Basel Fasnacht 2015 in 20 photos
Basel's Fasnacht, as Carnival is known here--is a blur of sight and sound, color and music. It goes on non-stop in the city's Old...
A Basel Fasnacht primer
I love quirky cultural traditions, and Basel's Carnival celebration is right up there when it comes to quirky. In our years in Switzerland, Tom...
Basel Fasnacht: a lexicon
Basel Fasnacht, as Carnival is known here, is conducted primarily in Basel Deutsch, the local German dialect. In fact, many of the terms describing...
A vibrant Cologne Christmas–Part II
Cologne's Christmas markets began with the Markt der Engel, or Market of Angels, with new venues being added over the years. The first market...
A vibrant Cologne Christmas–Part I
Cologne, Germany is a magnet for fans of Christmas markets. It's one of the most-visited Advent season celebrations anywhere, located in seven venues spread...
A cozy Düsseldorf Christmas
There are Christmas markets all over Europe, but some of the best are in Germany. No surprise, since so many of our holiday traditions...
An Advent tradition: Basel’s Wish Book
For the past twenty years, the Basler Wunschbuch (Basel Wish Book) has been part of the city's Christmas celebrations. The book is an open...
The quiet pleasures of a Basel Christmas
It's Christmas in Basel. Holiday markets closed two days ago, and within 24 hours, all evidence of holiday bustle was gone. How Swiss! For...
A Basel Christmas: Münsterplatz
Christmas in Basel attracts visitors from all over the world--more than 1/2 million of them. Since 2011, the Christmas market at Münsterplatz, Basel's best...
A Basel Christmas: Barfüsserplatz
The Christmas market at Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz in Basel is one of the prettiest and largest in Switzerland. Many Christmas markets were originally set...
