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Monthly Archives: November 2013
Running underneath Basel’s glittering illumination
Basel’s Christmas season starts on 28 November. The Christmas market held on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, now one of the biggest worldwide, invites all to stroll, indulge and drink mulled wine. The whole Old Town district shines thanks to the many Christmas lights lining the streets along with the many Christmas trees. In particular, there’ll be a tree decorated by Christmas specialist Johann Wanner on Münsterplatz. And it’s no secret that a Christmas atmosphere is found all year round in the Wanner store on Spalenberg. An additional highlight of the season, both for the runners and the spectators, is the Basel
Football reaches fever pitch again
By Martin Pütter Last April Andy Hynes was over the moon. The Londoner, now living in Basel, had got a ticket for a match featuring his beloved Chelsea FC. It was not just a ticket to an ordinary match – he had finally got hold of a ticket for the first leg of the semi-final in the Europa League, with Chelsea playing away against FC Basel at the St. Jakob-Park. A major part in his getting a ticket was played by a Telebasel programme called “Heimspiel”. The local TV station had interviewed him four days before the match, and towards
November, 23, Anglican Church’s “Christmas Bazaar”
Christmas will be upon us again soon! Fancy Christmas with an English touch? If yes, visit the famous “Christmas Bazaar” organised by the “Anglican Church Basel” (ACB) on Saturday 23 November at the “Gemeindehaus Oekolampad” at Allschwilerplatz, Basel, from 9 am to 4 pm. You have the opportunity to enjoy traditional English tea and cakes at the Cafe. Seasonal cooking with many homemade goods and treats will be available at the various stands. The Bazaar is also known for its book sales and typical English lunch meals. Read more about the history and development of the “Anglican Church Basel”, to
64 boats on the brook
By Martin Pütter The “brook”, as Baslers sometimes lovingly call the Rhine, once again proved how unpredictable it can be. The water level and the related currents meant the course record would not be broken, a regional newspaper had surmised in mid-November prior to the fourth “Basel Head”, the city’s youngest sporting attraction. The winning eight crew in the top category Elite Men, Pole France Aviron Nancy, needed just 19:09 minutes to finish the 6.4 kilometre long course – seven seconds faster than the previous record notched up by the same boat in 2011. Another record fell as well. After
“Kevin Higgins’s visit was a great success”, reports Esther Murbach (Organizer).
“Kevin Higgins is on his way back to Ireland following his hugely succcessful visit to Basel. All three events were fully booked. For the “Irish Night” we had 43 visitors – the first came very early and the last had to be swept out with the broom (literally!) after 10 pm. The five-hour workshop generated lively and inspiring exchanges among the 14 people who attended. The “Kitchen Reading”, the most informal of the events, was great fun, with a lot of discussion going on after the reading. The audience really enjoyed the wit and black sarcasm of Kevin’s poetry. I’d
Basel’s Head of the River Race
This weekend Basel aims to prove once again that rowing is also very popular outside the Anglo-Saxon countries. For the fourth time, boats will compete in the long-distance race “Basel Head” on the Rhine. The 6.4 kilometres that the crews have to cover is almost identical with the famous “Head of the River Race” in London that takes place on a 6.7 kilometre long stretch of the Thames between Mortlake and Putney. Start and finish for the boats – eights – in the “Basel Head” race is the historical “Mittlere Brücke” – the oldest existing bridge over the Rhine between
English Guide through the Alsace
Have you wanted to taste French cuisine, but not sure where to go? Have you hosted a dinner party and not sure what the right French cheeses and wine to serve? The answers to these questions and more are waiting for you in The Expat’s Guide to Southern Alsace. Amanda Vo Park and Susie Woodhams have pulled together, after months of research and interviews with local experts, a guide to the best of Southern Alsace – written by expats for expats. And what’s more: the guide is available in e-book format for download from Amazon.com You can also purchase the
Sometimes top, sometimes flop
Swiss as friends: mission impossible? The Swiss will have mixed feelings when they are reading a survey by bank HSBC, in which expats have given marks for their host countries. In short: in public top, in private flop. Not surprisingly Switzerland takes number one spot when it comes to public transport; making friends, however, is nigh on impossible. Among 37 countries surveyed Switzerland carries the wooden spoon. The Swiss media seem to be dismayed by the survey. As headline to an article (in German only) about it the online edition of the Basler Zeitung chose: “The country where you cannot
Totentanz reloaded
Totentanz means “Death Dance”, and this November, the dead will dance again by the Predigerkirche. Artist and director Peter Greenaway has put up gravestones outside and inside the church and will project the “Dance of the Dead” onto them. There will also be presentations, concerts and other events. www.baslertotentanz.ch Pictorial representations of Dances of Death developed all over Europe following the 15th century, most likely in response to episodes of the plague. Particularly known in Basel is The Basel Dance of Death, painted on the inside wall of the cemetery of the Dominican convent. The original, created approximately between 1431