Basel, Switzerland - Christmas Market

It was Saturday, my family and i was preparing to spend our afternoon visiting the Christmas Market of Basel.

Unluckily the weather forecast was bad, it was a rainy day in Basel. In Bern was not a sunny day but at least it did not rain.

We had to go to Basel, rain or shine for we were invited for a dinner to a friend's house there.

My sister and her family were invited too! they had about two hours ride by car from Innertkirchen to Basel and we met them in a gas station in Bern to travel together which took us an hour to Basel.

Arriving Basel at about 2.15 p.m., we had a hard time finding a parking place. There were lots of people around to see the Christmas Market. After five to six rounds from the first to the fifth floor of the parking area we endly found a vacant place. We thought of waiting for somebody to leave for so many cars came and departed every second.

The parking area was just at the center of Basel City and very near to the big Chritmas Market.

It was about 10 degrees, only tiny drops of rain, a moderate temperature, just perfect to roam around the Christmas Market near the city shopping center.

We had umbrellas with us so no problem when heavy rain comes.

We drank mulled wine just as we arrived in the entrance of the Christma Market. A good start to keep us warm and roam around the colorful little stores with vareity of Christmas decorations of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, colorful lights etc.

Every store had its own speciality of handmade gifts, like candles, wooden handicrafts, handmade wool hoods, scarfs, gloves and coats, handmade jewelries, vareity of cheese, wine, honey, marmalade. jam. sausages, chocolates, warm drinks, delicious Basler cakes, biscuits, fondue and raclette corner, sausages and barbecue grill, crepes, grill maroni, mulled wine corner, grill place for all to grill bread. A place for children "Märchenwald", forest stories, forest wonderland.

The restaurants were complete occupied, lots of people in the mulled wine corner, in the raclette and fondue corner.

There were lots of beautiful gifts to choose with very creative ideas to surprise someone on Christmas time.

We stayed until 5.00 p.m. and started to go to our friends house for dinner.

The place was warm and comfortable located in the elevated area with a beautiful view of Basel City.

We had apero drinks of Bailley, others Martini or Campari.

The dinner was just perfect having an afternoon walk in the Christmas Market made us hungry. A delicious green salad with cherry tomatoes decorated with pine nuts, melon seeds, fine sauce with balsimico. The main Menu was Raclette and mix grill of meat with potatoes, cocumber, dried tomatoes, mini onions, chilli, mix mushrooms, pepper, mango sauce, barbecue sauce, onion sauce, tomato sauce, powder of curry, pepper etc. with a good red wine.

The ice dessert was perfect with chocolate, raspberry sauce and campari flavor.

The dinner was enjoyable, we talked and laugh together until 23.00 p.m.