It's Saturday, and as of yesterday evening, we've been in Switzerland a week!
We finally heard back from admissions at ISB (International School Basel) where we hope Stephen will attend. As a reminder, school starts on Wednesday, and we heard late Thursday that there are some open questions as to whether or not they can support Stephen's needs. The earliest we can get a call is Monday at noon, though we were hoping to go in person on Friday. We are feeling very unsettled at this point and this late in the game, but hopeful we can clear some things up on Monday and move forward. We have started looking more closely at other options, though we have been doing our due diligence all along and feel ISB is the right fit for him. Wish us luck!
We decided to take a day trip and picked Lucerne as our first adventure because it's just an hour by train and is very dog-friendly. Rey needs to travel with us for now because we don't know any dog sitters yet, and she isn't supposed to be left alone for long in the temp apartment, which is fun but can be a bit limiting.
Lucerne is beautiful - like stunningly beautiful. It was crowded because it's a Saturday in August but not bad. Lots of tourists and I heard plenty of people speaking English (some with southern accents!) as well as French and Italian. I've already shared many photos on socials but here they are again and perhaps a few more...
Oh and we finally ordered new cell phones for Stephen and I. David got a new phone and Swiss number through work, but Stephen and I have been without service for several days now. We kept our numbers by porting them to Google Voice, so please still reach us (calls/texts) there, but we don't have cell service yet, which makes exploring without David more challenging, as we have to plan out our routes and stops ahead of time to take photos of the maps. This, of course, means we can't be spontaneous or make any changes to our plans on the fly. The new phones come on Tuesday - an iPhone 14 for Stephen and a 16 for me. We were both due for upgrades regardless, since he had an SE and I an 11.
It was really hot today - got to 95+ in Basel and about that in Lucerne. No one has air conditioning here, so it can be pretty brutal. They do have the metal blinds that cover the windows, but disappear when not in use, and that keeps the heat out during the day. They help alot but it's still challenging to find things to do when it's so hot. So, tomorrow/Sunday, we planned to go to the nearby Rhine River.
Everyone floats down the Rhine when it's hot here! They use these special bags that were invented here, called Wickelfisch, to keep their clothes and possessions dry, and they also serve to help with flotation. They will literally hop in after work, float down the river Rhine, get out and have aperols or snacks while drying off. It's a social experience. We were thinking about trying it tomorrow, but we don't have our Wickelfisch bags yet, and shops are closed on Saturday. We tried picking some up today after we returned from Lucere, but the shops close at 6pm and the one we tried didn't have any. Our Rhine float is now likely delayed.
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