Some pics from Switzerland

[yodelpig]

When we arrived last week at my mother's, it was warm and sunny...


... when we left, my hubby had got his snow at the preferred "safe" distance!


Basel/Bale (current claim to fame: Roger Federer's home town - as well as mine!)

The Christmas tree in the courtyard of the town hall


And the traditional wish book, where everbody is free to add their own Christmas wish


The big tree just outside on the Market Square


The lovely Christmas Market around the Barfuesser Kirche


My favourite: the sausage angel!


Sorry about the fuzziness, but thankfully, it just adds to the atmosphere!




The illumination of the main shopping street has always been the same:


Lots of trees in the quieter side streets (here with THE Christmas shop, where you can buy Christmas decorations all year round and get the latest trends)


My favourite window decoration: gingerbread houses at a jeweller's:


I love Basel, because it's beautiful, but still unspoilt by tourism - most people just travel through, even though it's well worth a visit!

[gogoplant2]

Looks like a fun place to be during the holidays. And I like the idea of a wish book. That's one way not have to hire a santa.
Great pictures!

[Fidly]

Looks super fun...I would like to go there.(:

[Pigjes]

What a fantastic view!!! Oooh, all in xmas mood already!!

[donna]

Wow those pictures are great, they make you feel really feastive. I am sure you feel all christmassy now yodelpig, what a lovely place to visit.

[Bean]

Oooh it looks beautiful, and so festive! Did you buy some decorations?

[yodelpig]

We came back with a "jigsaw" style nativity for our tv, made from half a slab of wood with the bark still on. And sweets...

But there was no shortage of Chrsitmas decorations of any description or material, from tradional to modern!

[3piggles]

What a beautiful place, and they do such a lovely job with the lights, my favorite part of christmas. Glad you had a fun trip, and hub didn't have to get too up close and personal with the snow.

[BrainBuckets]

I'd love to see more of your pictures. I've never seen any from Switzerland before. It looks like you have some beautiful countryside there.

[yodelpig]

Basel is about as far as you can get away from the Alps, just on the border to both Germany and France. The exchange between all those cultures makes it a very lively centre.

The highlight is always the carneval, which has developed its own local form and is nonstop from 4am on Monday until 4am on Thursday as soon as the lights go out in the centre and all those huge and small lanterns shine out and the costumed drums and pipes go off all at their own pace and with different melodies!!!

But I love it very much and have my own "homesickness corner" - a framed collage of pictures from home.