A different Easter

This year I'm celebrating Easter in Basel, with one of my best friends. It's a strange thing when you are breaking all your traditions and not do anything that you are use to doing on a traditional time like this.

Don't get me wrong!! Me and my friend have a blast!! It's just different!
She arrived Wednesday evening. Then we started with some girls talk and relaxing mainly. Thursday was all about discovering Basel, and we discovered some really nice wine shops!! Oh my! I didn't know that we had this good places!! I will so go all in and get super snobby when it comes to wine!! In the evening we cooked together... Well, H cooked and I laid the table... Sort of. It was a fantastic dinner :)

Friday we were also out discovering Basel. It was raining... And has been the entire weekend. And I have also been coughing, which is not better by me running around outside!! In the evening me and H went to France to try on a Michelin restaurant!! It was just cross the border!! 7 courses we ended up having!! Wow.... That was an adventure. And we were forced to speak French to most if the staff.

Today we had eggs for breakfast. After all it's Easter!!! And then we stayed in the entire day just watching movies. Tonight we've been to Acqua, a really nice place here in Basel. Happy to have H here!
Having a lot of fun and good discussions. But I can't help missing my family back in Sweden and wondering if we will do all our Easter tradition stuff next year instead?


❤

Holy waffle day!!

Monday:
Not feeling ant better... Actually I'm worse. High fever, cold and warm at the same time. Still a cough, pretty bad one. Yes... Do feel sorry for me, because I deserve it!!

I went to work today. Had booked an off site meeting to discuss HR topics with my manager and his deputy... Was kind of my meeting and my booking.. So it would not really have been convenient to be off sick today.. Tomorrow however I will stay at home. Really hope that I haven't infected anyone..

Today is the Swedish waffle day. I'm crazy about waffles. Have to make one! Have a little waffle party on my own!!


Tuesday:
Fell asleep while writing this blog. Nothing strange when you have a fever and a tremendous cold. Will soon try to get out of bed. Need to do some workshop planning and send a mail.

Yesterday I fought against the weakness and I made some waffles, and it was good! ;)

I also found this quote:
“Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.” - Albert Einstein

Hahaha, can you imagine how useful this can be?

Pain and craziness

Now I've returned to Basel.

I Landed around 7pm and it for once took forever to get the luggage. The day I feel this weak, the world is against me. Well.. That was maybe to exaggerate a bit. After all I ended up sitting next to a lovely colleague on the plane, and she had tissues!! What a life saver!!

When I finally got to my apartment I took my temperature. It was ok. Didn't feel ok. 5 min later I checked again. Not ok. I had fever. 30 min later, I checked again. Not ok. Now I've checked 5 times. I can with firm data in my hand conclude that I do have a fever.

Now I'm in bed. I have put cough medicine, nose drops, a glass of water and tissues by the side of my bed. However I have forgotten the aspirins. "oh God, if I weren't this weak I would have fetched them" ... Hm, hope I survive the night.

Tomorrow is another day.

Starbucks coffee??

I'm on the plane to Sweden. For once I can't sleep. Normally I fall asleep as soon as the plane takes off. I also ended up next to a couple that cant stop kissing and touching each other. Nice. So since it's Friday I treated myself with some coffee and a muffin.. That is of course something I regret now... Not because of the calories, but more from the artificial taste of the muffin and the burned coffee with "milk".. No one makes this hot coffee!!

Tonight I will meet my siblings for dinner, my brothers girlfriend will also come. So look forward to that. It's not so very often that we all can meet, Lovely! After dinner we'll be catching the premiere of OZ at the movies. The last couple of days I have been dreaming of Swedish candy, something that does not exist in the same way in Switzerland, think I will have some tonight for the movie, Finally!
I must say that Switzerland provides me with amazing chocolate... Amazing.. But it's anyway not a proper replacer for the sort of candy I'm dreaming of.

One more hour to go... To make the journey a bit interesting I randomly spilled some coffee on my table... Didn't help to make things more exciting.. I have been drinking most of the burned coffee now. Need to think of something else to do. Time goes really slowly now. I even wished I had my German books her so that I could have studied. My teacher has given me a report of my progress. I can proudly announce that I got very good grades in most areas... Except for the grammar. Which was the only important factor they are measuring. And it doesn't help that I constantly "forget" to do my homework. I need to sharpen up I guess.

Next week I will work from Sweden. I will then meet my colleagues from North America and from Asia, will be a blast! We've only spoken over the phone up until now. That will be really nice. I even look forward to visit the Älmhult office. Maybe not so much the place as such, but the people. Too bad we couldn't have a day in Helsingborg too. My week is completely crowded, both work wise and socially. Hope to catch some minute of rest as well, but it will probably be difficult :) I even had to make myself a written schedule yesterday trying to fit everything in that I want to do. And of course, as every time I go to Sweden, give myself some time to do some shopping!!

Sleepless in Basel

It's been a good week, good and a bit strange. I everyday get reminders of that my grandfather is gone.

He for sure lives within me, I use so many of his expressions. Some wise, some strange, but most of them is to be delivered with a great sense of humour and in a bit random way. Hard to repeat in a blog unfortunately. My dear grandfather was very worried about me, and felt sorry for me being in a different country far far away. He couldn't really believe that I have chosen it myself and that I actually like my life here in Basel. I hope he watches me from heaven, seeing that it's actually not that bad!

When I had visitors, the same weekend as my mother called to let me know that my grandfather was in the hospital, I got to know what would turn out to be my new favourite restaurant! "Rubino" it's called. Wow, that visit was an experience of its own. The service, the selection of wines and both how the food tasted but also how it was presented! If you have the possibility, go there!

Today I have been visiting a spa with a friend. It was a great experience, but I got a bit too relaxed maybe, now I am so tired so that I hardly know how to stay awake to finish this text! Could also have something to do with me having a tough time to sleep.

Well, sleep well all of you!
Take care!

Life takes its turns

I have been on a trip to Sweden to say farewell to my grandfather. He died this night and he will be greatly missed.
The downside with the life as an expat is being far from home when something like this happens. Sunday my mother called to say that my grandfather has been taken to the hospital and that it was bad. She also shared that it was a stroke and that he was out of reach so I didn't need to hurry home. She didn't want me to worry. I anyhow checked the flights, but it was full.
The day went by and thank God that I had plans to meet up with two of my closest Basel friends to go for a walk. They encouraged me to take the next flight to be with my family. I think I was in a chock not actually planning for a trip to Sweden... But after they had woken me up and my manager had given his blessing I was heading home to Sweden the next day.

After landing I was picked up by my parents and immediately taken to the hospital to see my grandpa. He was laying there, handsome as he is, concentrating on breathing. It was hard to see. he used to be so vital, and now so fragile. I think he heard us talking to him. Sometimes he looked straight at us. One by one we all gathered at the side of his his bed. My sister came after work, then my uncle who had been home to eat and last my brother also coming from work. After a while we started to sing some hymns, music has always been a great comfort. It was indeed calming and peaceful.

Tuesday went by and we were taking turns to sit by his bed. In the evening on my way home from a friends house I felt that I wanted to see him again and I went to the hospital to sit with my uncle. Two hours went by. Then we decided that I would come back in the morning. two hours later I got the message that he's gone to sleep and that he's now with God in heaven. We all went to the hospital to say our goodbyes.

My grandpa was an extraordinary man. He was thoughtful, caring and fun. He was spontaneous and loved to tease people and to randomly talk to strangers. He was not comfortable in the centre if attention but his sense of humour often took him there. He has always been there for his family. Now he is with my grandma in heaven.

Tonight i came back to Basel. I am relieved that he didn't have to lay there for so long. And I am very happy that i went home to sit with him and to be with my family. I feel like I am walking around in some sort of a mist, not seeing clearly. He has meant so much to me, been my balance and stability in a way, and it has not really sinked in that he's now gone.

I don't know how to honour his memory in the best way. But I will do my best to be as good of a person as he was.

You bare my endless love dear grandpa. May God's peace be with you till we meet again. ❤