It was sad to leave Jasmin for the last leg of the program because she has been such a fantastic host. I’m especially thankful that I was able to host her back in March because it was so interesting to see how she lived in Germany! I remember her talking about how big everything was in America from our cars to our microwaves, but living with her for a week gave me a wake-up call for sure! I truly wouldn’t give up all our space and large appliances… even if they are a bit excessive. She had the cutest little washing machine but no dryer, and had to resort to a permanent clothes rack in the middle of her room. That’s one thing I don’t think I would ever want to do- I like that my load of laundry can be washed, dried and put away in less than 3 hours. For them, it’s like a 2-3 day process!
Jasmin also introduced us into delicious German cuisine… some of which I’m even bringing back with me. A typical breakfast at Jasmin’s included rich breads, sliced ham and cheese (no spread) with fruit and scrambled eggs (just for us) and my all time favorite…. What I like to call “icing toast.” Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) is a very popular condiment for breakfast all over Europe and Jasmin had a white chocolate version that tasted just like icing. YUM. Of course I had to go to the grocery store and buy my own… amazing! Not to mention all the German chocolate I’m bringing back…. I'll have to spend another blog on the lunches and dinners here!
Then just like that, we were off to Basel, Switzerland for our excursion paid for by Novartis Animal Health. Although we never really saw the Alps, it was beautiful countryside with rolling hills and lots of agriculture. Our only corporate sponsor for the trip gave us one heck of a weekend as we stayed in the tallest inhabited building in Basel- the Ramada Hotel. We were spoiled with four-star private rooms and great views of the city. The first night, we ventured up to the 30th floor to Sky Lounge where we had an outstanding view of the city from above. It was funny to see our hotel on many of the postcards around town… It definitely adds to the skyline. That night we ventured into town for dinner and to see the Rhine river as we stood on the Mittlere Rhinebrucke (bridge). The Rhine actually flows north all the way through Germany and Holland…. We walked along the Rhine in Bonn, Germany over a week ago!
The next day we started with a fancy buffet breakfast and began our Novartis excursion. I learned that the animal health division of Novartis actually makes up only about 3% of the total profits which is mainly human health and pharmaceuticals. Novartis lead us around their labs where we saw step-by-step the process of making certain drugs from formulation to tablet. They just launched a new anthelmetic for sheep in New Zealand called Zolvics and are currently marketing a new drench gun complete with a back pack! We then rode a chartered bus to St. Aubin where we toured the company where they conduct parasite experiments and develop new methods of control. Dinner was at a little Chinese restaurant and then we were off to bed!
Today we toured the city and learned about lots of interesting Basel history. Our morning was filled with stories of churches, fountains, old buildings, city walls and famous people that Basel had encountered over the years. It was interesting to find out that back in the day, the nobility lived at higher elevations and the working class lived near the river at the bottom of the valley. This hierarchy is still present (thanks to our tour guide) on the streets of Basel because as we soon found out that as you climb the main shopping street in elevation, the prices rose. Weird. Shopping ensued with more chocolate and post card purchases along with a few gifts to bring back home! Basel is such a charming little city with tall skinny buildings and narrow winding streets….
…. One short plane ride later…. We are home sweet home in BERLIN! More to come...
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