Marvelous Mittwoch

    On  Mittwoch (or Wednesday) there was a religious holiday in the canton of Nidwalden and I was given a day off from school. I was not sure how to spend this unexpected free time. However, my host family stepped in to save me from certain bordem and despondency at the lack of schooling. Instead of laying by the pool as I might regularly doing on such a hot day (35 degrees celsius), instead we went to Basel for a shopping trip.
      Instead of taking the train like I had anticipated, we drove to Basel, with the top of the car down and the wind whistling in our ears. After what seemed like an less than ten minutes (but really was closer to thirty-five) we arrived in historic, but beautiful city of Basel. Before we could go shopping my host family and I had to stop and say hello to my host father's parents. I really enjoyed meeting them. They seemed a little eccentric in their old age but at the same time they were very sweet and kind, showing me where their son (my host father) had used to sleep and speaking to me in what little English they knew.
      After that my host mom, host sister, and I all headed into the shopping district of Basel. For a while I just walked along gawking at all the fancy stores and experiencing the big city stereo-type. We first went into a department store called Zebra, where I enjoyed myself further by choosing random clothes and trying them on. After much deliberation and careful selection, I purchased a couple shirts, a tank-top, and a pair of shorts. Satisfied with our shopping endeavors, we went to meet up with my host dad and brother before we all went swimming, in the Rhine.

      After having experienced the grueling heat, it was a blessing being able to just slip into the river and let the current carry us back to where we had parked our car. I, at one point swam past a huge barge that had been making its way up towards Germany or France. When I drifted under a bridge I yelled at the top of my lungs and listened to my voice echo back. As we were walking back to the car, I witnessed a group of young men jump of a bridge into the water. It must have been a twenty foot drop. I was absolutely stunned! At the end of the day I was very happy to crawl under my covers for some well deserved rest.