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How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806 – 1861

Elizabeth dedicated this poem to her husband, poet Robert Browning. To whom she also penned these words, For I have none in the world who will hold me to make me live in it, except only you – I have come back for you alone…at your voice…and because you have use for me! I have come back to live a little for you. I love you – I bless God for you – you are too good for me, always I knew.’

Read more at Analysis of Poem “How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

My wife Dorothy and I met during the summer of 2002 while she was visiting Washington state with her brother. I was introduced to her via my co-worker who had been friends with her family for many years. My co-worker and I worked for the Navy as civilians.

After her visit to the U.S., we kept in touch via emails and phone calls. I then visited her in Basel that Christmas for several weeks. It was great spend time there and meet her family and friends. She took me all over Basel, and we visited lots of other places in Switzerland. It is just a beautiful country!! As our feelings grew stronger for each other, it was getting harder to say good bye after each visit. Dorothy then visited me again three months later in Washington, and then we decided to get married.

basel-love-2We were married in a small ceremony near the Munster on 24 June 2003. My parents and brother were able to attend and all of her family and friends were in attendance. After the ceremony, Dorothy organized a wonderful lunch in a beautiful garden. Later that evening, her sister hosted a beautiful dinner at her house. It was just the perfect day!

basel-love-1

We now live in the Puget Sound area of Washington state. We have 2 beautiful dogs (Cosmo and Matilda) as well as two horses (Avatar and Rafiki). Dorothy loves her horses and likes to do jumping and dressage shows. I prefer bikes and love to ride whenever I can.basel-love

Life is definitely good!

________

How did you find love in Basel? If you have a story to share, please let us know!

It’s Valentine’s Day! Hectic week and no time to plan? No stress! There’s plenty to do in this lovely, romantic city by the river…

Chocolate, of course.

Nothing says love like chocolate! And what better place to find it than in Switzerland. Bakeries, patisseries, confiseries…there’s so much to choose from. Sprüngli, Bachmann, Beschle, Läderach, and Schiesser are all right here. These are the ‘jewelers’ of chocolatiering, where every truffle is a work of art. Stop by to see their Valentine’s specials! You can find them online here:

Bachmann: confiserie-bachmann.ch
Beschle: www.beschle.ch
Läderach: laederach.com
Schiesser: confiserie-schiesser.ch
Sprüngli: spruengli.ch • They have two locations in Basel—Gütterstrasse 115 and Steinenberg 14.

Dinner is served.

If you find Basel’s restaurants booked up, no worries. One of the most romantic ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day is with a traditional fondue dinner at home. Here is a fun list of “Fon-dos” and “Fon-Don’ts” from world-renowned cheesemakers Emmi of Switzerland:

“Fon-Do”

Chocolate Fondue1) Variety is the spice of life! Be creative and serve a wide variety of dippables. Crusty bread, fresh fruit and veggies, boiled shrimp, marshmallows and cookies are all wonderful in fondue. Just be sure everything is prepared ahead in bite-size pieces.

2) Mix it up! Fondue is the perfect appetizer, main course or dessert. If you want to start with chocolate and end with cheese, it’s up to you!

3) Swiss Kiss! It is tradition when eating fondue, to kiss the person to your right if you drop your bread in the cheese. (It’s ok to do it on purpose…)

“Fon-Don’t”

1) Don’t forget to stir. As the night keeps moving, be sure to keep your fondue moving. Stir it up to so your cheese or chocolate fondue remains smooth.

2) Don’t double dip. Every fork- or skewer-full should contain a new, unbitten morsel. (If a piece falls in the fondue, see fon-do tip #3 above!)

3) Don’t hide any surprises. While fondue offers a lot of interactive eating enjoyment, it is not a good place to stash an engagement ring or other surprise gifts for your sweetie.

Ready-made fondue is available at Migros and Coop (along with fresh flower bouquets and wine or champagne), or you can visit a specialty cheese shop. Two other stores to check out are Manor at Schifflände and Globus in Marktplatz—specialty department stores with everything you need to create something special at home, complete with table settings, candles, and Valentine’s cards.

Away from you…

I-Heart-UOne of the unique and often challenging things about Basel is that for many it is not a permanent home — it is a stopping place for travellers, for business people and backpackers and adventurers. Many expats in Basel are on temporary work assignments, or are away from loved ones during the holidays. What do you do if you can’t be with that special someone on Valentine’s Day?

The good news is that in today’s high-tech world, it’s hard to stay disconnected. If you have apps like FaceTime on your smart phone, your sweetheart will love seeing the Rhein River and Markplatz, and all the sights and sounds around Basel. You could make it a memorable Valentine’s Day with a virtual tour of the city, or a romantic Skype dinner at home. Technology now lets us be more creative than ever before.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? We’d love to hear about it!