A few notes about living abroad in Switzerland:
People tend to be even more fit and healthy than people in Seattle - and that says a lot. Some kids start biking without training wheels by age 3, and it's not uncommon to see older people in their 70s biking too. It helps that Basel is extremely bike-friendly and has paths in/around the entire city.
The public transportation is amazing. There are buses, trams, and well-defined bike and pedestrian paths. The center of Basel has made it difficult to find parking so you just don't find that many cars. Cars are the odd ones out.
In general, Americans are friendly and smile a lot. Swiss people are not super friendly, and generally do not smile at strangers.
Dogs are beloved friends to many Swiss.
Basel is much more diverse than I remember.
Of course there is High German and Swiss German, but Swiss German has many dialects. I'm surprised to start hearing some of those subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences.
I am surprised about how often I dream about my friends back in Seattle.
I don't miss instant everything (Amazon) and find myself relieved to step backwards in time a bit.
This country is even more beautiful than I remember.
