Guess Where We Were Yesterday?!?

Around Town In Basel

Today; a short post about the city of Basel.  Basel is a city that touches, and even stretches into three countries.  It has the only airport in the world that is based in three countries and it's called EuroAirport.  The town is very Swiss, has a strong German influence, and most of the food is Italian. As you walk around you can't help but overhear many languages, but primarily German.   It is considered one of the most international cities in the world.  It has the international bank center and many global companies are based here.  However, somehow it maintains its Swiss charm while being quietly multi-national. 

Basel is famous for modern art and a red Marketplatz.  It is has also been a big stop on the Rhine river for businesses since Roman times.  

Two different nights this week, I enjoyed my favorite Swiss thing =Rosti.  Rosti is like really good hash-browns smothered in Swiss cheese.  I added bacon and a fried egg to mine.  The portions are large, but I ate all of my dish because it was so delicious.  The German waitress said "ah, see for two and pointed to my belly".  It was amusing (to others at least).  Sadly I am having to refrain from my other favorite Swiss thing - the local white wine Fendant - which is only produced in Switzerland.  It is only rarely exported, even to the EU.  I have tried to order it in the US, but no avail.  But I am bringing some home for next year!

We will end up staying eight nights in one tiny apartment.  It is like living in an IKEA showroom!  We have tried to live more like the locals by going to the grocery store, having a car, using the tram to get to work and walking around at night to then go linger over a long dinner.  Too bad I can’t drink like the locals (le' sigh).  It has taught us we could definitely live here if we could afford a TWO bedroom non-studio apartment in the city.  However, we would really miss real diet coke and definitely have to learn German.

Now someone help me to get a job transfer.

-Lauren

Working in the EU

The reason we are on this EU journey is work-related.  We are writing a few different kinds of blog posts since we are trying different things this trip, including one about working!  Next year my company will implement a new reporting system, so I am one of the first testers in module training.  I am very happy to have this opportunity and actually like this kind of thing.  So glad I changed jobs!

The Syngenta headquarters is on the edge of Basel and shares a large complex with Novartis & Ciba.  (Those companies are also in Greensboro.)  The Novartis buildings have cow statues and fun animals, but Syngenta has their (usual) pretty plants.  The cafeteria is good with many options and huge because over 1,000 people work in Basel for Syngenta.  (Below is Novartis Animal Health)

All of the timeswe have traveled around the EU, we have always wanted to see how they work.  We have gathered how they live, get groceries, attend school, etc. but it is hard to really get a feel for the workplace in Europe from a tourist perspective.

During my three days of training, I have learned a lot about the EU working environment.  The Europeans are more laid back about their jobs and very serious about their breaks.  They arrive no earlier than 8:30 and work for roughly 2-3 hours before having a 15-40 minute coffee break with a snack.  Then they work for about 2 more hours and go to a nice lunch.  They eat lunch with co-workers, friends or family near the workplace.  After eating lunch, they work about 3-4 hours with more coffee and take the 5pm work deadline seriously.  Since I am pregnant, I am finding this pace very nice! 

I will say the thing they take the most seriously is their coffee.  They want 2-5 cups per day.  Most offices not only provide regular coffee, but also neo-espresso espressos too.  If you are not drinking coffee, then you are drinking tea. Neo-espresso is a Swiss company nearby, so they not  only have the fancy machines everywhere but have entire stores devoted to this. The stores have entire walls the size of our apartment of k-cup choices and flavors.  Jason, Jason & the Ciszeks would love this—sadly it is wasted on me.

The main annoyance is the European keyboard is different, so it takes effort to type!  For example, the y and z key are in different places. 

All done with training, so we are going for an adventure into our fourth country—Germany.

--Lauren

Road Tripping Switzerland

  This time around in Switzerland we rented a car, a funny looking little Renault.  Since Lauren had to work in Basel which is less than an hour's drive from Zurich it worked out pretty well.  That also meant we got a chance to drive around the beautiful country coming to Basel as well as on our way to Italy Sunday.  On our way here from the airport we took a little bit of a detour to stop and see the Rhine falls near a town called Schaffhausen.  Compared to the Niagra Falls or other super water falls, they aren't quite that impressive but they are certainly beautiful.

  We had plenty of time (4 hours each way) to enjoy the sites and sounds of driving through Switzerland on our way to the race this weekend.  The sounds are especially entertaining as the radio never failed to provide a good laugh.  For a while we were too tired to mess with the radio but decided to give it another try after the morning talk shows (in German) wrapped up.  We checked in to one station that began with "The World's Greatest" in a throwback to high school.  That proved to be the newest song in their repertoire though as they quickly shifted to some classic (as in I've never even heard of the song) Rod Stewart.  Of course, the most interesting catch of the day was tuning in to "Achy Breaky Heart" which was nicely followed up by some early Micheal Jackson.

  That country "classic" was enough to keep us at least a little entertained as we got stuck in traffic at the Gotthard Pass Tunnel thanks to the rain, race traffic, and many Swiss trying to get back from long weekends.  This tunnel is impressive though, at 10.5 miles long it's the third longest in the world and is pretty much the only link between Switzerland and Milan except for a two lane pass over the mountain.  Thankfully there is a museum and the gas stations before the tunnel have lots of details if you ever find yourself nearby and curious about tunnels. 

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- Jordan