Speaking of Christmas, our holiday party was this past Wednesday. It was held in a restaurant of sorts, but with a twist. It was actually an old factory which had been converted into an event hall. On this particular evening it was a “dinner spectacle” and with good reason — it was actually a carnival complete with juggling, gymnastics and “high wire” acts, fire breathing, knife throwing, and silly animal tricks!

It was lots of fun and I got to meet a lot of people from BIG whom I hadn’t had the occasion to meet yet.

Anyways, I’ll be gone until the new year, so there most likely won’t be any updates until then. I just hope I don’t run out of storage for my cameras!

On Tuesday I went to see the Thermals and the Lords of Altamont in Zurich. Zurich is Switzerland’s largest city and cultural capital — and nothing screams culture like Iron Maiden and the Thermals playing shows on the same night! Luckily for me (and a whole lot of Maiden fans) it’s just an hour away by train.

I actually saw them about a month ago at Fontana’s for the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ show but they only played a half-hour set and the place was so packed I could barely get in the room. They kicked ass, though, so there was no way I could pass up a chance to see em again.

It took me a while to figure out which train to get on so I ended up getting to Zurich at about 8pm instead of 7:30 when doors opened at Mascotte.

It only took about 5 minutes to get there by cab; apparently rush hour is long over by 8pm, just like in Basel. US$14 for such a quick ride is ridiculous, though, even if it is in the back of a comfortable E-class Mercedes.

The club was fairly small with room for maybe 100 to 200 people and not very crowded. I guess the show wasn’t sold out like the Nouvelle Vogue show on Friday or Iron Maiden across town.

The Thermals came on at about 9 and thoroughly rocked the joint. It was hard to tell whether or not the majority of the crowd had actually heard them before, but it was easy to see that everyone was into it. It was a fantastic set and I only wish it could have been longer. They played for about an hour and were unfortunately denied an encore, which was really unfortunate because the next band, The Lords of Altamont paled in comparison, and they did get one. They played some of my favorites including No Culture Icons and St. Rosa and the Swallows and finished with Everything Thermals (video) which was the perfect ending to a fantastic show.

After the show, I took my time walking back to the train station, but didn’t explore too much as there was only one last train back to Basel. Anyway it was almost midnight — the streets were deserted and everything was closed. Not much to do but head home.

I have a feeling I’ll be back in Zurich before long. Maybe take in the sights this time.

Standing on the platform at the Peter Merian stop near our (temporary) offices. Our building is the last building you just barely see on the left in the first picture.

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.

Jeremy and Nicol both ran in the kids division and I guess they had a really good time ’cause it seems they’re already signed up for next year! I tried to get a picture of them at the start of the race but it’s just a huge blur (with the exception of the one time I used flash in the pic above).

And just for comparison, I’ve also posted my pictures from this year’s NYC Marathon. I guess it’s just the sheer size of the thing that brings out all the interesting characters, as opposed to the Basel run which was more about a fun evening out and about.

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.

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.