Autumnal diversity

A fairly quick flight catapulted me from New York to Basel and from the warm and sunny to the gray and dingy side of fall.

I’m usually always happy when I can get out of the plane after a flight across the Atlantic. And I usually count the hours as I toss and turn in my seat looking for a comfortable sleeping position until we arrive in Europe and breakfast is served. This time I was so tired that I slept almost the whole flight and when the cabin light came on, I would have liked to let the light turbulence shake me into some wild dreams that heralded the approaching full moon. Half asleep, I suddenly found myself back in Switzerland and felt like I was in another world. 

Back in the quieter world

The weather was gray and it was chilly. Only the first trees, already turning color, had something in common with the world I had just left. But against the gray backdrop of the sky, everything seemed much more autumnal than in New York. Arriving home felt even more surreal to me. The silence in the city, the quiet cars, the relaxed pace at which everything happens here. Although I live in the middle of the town, after a few weeks in New York it always feels like returning to an alpine pasture in the mountains.

Returning to the Basel rhythm

The apartment itself was still totally in summer mode. When I left here it was the height of summer and the heat was almost unbearable. The windows were still darkened, the bed was covered with summer bedding and without a comforter or blanket, as both were too much on the humid nights in August. So I settled in for the time being. I went shopping to fill the fridge, unpacked, did the laundry and took care of everything. The jet lag coupled with the full moon meant that I was awake for a few hours each night. However, I used these to work through any pending tasks. A few of these had accumulated in the last few weeks and the days were mostly characterized by office and house management work.

Running and taking photos

The jogging laps I did every other day were helpful for settling into the new time zone and relaxing between working at my desk. It was nice to see the familiar places again and how they had changed according to the season. Even though Basel is a tiny city compared to New York, it offers views of nature as well as urban and creative corners that always catch my eye while running.

A German weekend

The weekend was all about a family reunion that we hold every year. This time we spent two days in and around Schwäbisch Hall, where my mother grew up and where some relatives still live today. The town is beautiful, with its old half-timbered houses and the river Kocher, in which the buildings are reflected. It looks like something out of a German fairy tale. The cozy aura suits these autumn days that cry out for peace and seclusion and in which you slowly drive down to prepare for winter.

Sunshine at the end

Back in southern Baden, just outside Basel, autumn showed its sunny side after all and brought this week, which was characterized by so many different impressions, to a varied end also in terms of the weather.

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