Basel birthday with Andy the Human

9-12 Mar 2019

There’s nothing better than taking time off from work and traveling. Except taking time off from work and traveling with friends. And except taking time off from work and traveling with friends to visit one of your favorite people to celebrate his birthday. And of course, except taking time off from work and traveling with friends to visit one of your favorite people to celebrate his birthday, for free.

Let's go here, for free

We had planned for all of those things to happen (except the last) when we visited Andy in Basel for Fasnacht, one of the biggest festivals in Europe, filled with masks, costumes, lanterns, fire and music. I don’t really know what it celebrates but when he told us that it starts at 4am on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, we booked our flights.

Upon arrival, the first thing we had to do was make sure we exited the airport in the right direction. One exit goes to Switzerland, the other to France. After successfully navigating this part, like any good triathlete friends would do, we met Andy’s friends for an outdoor workout. This was his idea of a (2 week late) birthday party. Or at least the prerequisite. He hired a coach to make sure our asses were properly kicked. Only then could we start the celebrations.

Doing pushups to prove our manhood

Andy’s friend Katerina was amazing and let a few of us stay in her apartment, and she even stayed somewhere else we could have the place to ourselves (or she didn't like us?). We found out Żubrówka vodka so we found some in a shop and paid quadruple the price in Poland...unlike some people might think, we don’t carry Polish vodka with us everywhere we go.

Andy lives in Rhinefelden, a bit outside of Basel. It’s close enough to get to the city whenever you want, but far enough to be tempted to stay home if you’re tired. It’s a cute place and there’s a walking bridge to cross into Germany. It was fun to walk to Germany to buy some beer and chocolate because things are cheaper there. We waved to the security cameras on the way back. We had a nice party with Andy’s friends and it was great to meet all of his new crew. It seems he's in good hands there, but it was also nice to be all together, especially since it was just about one year since our trip to the US.

Crossing the bridge to Germany

Cute little town (empty in the evenings)

There was a buzz around the city even before the festival started. One of the churches we visited had a wine party inside, next to where people pray and attend service. I wasn’t sure if this was a Swiss thing or just for the festival preparation. If everyone was going to be drunk for the next 72 hours anyway, I guess it doesn’t hurt to start on Sunday.  In church. 

Getting started in church

When visiting Switzerland one thing you should do if you want to be miserable and regretful all the time is to translate the prices to your local currency. A 2 day transportation ticket was about $30 which doesn’t seem bad, but in Poland, a 3-month transportation pass is about $60. So we were thankful to Sugar Daddy Andy for gifting us a transportation ticket. And of course Zosia checked, McDonald’s combo meals were about $13 (but the trip from the airport to the city was only about $6). The thought crossed her mind to just not go to the airport, so she could have a couple burgers. 

After a big party on Saturday, we had to rest up on Sunday (well some of us anyway, as some tried to power through the night), because the festival started at 4am Monday morning. Of course most people don't work on Monday afterwards, but there are some brave souls who do. We tried to find a good spot in the Old Town for the start, along the parade route. It was packed and dark, and if you had to pee, good luck. There was so much energy and excitement and it was fun to see all of the political satire portrayed in the floats. However after a few minutes of drums, piccolos and the same song over and over, knowing this would last for another 3 days, it was time to go into a bar and start (continue) drinking.

A little night time parade action

The illuminated floats were the coolest, some were huge (not pictured)

We found a bar at 5am for some beers and breakfast. To my surprise it was packed, and not just with “young” people. Most of the bar was over 60 years old. There were kids of all ages as well. This festival is a such a big deal that everyone in the family is out. Even the waiters, who must be miserably tired, were in good moods and happy to put up with the drunkenness of the crowds. Because people were happy, not
annoying. We were in a good place.

Are we still "young" people? (Alan is sleeping)

This one is all tuckered out

Another part of the festival was the fire parade in Liestal. It was super hot and ashy if you get too close, and you’re likely to get some holes in your clothes. We wore jackets that we didn’t mind damaging, covered our mouths to limit the smoke intake, and found a good spot to enjoy the show. It was like watching firemen drag burning logs down the street. Mesmerizing is the only word I can think of. It was scary and hot, but I couldn’t stop watching.

This was my favorite part

Eventually some of us had to find some places to hide from the smoke. After a lazy day with more of Andy’s friends, and a bit of exploring, it was time to head back home. There was a nice food market near the train station where we tried Ethiopian food which was great. The Basel airport is small and fast to get through. It was hard to say goodbye to Andy and the great few days, but we were ready to go home.  The first 3 trip objectives were complete. 

Even off the main parade route, people are marching around in their gear

Which led to our last trip objective of having the trip for free. The plane took off from Basel, then suddenly turned around and went back. They didn’t say why (do they ever?), but we stayed in Basel for another 4 hours, and in the end arrived in Warsaw 5 hours after schedule. The weather was fine so we knew there was a chance we could claim some money thanks to the EU airline consumer protection rules. Sure enough, because we arrived more than 4 hours late, for a reason other than weather, we were able to get some money back; which turned out to be more than the price of the flights. Thus, the trip ended up being free. If only we could find a way to always get paid for these late flights.  In fact, a couple months later on the way back to Poland from the US, Z and I also got some money for a voluntary rebooking. Always hustling.  I think we’ve found a new career model...