Thursday, December 17, 2009

Christmas markets in Basel


We were both a little sad to leave the mountains behind, however a few wonderful and refreshing days were spent with a beautiful loving family, the Villiers, in Basel. It was lovely to be back in a family environment again. With three young gorgeous girls, we were kept entertained by their games and highly active imaginations. Basel sits on the border of France and Germany. On Sunday, we all piled into 2 cars and drove into France. I thought that was pretty cool. We visited an old ruined castle on top of a hill with some great views.
Matt and I also spent some time in the city of Basel enjoying the festive Christmas spirit of their markets and lit-up decorations. With freezing and long dreary winters, I can see the festivities around Christmas time would be looked forward to with anticipation and excitement! A very different way to experience Christmas than in Australia! Abounding with energy and activity were the street markets in the centre of Basel. I found it amusing to walk through these clean, neatly organized, orderly markets, fresh on my mind the souqs I had experienced in the middle east. The evenings brought many people out, and the market place was buzzing with people doing their Christmas shopping, gathering around stand-up tables eating thick sausages and drowning them with beer. The smell of cheese filled the air, as huge blocks of hot, melting Swiss cheese sat sizzling on metal plates waiting to be scraped off and served with bread. And everywhere, people were walking around with identical mugs, which we discovered were filled with ‘hot spice wine’. No wonder there was a festive spirit!
Basel is not really a ‘tourist’ town, as it is not near any mountains or lake. (Unlike most other cities of Switzerland). However, it has its own charm to it, with its old characteristic European buildings hugging small cobbled alleys, ornate architecture, rich in colour and design and the wide Rhine river running through the centre with typical European arched bridges. Apart from the Christmas markets, we also spent some time in the Art Gallery, excited to find great original art from famous European artists. To top off our cultural experience, we went to a chamber music concert in the evening - so good to see live music again!

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