The Basel Fasnacht, three crazy Carnival days in Basel, drew to its close at 4 am this morning, as I write! Let the Basel Fasnacht begin! Basel in Switzerland has a three day Mardi Gras known as the Basel Fasnacht! The idea of a three Carnival really fuelled my imagination!  So, I headed to Basel by train, travelling from the bottom to the top of Switzerland in a mere 3 hours. This meant that I arrived on Sunday afternoon with plenty of time to orient myself and to discover that my hotel, Hotel D, was on the Parade route. Then, despite the cold, I went for a walk to explore the […]

“I refuse to eat that Gruyère cheese!’  In other words, Accidentally Cultured (AC for short) will only eat Australian Bega cheese. This was his constant complaint all the way from Le Châble to Gruyères, along with, “I’m going to freeze my balls off!” or “I want my thermal underwear!” I’m not sure which he feared the most, the cheese or the cold. But I had to admit, there was a very nasty chill in the air. And, a very cold wind ruffled the golden autumn leaves. Gruyères Castle The approach to Gruyères Castle is stunning! The medieval, fortified Castle stands high above the surrounding village, glowing golden in the autumn foliage. Nevertheless, […]