Date-night, Basel.

We took our first sort-of out of town trip this time. A stayed with her babysitter and we went an hour away by train. That is currently the distance I can imagine both her parents being away. But that's just me.

In the end, we really didn't see much of Basel apart from a walk around the old town, which is a bit smaller and a good bit more charming than Zurich. What really got me was the sense that Basel's streets are more mixed-use than here. Here, you go to one neighborhood for funky stores in renovated lofts, another for the old town, another for restaurants, etc. There it seemed more like a bit of everything in the same place. And the university is much more integrated into the city. It seems. I may just be looking for something to hate on (it is raining and cold today, and, after all, I'm off anti-depressants).

We mostly just spent time at a fancy fancy hotel, relaxing. M got a massage on Sunday morning in the room while I spent an hour and a half on our balcony, doing the crossword, worrying about being bored, closing my eyes and listening to the river sounds, reading a Real Simple magazine I bought at the train station, thinking, remembering I was worried about being bored, and finally realizing that bored is luxurious when you have a toddler. Hallelujah.

And Saturday night, for the first time ever, we ate in a Michelin 2-star rated restaurant. Now, if a 7 course meal, where every course is some of the best food I've ever had, comes with the 2-star rating, I'm wondering what happens in a 3-star restaurant. Do the waiters skydive in? Do puppies get placed around your feet in a snuggly basket? Let's just say that it was a wonderful meal, and even though each course might be small - the one mussel and one beet macaroon, for instance - they were exquisite, and by the end we were full. Ah, right, the end. Dinner took 3 hours. Another luxury when you have kids. We sat on a warm to cool balcony, during sunset, overlooking the river, talking, closing our eyes and really tasting food, laughing at what seemed like 4 different dessert courses (not including the cheese!)....for 3 hours.

I'm sure Basel is a great place to visit. Next time we'll have to go to a museum or something.