Hotel Steinenschanze Basel

so... es nochet... no die letschte Sache schnäll erledige.. ond scho gli stoht d'Sabine do zom öis abhole! - be dene doch öppe 7 Grad ond dem Räge verosse eschs om so schöner chöne mer ed wärmi! Es sett aso am Mettwoch doch 37 grad warm wärde en darwin.... :O)

so... i ben no a de letschte Vorbereitige ond denn esch es bald sowiet ond mer chöne go. Es esch chum z'glaube aber de Roger esch ab 7ni uf ond no es Gschäft go die letschte Sache erledige... - hoffe er chonnt bald weder hei ond helft mer nochli.... <br>Bes Bald!

There is yet another fair in Basel right now, the Herbstmesse (Autumn Fair). It is huge! Carnival rides, food stalls, and booths selling trinkets are spread throughout the city. We went out at night to the Münsterplatz to see the action. Beforehand we visited Petersplatz to get raclette over potatoes and steaming Gluwein. Delicious! We also stopped in at the Barf ...

... and are less adventurous. So as we were standing by the exit waiting for them to drive past, I heard my mom shout "Laura!". I turned around and there they were, going deeper into the parking garage instead of towards the exit. We all laughed and I joked about how it's already begun.<br><br>Finally they drove past us out the exit and we waved goodbye. I felt a bit sad the rest of the day. It was such a great visit with my parents and a wonderful road trip through Austria!

... the city wherever a group of potential spectators can be found. It's a spontaneous and free concert, and makes for a lot of fun. I was very excited to see the bagpipe-toting cowboys from Calgary approaching us in formation, but sadly they didn't stop to play for us.<br><br>I learned about the Tattoo only a few weeks earlier which was far too late to get tickets, but I hope to go to the actual Tattoo next year. Tickets go on sale in December ... hopefully I remember.

... trams and cyclists to a traditional restaurant. The meal was just what we needed after a long day, but we soon became the sleepy brothers, and had to walk the short distance back passed the excellent 'live' music and great atmosphere we had been enjoying to the luxury of our hotel rooms. It was a shame we would be too tired to enjoy it!<br>When we arrived in our rooms, we were shocked that someone had been in and left us a gift of a sugary ...

This was what I really came to Europe for. Freiburg was just the beginning of an awesome adventure for me. The mountains and the forest and the cake. We caught a cable car up to the top of the mountain and wandered in the snow. Got some great photos. We made Freiburg our base and toured a fair bit around the region. Spent a night here and there and came back to Freiburg for the festival. Took about two hundred photos in two hours one day; they had a ...

... Says one: "Hey! haven't seen you in a long time! How are you doing?" Answers the other: "Oh, not too well! I'm suffering from homo sapiens!" Replies the first: "Oh bother! But don't worry, mate, you'll be okay, see, it will pass off all by itself." (Hey, I had to translate that from Swiss. If the wording can be improved, please let me know.)

... cocktail for dessert. I would like to write that my last day in Basel and my return trip to Graz went smoothly, but alas, that was not the case. Fate had one more adventure and ultimate test of my German abilities for me before I returned to Graz. After going to the movies, Linda and I headed back to her apartment; only to realize the key to the apartment wasn't with us. It was about 11:00 pm, I was supposed to leave for Graz ...

On our way out of the complex which we were staying in we stopped for some brunch at the local supermarket, and payed a quick visit to a tyre shop/service centre to find out just how fast we could drive with our particular winter tyres. The mechanic informed us that we could go up to about 210km without a problem - a little more exciting than our previous top speed of 140km ...