Basel Christmas

Shopping for wood-carved ornaments : Basel Christmas Market : Basel, CH

Glass ornaments : Basel Christmas Market : Basel, CH

I love how the towns around here decorate for the holidays. I especially love all of the outdoor Christmas markets with their unique gifts, hot Christmas punch, and festive moods. Here are a few pictures from around the Gross Stadt in Basel, Switzerland. Last weekend, we covered three Christmas markets: Basel, CH; Colmar, FR; and Freiburg, DE. I'll feature photos from each over the next day or so. And for the record, the Christmas markets in the German-speaking countries are the best. Colmar was suppose to be one of the must-see markets of Europe and it was a dud.

Even the local cigar shop is festive : Basel, CH

Basel Rathaus and Tree : Basel, CH

P.S. The snow is real. We had a nice dusting that lent a chill and even more festive air to the whole scene. It was lovely! To see a few more photos from around Basel, go here.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Encore! The Basel Rathaus

A statue to Lucius Munatius Plancus (87 BC - 15 BC) stands in the inner courtyard of 

Basel's City Hall. I haven't been able to identify his connection to the city, though : Basel, CH

One of my favorite buildings in Basel is the Rathaus, or City Hall. This beautiful building features frescoes, statues, carved wooden doors, wrought iron, and a million other details that are breathtaking and fun. The building is still a working town hall; it's not uncommon to see the head of a bureaucrat peeking out from a window or folks with a variety of municipal business heading in and out. To see a few more pictures of this beautiful building and a few sights surrounding it, visit my Picasa Web Albums.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 3/10

Rathaus Basel

Rathaus Baselstadt : Basel, CH

I know I've featured this building before, but it is literally one of the most beautiful municipal buildings I've seen out of the nine or ten similar-functioning buildings I've seen in Switzerland, France, or Italy. (The Hotel de Ville in Aosta was pretty, but nothing compared to this.) Here are a few more photos from the Rathaus in Basel, Switzerland.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 07/09

Baselstadt

Rathaus Basel : Basel, CH

My friends, Diana and Scott, live in Basel, which is the cantonal seat of Canton Baselstadt. Basel is in the north and borders on France and Germany. Since we spent Sunday in the Alsace and I had to work remotely on Monday, I only had an hour or two to see Basel. Scott kindly gave me the nickel tour, which was quite lovely.

Beautiful art on a building : Freie Strasse, Basel, CH

I'll definitely be going back to Basel, though, for two reasons. First, to visit my friends again and second, to visit some of the surrounding villages where my ancestors--the Bangerters--came from. Stay tuned...

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 06/09