming little by little. This week marked another highlight in this process with the first trees turning green again.
The crocuses and the first small flowers are followed by the bushes with their blossoms. After a few warm days, the daffodils and tulips are in bloom, followed by the cherry trees and almost at the same time the first leaves sprout from the trees and the greenness returns. One of the highlights for me. What a beautiful color! The blue arches over us all year round and sunsets with their red and yellow tones are also always present. Only the green retreats for a few months in winter, becoming the main player in the return of the growing season in spring. It has been scientifically proven that chlorophyll has a positive effect on the human mental state and lowers stress hormone levels. Reason enough to get outside and enjoy the greenery. The spring-like temperatures this week have further fueled my desire to do so.
Winter is definitely history in Basel
The return of the outdoors
The working week though didn’t leave me much time for it, but I took advantage of every moment I could to get outside. This week, for example, I had my first sunset aperitif on the balcony or my first lunch at an outdoor table in the sun. Finally a few highlights in this somewhat frustrating 2025.
Spring days in Basel
Back in the hiking boots
Another premiere on Saturday. The first hike of the year was on the agenda. The hiking trails in the Alps are still snow-covered and closed, but the low mountain ranges are ready to be discovered. So the Swiss Jura was the destination, more precisely the Ajoie region, which stretches southwest of Basel and can be reached quickly with a 40-minute train ride. From stately Porrentruy with its mighty castle, we headed to St-Ursanne on the Doubs, which boasts a romantic old town and monastery. In between, nothing but nature, where you can feel the energy of the impending departure with every step. Paths lined with flowering bushes. Endless forests filled with the song of countless species of birds, the ground strewn with carpets of flowers. The trees are still bare and allow the sun to reach the ground unfiltered. And then, of course, the typical Jura meadows full of wild crocuses and daffodils. I just love the energy that this time of year radiates. Lightness, anticipation, hope. Good conditions for inspiration and the desire to become artistically active myself, which I did on Sunday. More of this soon, when the results are more visible.
Hiking from Porrentruy to St-Ursanne in Swiss Ajoie region
