Arlesheim: A Village with a Cathedral

The village of Arlesheim is situated just outside the city of Basel in Switzerland. Mainly a farming community, it contains a cathedral and a town center built in the 17th century, two castles, and a large English garden. Arlesheim is worth a visit for its sights alone, but a must for music lovers to hear the Silbermann organ in the cathedral. 



10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Come to London in 2012

There are ten obvious reasons why you shouldn’t come to London in 2012, against only two reasons why you should. If you’re into betting, this alone should convince you. If you aren’t, maybe you should have a closer look at the drawbacks. And should you decide to come to London against my advice, please don’t blame me for ‘I told you so’ after you didn’t enjoy it. 


Fribourg: City on The Language Divide of Switzerland

The city of Fribourg is located only 20 miles from Bern, but is today mainly French speaking though it started out as a German speaking city. It boasts the only Catholic University in Switzerland and has retained its medieval character throughout the city to this day. If you want to get a feeling for the lifestyle 600 years back, this is the place to visit. 



The Dos and Don’ts When Visiting The Basler Fasnacht

Always on Monday after Ash Wednesday, Basel celebrates its three day Fasnacht (carnival) which is unlike any other in the world. Should plan to immerse yourself into that fantasy world, you’ll have to be aware of certain rules that apply to all comers. There are also certain things you should be aware of to avoid practical jokes being played on you.



Zeus, I Presume

This day, we went on a visit to Segesta on the island of Sicily in Italy. The little Fiat sputtered and whined, working hard to get us up the hill. We were on the way to Segesta on a sunny autumn afternoon. The heady scents of Mediterranean vegetation wafted through the open windows while fulsome Italian voices blared at us from the radio. They sounded tinny coming from two cheap speakers let into the doors. My son was reading the map when not exclaiming over the views.