This weekend was the Basler Stadtlauf, a yearly race for all ages. Children run 1K (a whole 5 minutes!!) and everyone else runs a little more than 5K. The amazing thing was the sheer number of people who turned out and the mayhem it caused! Given Basel’s small size, the short distance of the race, and the fact that the course looped around only a few blocks, a lot of people were jammed into a very small space. Unfortunately, the thing is held at night, which makes for great atmosphere with the Christmas decorations and all, but also lousy picture taking. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to take pictures in low light situations and fast moving objects at night is just that much harder. ...

Last night I checked out the Bird’s Eye jazz club which seems to be one of the few regular live music venues in town. Regular in this case means they have shows two nights a week, with two sets each on Fridays and Saturdays. I found this out all too late, of course, as I showed up late, about 15 minutes before the second set ended just after 11:30pm. The set was alright but a little too experimental for my tastes. During the encore the pianist got up to pluck the piano wire directly. A little much, if you ask me. Kinda like seahorses. ...

Just what I wanted! Color-safe my ass.

You’d never guess it, but Basel (and possibly all of Switzerland or German speaking Switzerland) is big on Döner kebabs, also known in various parts as shawarma or gyros. Below are pics of Sofra and their Döner offering. Sofra isn’t the best in town but it’s one of the most convenient for me, located in the Barfüsserplatz. The chicken isn’t as juicy or tender as it is just a few blocks away but the overall offering is still satisfying. ...

As much as I love eating turkey on turkeday, it always comes down to the pies for me. Apple, pumpkin, pecan. I love them all. With lots of whip cream and occasionally some vanilla ice cream. Nothing beats a great slice of pie after a great meal. And after pie? More pie, of course. Tonight there was plenty of pie to go around. Homemade pumpkin and pecan topped with whipped cream. And a cappuccino. Does it get any better? It does! Apple crumble and brownies – they might not be pie, but you can’t go wrong by adding more desserts to the menu! ...

Hazelnut?! I bought a variety pack of yogurt from the local supermarket to try all the different flavors, including some rather odd ones. Like grape, hazelnut and prune! I’ve had coffee flavored yogurt before, so hazelnut wasn’t too much of a shock to the senses, though not by any means good. The actual bits of hazelnut kinda is just too much for me to handle. Prune is weird too but grape is actually pretty good. ...

It’s been a gloomy few days here in Basel with rain on and off forcing me into the trams to and from work instead of enjoying the nice walk through town. Can’t even pull my camera out on days like this…

I finally opened up my Swiss bank account today. Sounds cool right? I think for most people (in the States at least) it conjures up a picture of James Bond and spies and all that good stuff. But what if I told you it was with UBS; how would your opinion change? I guess it still has all the strict privacy laws protecting it but it just doesn’t seem as cool as it does in the movies. ...

The light coming from the doorway on the right side is the entrance to my building. In case you’re ever in the neighborhood and feel like stopping by, I’m at Hebelstrasse 90, apt #2.2.

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