Basel Brezls

"If you're looking for love, for what it's worth, I've plenty of it lying around here somewhere..." - Garbage

Behave, and return to me. Behave- verb. to conduct or comport oneself in a proper manner. Ok... Proper manner, eh? Well based on the last year or so, proper can be a pretty subjective term! I need a strong voice to help guide me, I had skyped to Reuben. I have been shouting in your ear! He replied. That you want me and I have been shouting that I want you back, I tossed over the internet. That I want you only, he replied. I only want you, I stated. So why do you mess about so? He asked. Grrr... Hate when he does that- bunging the pluggle with logic! So anyhow, I'm in Zurich and back to "reality" as I know it. Life is a lovely party where I am adored, patted on the head for even knowing how to read or speak (though not in Switzer-Deutsch, I'm shit in that), and admired for my very base but apparently desirable material (all roads lead to Khayyam!). I spend my days touring, shopping, and escaping into the hills. My evenings are parties of illusion and indolence. My nights are spent in a horrible restlessness that could only be cured by the sweet kisses and smiles of mio cavallo... My mornings begin with fear and sadness but determination. I find myself reckless again, playing at life. Enough philosophy, it is time for Gattina's world tour guide...
I am actually in the hilly outskirts of Zurich, a town called Wittengen. Patrik was born here and it is the largest "village" in Switzerland. Across the Limmet River is Baden and I walked there yesterday to many stares and comments I could not comprehend. In the three shops I stopped at, I got the opportunity to speak first English, then French, then Italian. A little exhausting and I was happy to escape into the hills for a little quiet time in the afternoon. Found the best sign in Europe at the base of some stairs that led into the steep hills which depicted a warning of a "pirate cat". It is my new computer backdrop!
Today, Patrik took the day off to spend some "host time" with me. Not too much sacrifice since it went like this: I brought espresso to him in bed in his room, made toast with Nutella and bananas, walked into my room naked after a shower to find him smiling about scoring tickets to Euro 2008 (football tourney in Vienna), and whisked him off to Basel for a sunny day on the Rhine River! He was so happy, he invited me to the tourney and Italia just may be playing... but that is not until late June so who knows what will transpire? Basel was weird to say the least. I actually spent a good half an hour laughing about a sign on the riverfront that explained "Respekt". So a black hand shaking a white hand and a white dude throwing away rubbish were good. Bad (red line through descriptive photos) is apparently: peeing everywhere (and I mean a seriously graphic drawing- apparently we ladies are not accused of such behaviour), playing the drums, listening to music that will break your ears, and using these same sound machines in the general direction of others. If that was not enough, we stopped for a schnaps on the main promenade and as we talked of the pleasure we would get from our brezls (mine mit kase, his mit salami), Patrik paused and stared behind me. There was a man in a pickle outfit, a woman looking straight out of Copa Cabana, and a superhero chick just chilling on the pavement. They did not appear to be promoting anything but just feeling the Friday evening vibe. Basel, Patrik and I said to each other and started another half an hour laugh. We go out tonight and tomorrow so I will update after and please know, my wonderful friends, that I wish you were here...