A Weekend Filled With Music
What are you doing on weekends? You must be doing something as my email inbox receives about a fifth of its normal flow. Are you having some time off or are you secretly working on your next posts?
Today I want to share my weekend activities in Basel with you and counterbalance the recipe heavy posts of the last weeks.
On Saturday afternoon we saw the Basel Tattoo Parade. Here is some background information (if you want to skip it, hop to the over next paragraph): The Basel Tattoo is an internationally renowned event for aficionados of this kind and takes places prior to the Edinburgh Tattoo in August.
In its seventh year Basel Tattoo beat a new record: more than 120’000 spectators saw the tattoo with its 12 participating bands (from Switzerland to Russia and Japan) and more than 140’000 people watched the parade this last Saturday.
Actually, I did not mean to write anything about it but when I saw the Russian band goose-stepping down Freie Strasse, goose bumps started out all over my body and I took out my iPhone and started filming. Why? I am not known for my love or appreciation of any army and here I am watching a kind of military parade with bands professing their martial arts in the guise of musical proficiency and military drill.
A contradiction? Yes, on two levels, easy to explain the personal relationship: playing the Piccolo and taking part in Fasnacht for so many years I know quite a few people who are involved with Basel Tattoo. Also, some family members are really fond of tattoos (while others abhor them) and as I am a very accommodating person I will accompany them.
On the second level: will the different nations participating in a tattoo forge friendships with others? Is their performance merely a show of musical artistry and military drill or could it also be perceived as a hidden threat? What do you think? Did you ever see a tattoo or would you ever go to see one?
If you would like to see the goose stepping Russians, the bagpipes of Scotland, the A.I.T. Meiden High School Band, Japan, the Ailsa Craig Highland Dancers, Scotland, listen to Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums, U.S.A. or wonder at some weird Swiss bands, here is the unabridged clip:
The clip is far rather too long, the post of Robert of lamiacucina features some lovely photography of the Basel Tattoo Parade.
CUT, big cut, a different setting, a different world.
In the evening we went to Lörrach (a border town in Germany close to Basel, some of you might know this is where the beautiful farmer market takes place) for an open air concert organised by Stimmen .
My friends invited (Hajra, I have told you, not a trip this time but a concert) me to ZAZ, a French singer with an outstanding voice and energy which can light a whole town. You might have heard her hit Je veux, the big summer 2010 hit.
What a mesmerizing powerhouse, what a beautiful setting in the old square surrounded by medieval houses and a most appreciative audience who sang along. I hope I was able to catch some of the atmosphere in this short clip:
No wonder did I need all Sunday to recover! Did I? Not really, I made some mango chutney, but more of this later!
And now it is your turn to share your weekend escapades. Did you go away for the weekend? Did you chase some rabbits? Did you go out for dog walks in the rain? Did you celebrate a holiday?
Comments 14
Hi Barbara!
You enjoy so much culture and so many wonderful events there in Basel! This parade sounds wonderful! You’re wise to avail yourself of all your area has to offer – and kind to share it with us!
I did go to a festival this weekend, too, and I thought of you! We had our Mosaic Festival downtown Moncton! There were booths of crafts and food from different countries and a musical show outside of City Hall. Along Main Street, which was blocked off, were tables outside where you could get food and drink and listen. It was wonderful – great energy (I love the energy of happy crowds) and it felt like being in a different country – or several!
What fun!
Lori
@Lori Hi Lori!
Thank you so much, you always give a different perspective to living in Basel, probably we take all those events for granted.
I love the energy of happy crowds too but I feel slightly apprehensive of big mass gatherings and I hate it when people get too close. There has been a change over the years of the “natural” distance you normally keep to another person, have you noticed that? I always call it “stepping into my garden and trample upon my flowers”. Ha, that would make a nice post!
Have a good day!
I didn’t see any tattoos, were they under the band member’s clothes. Did you get one? Was it a butterfly on your backside?
As Lori said, the culture and markets you have in Basel seem wonderful. I really enjoy things like that; I guess I’ll to come over and visit and get a taste, huh? My wife probably wouldn’t be happy if I came back with a tattoo however…just sayin’……………:).
@bdorman264
Hi Bill!
Haha, you come to Basel and my daughter will tattoo your backside! Do you know the origin of the word “tattoo”? It stems from Dutch and means “put the tap back into the bottle”, on a figurative level it might serve some people well.
Trust you are well and thriving, my online presence is scant these days, very busy IRL. Heading over to your place, now!
Barbara, I have to admit I didn’t watch the entire clip of the tatoo Parade but what i did see there weren’t any tattoos! I am actually enamored by the tattoo culture and often wonder what the experieince would be like having none myself. I was thinking of interviewing some people who have them to see what their take is on the culture.
It is great to see the culture of Switzerland again. So rich and beautiful. I am glad you get out and enjoy the country and events. That’s what summer is for!
We spend most of our weekends enjoying the outdoors; golfing, cottaging and socializing. Being with friends and family is so much more enjoyable in the warm weather.
Gruss (I think that’s right, right? Google Translate is no help for Swiss-German)
@rdopping Ralph, my favourite movie star, you were brave to click on it anyway! Re tattoos I would recommend you get in touch with my daughter, she is into it. I am old old school!
You know it is funny: nobody rises to the challenge of the peace mission!
Ah. golfing, somebody told me this is your big passion! Great, I only tried when I was at university (they had really low fees for students) and managed to ruin the lawn. It might be time to take it up seriously this time!
Swiss German: there are so many dialects, you cannot go wrong with whatever you are saying (just pretend you are from Wallis, nobody understands their dialect anyway), but what I normally say is: ciaò, bis bald und ganz härzligge Dangg fyr Dyni Wort (this is Baseldytsch without Google Translate!) and have a great day!
Ramadan started over the weekend, so it wasn’t about going out but more of staying in!
You do have the most wonderful friends, we should exchange friends… yes, the offer is still open!
Usually my weekends, begin very late. I love sleeping so much that it just had to be done on the weekends! And then it is usually family – cousins and uncles and aunts stay close by, so we do get together for barbecue (if the weather is right) or stay insides and have good food! 😉
@Hajra Hi, Hajra,
What a wonderful introspective time Ramadan is for you, staying in and seeing family, I love this!
Exchanging friends: nay, I want to keep them but you can get their presents (wait wait this is not done, this would be really impolite). Or, tell me your birthday and I will be thinking of something for you!
Sleeping late used to be my favourite weekend activity as well! No more so, I am wide awake around 7, this is ok with me!
@Late_Bloomers Ah my birthday is still a little away. I keep fighting with my siblings about how they never give me the “perfect gift” and how they don’t coordinate with each other. Sometimes my parents are also involved in the little “fight”. One birthday I actually ended up having five copies of the exact same book which I had wanted to read. And my parents, one of my sister, my brother and my best friend and a college friend ended up giving it to me only to find that I had borrowed it from the library a week earlier!
@Hajra There is a serious communication situation in your family! I would have loved to see your face when you unwrapped the 5th copy!
Oh, come on tell me …. pleeeease!
@Late_Bloomers I would agree. They all were in different countries and we had come together for a cousin’s wedding. And all of them thought this would be the best surprise; it just slipped their mind to discuss it with each other.
I was angry at the second copy. Imagine my frustration at the fifth copy. And all of them came with a personal message on the first page… couldn’t return them! 😉 I just gave it back to them to read it…
@Hajra LOL and a personal message as well! I meant to suggest a secondhand bookshop …
See, you definitely have to tell me …
I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t know ZAZ and she is fab! Thanks for talking about her. And well, it looks like you do have some busy week-ends.
@JSJ2020 Just between the two of us, Muriel: I did not know her either, just remembered having heard the song “Je veux” all the time in the last two summers. But to see her live was really quite an experience: she exudes sheer vitality, her voice goes over felt 10 octaves, she whispers, she croons, she shouts, she does a funny trumpet like sound and her musicians are brilliant, they span all styles, definitely will go to her next concert as well.
You know I always think I am lazy or have quite a boring life but when I start writing there is a different picture. Do you not make the same experience?