BASEL CITY RUN • GOURMET FAIR • BASELHEAD REGATTA • FITNESS EXPO • DIRTY DANCING Volume 6 Issue 3 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel November 2017 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR S Dear Readers, R E T O A F C Fall is synonymous with fairs in Basel, with a multitude of such events to A enjoy! The highlight is of course Basel’s traditional Fall Fair with its thrilling K D C rides for all ages—but there is so much more! Indulge yourself at Basel’s E November 2017 Volume 6 Issue 3 A M fabulous wine fair, sweets and cake fair, and gourmet fair; check out the gi- L Y ant insect exhibit at the goods fair; discover local artists at the Regionale B TABLE OF CONTENTS three-country art fair; create your dream holiday at Basel’s vacation mar- ket; select your winter reading at one of the book fairs; or pick up some 1 9 5 6 Feature Event: Basler Stadtlauf 4–5 unusual items at the Basel Collectors’ Exchange or a Christmas bazaar. School pick-up and Festivals also abound this month, celebrating artistic and unexpected films at ° drop-off at Basel Events in Basel: November 2017 6–11 the Clair-Obscur film festival, the music of the Czech composer Martinu, and Quality Christian the beauty of Greece through CULTURESCAPES. November is also rich in tra- Badische Bahnhof Schooling since 1956 ditions—from the delightful children’s turnip lantern procession to honor St. Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 12–13 Martin’s Day and Bern’s very special onion market that is a peculiar homage to this seasonal vegetable, to the commemorations of the casualties of the World Wars in neighboring Alsace. And don’t miss the exhilarating and scenic Markets and Fairs 14–17 BaselHead regatta mid-month, where around 100 rowing teams from 10 dif- ferent nations will compete in their eight-person boat races. If the colder months pique your interest in indoor sports, be sure to visit the Mulhouse Kandern Calendar: November 2017 18–19 Fitness Expo convention, where you can find everything you need to know Basel Zurich about fitness and wellness; get your fitness level evaluated at the first-ever Sports and Recreation 20–21 Body Check Days; or participate in the new Energy Night Run Basel. Parents can bring their kids to the sports market to let them try from a variety of dif- ferent types of sports, and our “Sports and Recreation” section lists various Workshops, Tours, and Education 22–25 indoor sports activities available for kids and teens in the colder months. November is also "health insurance month," so so check out the “Did You Did You Know? 26–27 Know?” section to learn about changing your health insurance coverage, and let Dr. Michelle Wright inform you about how you can donate blood in Switzerland. +49 (0)7626 91610 Entertainment: Night on the Town 28–35 As always, November offers a rich entertainment program, with a most [email protected] bfacademy.de diverse range of shows, including five different children’s theaters, mati- nées, family concerts, several circuses and variety shows, English comedy Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page and physical comedy, ballet, musical disco-dance parties, ballroom danc- es, a tango dance event, wine and whisky tastings, adult theater, and an Mark Your Calendar: Dec. 2017 / Jan. 2018 back page unusual puppet theater for adults. Additionally, there will be concerts of all musical genres from opera, choir, symphony, chamber, and philharmonic orchestras, to blues, soul, jazz, pop, boogie-woogie, urban soundscapes, pipes and drums, indie rock, and blues-rock. By the end of the month, lights and decorations will adorn the streets of Basel, kicking off the Christmas Season with the opening of Christmas markets and the picturesque city run taking place in the festively deco- rated streets of Basel’s downtown area. Basel Life Magazine is lovingly created by expats for expats and your con- tinued support is critical to our survival. So if you find our publication use- ful, please help us by spreading the word—give a copy to a friend or neigh- bor, leave an issue in your doctor’s waiting room, or gift a subscription to someone you want to thank! With best wishes for a fun-filled November! Learn German Basel Life Magazine Staff: Your Basel Life Team All Levels: A1–C2 Editor-in-Chief: www.nsh.ch Christine Pesold COVER: Basel’s picturesque St. Alban quarter is also called Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: “Little Venice” because of the canal—the St. Alban Teich— Susanne Hiller running through it. The canal, which was already created in the 12th century, is almost 5 km long and runs from München- Design & Print: stein down to the Rhein. Until the 19th century it provided Schwabe AG power for more than a dozen mills and other businesses For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: along the way, including, most importantly, the paper mills Intensive courses: and printing companies that were established in Basel from info basellife.com 3× or 5× per week in the morning the end of the 15th century. Today, one of the arms of the www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine canal still drives the mill in the Basel Paper Mill museum in www.basellife.com the St. Alban quarter. Standard courses: 2× per week in the evening BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff Register now! and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com photo credits: © anne kohler (cover); © susanne hiller (page 3) November 2017 3 Feature Event Getting There the second- and third-place winners will receive Pro Innerstadt Basel To protect the environment, as well as to avoid traffic congestion and gift certificates. parking nightmares, the municipality of Basel-Stadt is offering free Registration public transport for runners to the Stadtlauf on the entire public-trans- Until November 15, registration costs CHF 18 for kids ages 6–16 and port network of the Nordwestschweiz, including SBB trains (2nd class). CHF 35 for adults; after that, a late fee of CHF 5 applies. You can regis- Simply present your registration confirmation to the ticket inspectors. ter by paying the starting fee at a bank or post office until November 5. Prizes You will either receive the pay-in slip for this by mail (if you receive the Basler Stadtlauf (Basel’s City Run) All runners in the children and youth categories (up to “under-16”) will mailed announcement for the race), or you can download it from their receive a souvenir medal that each year is specially designed with a website (www.stadtlauf.ch/downloads/ezs2017.jpg). Alternatively, you can Basel motif. All runners in the “under-18” and older categories will register online until November 22. If you register by November 5, you November 25 receive a mini first-aid kit and can order the souvenir medal at regis- will receive your start number and chip by mail; otherwise, they can be tration for a cost of CHF 5. Only those registered by November 5 are picked up in a tent at Münsterplatz on the day of the race from 14:00– guaranteed a medal. Additionally, the first three finishers in each cat- 20:00. Last-minute registration is also possible at the Münsterplatz, Two days after the official opening of the Christmas season in Basel, Race Categories egory are asked to present themselves immediately at the finish line to with an additional late fee of CHF 10. with the lighting of the Christmas illuminations and the opening of the The Stadtlauf includes races for all age categories, from children un- receive their awards. The first-place winners will receive a watch, and www.stadtlauf.ch Christmas markets, comes another annual favorite tradition—the der age 6 to seniors. Distances vary by age group, from 1.0 km for the Basler Stadtlauf. The beautifully lit and decorated streets of Basel’s city youngest kids to 5.5 km for adults. There are also longer-distance runs center provide an enchanting backdrop for the largest running event in for elite female (5.9 km) and male (7.55 km) runners, but participation northwestern Switzerland. Approximately 9,000 runners will gather at in these is by invitation only. All races start at Münsterplatz, with the Münsterplatz for the 35th edition of this special fun run, and countless youngest beginning at 17:00 and the elite runners starting just after spectators will line the inner-city streets to cheer the runners on. 21:00 (on their website, check the “Kategorien und Startzeiten” for your The highlight of every run is the final stretch that has participants rac- age category under “Stadtlauf”). ing down the festively decorated Freie Strasse, passing under the 33 Family Tips arches adorned with 8,976 lights, on their way to the finish line at Markt- All races start at Münsterplatz and end at Marktplatz, with different Magical platz while hundreds of spectators cheer them on.