|| Fasnacht In Basel//Part One ||

We had a great day yesterday in Basel for their cities Fasnacht carnival. I took quite a bit of photos so I decided I would tell the story and show you the photographs in parts, otherwise it would be one passive post. We arrived at Jachen's dad's at 9am and then we were on our way with him. We drove along the Rhine river lining the Swiss and German borders so Germany was there along the way which I loved. We arrived around 11am and then made our way along the Rhine until we came to a little ferry which floats across the span of the river bringing people over to the other side of Basel. After we got off the little ferry, we climbed several staircases to get to the main level of the city. We ate lunch and then nearby was where Jachen's dad's Fasnacht group was. We hung out with them for a bit, Jachen and I went inside the Cathedral and then made our way down to the spot we would be at for the Fasnacht celebration. After we staked out where we would be we wondered around a bit. When we came back to our spot there were a mass amount more of people there.

A few weeks ago, we were at Jachen's dad's for dinner and he explained to me everything about Fasnacht and how it works. He is a Basel Fasnact expert because he has been a part of it for years. This was the first year he wasn't part of the parade though, but he did help in the planning of his group. It was interesting to learn how much organization and rules there were for this event. It was great to know back information. It was great to be there with him since he was part of the event and knew so much about the city. In Basel, Jachen and him took turns telling me about the city and filling me in on anything and everything. It was great to be there with Jachen and share this day with him. Jachen was born in Basel and went there as a child and teenager, but hasn't been back there for a few years so he really enjoyed being back. Basel is a very large beautiful city, but I only saw a small part of it. I hope to go back in the near future to see more.

Here are some photos of what we did before the celebration started at 2. We had a few hours until the craziness, officially, began.

This flute player in costume was just walking along the river playing.

The ferry we rode to cross the Rhine.

Jachen's dad's friends and group. Their theme was about the Rhine "traffic" so they were sailors.

And then we headed over to where we would be during the "parade". Tomorrow I will post those pictures of the craziness that was going on. This Fasnacht celebration was HUGE and there were streets after streets filled with people spectating and people in costume. You will want to come back for part two tomorrow.

Fasnacht Part Two