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...
Christmas and Sylvester in Basel, Switzerland
Tis the season for Christmas and Sylvester in Basel, Switzerland. The city's holiday trimmings are understated, classy and a marker of a season that...
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...
