I have just returned to Basel from a weekend in Carnival-crazed Cologne. While there’s more to come on that adventure, there has certainly been carnival fever in the air the last month. Decorations have shown up in restaurants and store fronts, people are selling the carnival badges (Blaggede) everywhere, the cliques are practicing their instruments and confetti has started to show up on the streets. As we start inching closer to Basel’s Carnival (it’s a week later than the Catholic version), I imagine the fever will go full-force. It’s a festive time of year to say the least.

February was an absolute whirlwind of a month. Between starting the month with that horrible cold and the many guests and visitors who appeared and disappeared throughout February, the month went by in a flash. All the visitors meant that there has been a lot of eating, or at least what feels like more than usual. Not that I can complain about that though.

After a cold and snowy January, things have also warmed up pretty significantly over the past few weeks. I mean, things are all relative. While it hasn’t been warm warm, I have to say that February felt like a California winter. It’s been a few weeks of clear and beautiful skies. You’d almost think it’s spring already. We’ll see if this weather holds up. Given that it’s been stormy in California, I’m afraid that Chris will be bringing the cold weather back with him next week. We’ll see.

I’m hoping the good weather keeps in some capacity because I’m supposed to be officially in half marathon training mode again. It was supposed to start last week but a bad kettle bell swing has sidelined me for the week. For now, we’ll just have to say that the 20+ miles I’ve walked over the past two days is a good stand in for a Sunday long run.

So, that’s about it. It’s been a long day, which means you get a short post. Look forward to more stories of Carnival soon.