Fasnacht day two

Mat's parents arrived safe and sound on Monday, although the poor things had quite the delay in their travels once they got to Europe.  I am thinking it might be a Pletcher thing - bad travel deals.....

But now they are here and now it is time for some fun.  This afternoon I took them into Basel with two of the kids to watch the Children's parade and enjoy the noise and mess that is Fasnacht.  I think his parents really enjoyed it.  The kids caught candy and oranges from the little ones in the parade.  And we heard the drums and flutes in every alley of the city.  It was super duper crowded, but fun none the same.  We spent a few hours enjoying our time in old town with the festivities, and then returned to relax for the evening.  Jet lag is a beast, so I didn't want to over do it.

In the evening Mat and I took his parents back into town for a little while to see the lanterns from Monday's parade on display.  The display started after dusk, so we could see them lit up.  There were hundreds.  Most of them are political, but the art was amazing.  We learned it takes about 200 hours to make one.  One!

Here are some pictures from our fun day in town.

The masks are crazy!

The lanters were HUGE

 Lots of lanterns with Trump on them.  This one is pretty accurate

 Mat's parents with the city of Basel behind them

 We did see some cliques parading even in the evening.  Look at the ground and all of that confetti!!  So unlike Basel to be messy.  

 When the cliques took a break they would leave their masks and their drums on the sidewalk.  We got to see so many unusual ones

Fasnacht in Basel

Early this morning - winter carnival (Fasnacht) started in Basel.  Since this is our first one, we decided to go to the early morning festivities.

Mat and I got up to attend the Morgenstreich - the beginning of the carnival at 4am.  And we weren't alone - 1000s of people were also out and about.

The turn all the lights in the city, and then the music starts.  The cliques start playing drums and piccolos and march through the streets with lanterns as the only light.  It was something to see.  They were "scary" costumes to scare away winter.

I am glad we went.  It was a lot of fun to see all the different lanterns (most were political but the art was incredible) and hear the music.  I only took a few pictures and a short video.  They don't like flash pictures because it blinds the members of the cliques - who are already wearing masks.  Plus it distracts from the parade.  The parade is more reserved and not really a....parade.

one of the lanterns before the parade started

 Each member of the different cliques had small lanterns on top of their masks.  They were all different

 A really cool lantern

 When the parade ended a lot of the cliques put their masks and drums down

Off to England

Arlington left early this morning for a week long trip to Yorkshire England with her school.  She was really excited for the opportunity to take this trip, and I cannot wait to hear all the details when she returns!

Catching Up

Winter has made me into a blob.  I am glad we are going to be turning a corner soon in the weather so that I can get back outside on a more regular basis and enjoying this beautiful city.

I have been hanging out with new friends, though, and that has been really enjoyable.  I have gone with them to France to do some grocery shopping - and had a chance to check out a French market.  That was pretty fun.  I even got some warm, freshly made crepes to bring home.

 This was the American section in the French market.  It was full of mostly candy

Mat and I have been to dinner at two homes with new friends.  We have eaten delicious food and enjoyed their company.  We are grateful that we have people here to spend time with.  When we first moved here, I wasn't sure that would be possible.  But ex-pats are numerous (and not all American), and thanks to Roche, it has been easier than expected.

Out to lunch with a friend (I had been reading before she showed up).  Delicious food and great company

My first German class has finished and I passed my first German test.  Preschool German is a wrap.  Now I will be starting the next basic level class.  I am looking forward to it.  It is in a small group setting with 3 other American women with a teacher I have come to adore. 

We are getting ready for Fasnacht here in Basel.  That is the winter carnival and the biggest one in all of Switzerland.  It is 3 full days of.....chaos.  Very un-Swiss.  Well - sort of.  I mean, they make a mess with confetti and have parades where they throw fruit, but it is organized chaos.  Things will start on time.  No one will be out of control.  Drunk people won't rule the streets......should be interesting.  We have been listening to the bands practice, and the scary masks are starting to show up in the stores.  We have bought our blagedde (pins).  Mat's parents will be visiting during that week, so it should be exciting.

 We see these drums on the tram all the time.  They will be in the parade

I have been lazy and the weather has been awful so I haven't been with Basel Walkers in a few weeks.  So instead, I have been trying to do a few miles a week - we have a beautiful walk from our house into where I have to pick Finley up from the tram.  It is about 3 miles, so that has been helping. 

Large farm in Riehen

 #6 tram - my ride into the city each day

 German railway station

  Walking into town.

A chocolate shop in town all decorated for Fasnacht. 

 On of Mat and my favorite bakeries.  We often eat here after our Saturday German class

 This is the tram stop that I take Finley to each day.  She gets on another tram here to go off to school

And finally - Friday I went with a friend to a local Castle.  It was small, and we couldn't go inside, but it was really pretty.  I am glad we went.  It is here in Basel, so it wasn't a long trip.  Plus we had a chance to spend time together, so it was worth the trip.

That catches you up!  Mat has been traveling a lot lately, so no trips planned for the immediate future.  Arlington leaves soon for a school trip to England, and the kids will soon be off for a 2 week break from school (yes - another one).  We have been here for 7 months now, which is hard to believe, and it is definitely feeling like home.

Two extra pictures:

Fountain outside of the old town library

Mat took a candy making class on his most recent business trip.  They were all delicious

Cainan goes skiing

Even though we moved from the north part of America - we are no skiers.  None of the kids ever had much of an interest, and Mat and I haven't skied since we were kids.  Being in Switzerland, we find that everyone skis.  Everyone.  All the schools - public or private - take a 4-5 day ski trip each winter with their students.  This achieves two things - gives kids a chance to ski/learn to ski, and gives kids a chance to be away from their parents.  Part of the school curriculum is that kids have to start spending 1-2 nights away each year from their parents to teach independence.  That increases to the 4-5 days away once a year once they reach 4th grade.

Cainan is first up on a ski trip.  It has been in the planning since the fall - the school held a meeting with all the parents, and we had been given a packing list, and all the details we needed.  The kids did not need to bring their ski equipment - even if they had it - it was all part of the cost for the trip.  So that was a relief.  Even if Cainan likes skiing, the chances of us taking this up as a sport with our family is slim. 

This morning at 8am I had Cainan at the train station to meet the rest of his class and the teachers and adults that were going along.  He was more excited than nervous.  He was excited to spend a few days with his friends. 

They got on the train and headed to Davos, Switzerland.  Yes - that Davos.  It is a 4 hour train ride from Basel.  Then they were going to ski this afternoon before settling in for the evening.  They will ski in the mornings and afternoons the next two days, and then once more Friday morning before heading back to Basel Friday evening.  Can't wait to hear what he has to say.

Basel Walkers

It has been a quiet few weeks.  Pretty typical for January, right?  It is now after the holidays - work and school has resumed.  The weather is cold and blah, and all you want to do is curl up on the couch with a book and a cup of coffee.

I did go with the Basel Walkers group this past Monday.  We got a break from the winter rain, and it was a cold, yet beautiful day.  We did a walk through the southern part of Basel countryside.  There was frost on the trees and grass, which made the scenery beautiful.  Not a bad way to spend a January day.