A notice in the language of Shakespeare speaking to our friends. Year after year we are still…read morewaiting impatiently for the theme. The decor is still gorgeous and it's really one of the great success of Montbéliard. This is the Christmas lights at a time or there is not. Dear German friends trust me and come and see our beautiful Christmas market.

We recently went on a Viking cruise, which embarked from Basel. We decided to go in a couple days…read moreearly to adjust to the time change, and to wander around the city of Basel. And in a stoke of luck, it just so happened to be during their annual Autumn Fair. We learned that it's the oldest fair in Switzerland, and has been running since the 15th century. It was awesome. They actually hold it in several different areas of the city (6, I think), but we only visited three of them. Tons of local things to eat, handmade crafts to buy, entertainment here and there, and plenty of carnival type rides. If you plan a trip to Basel, plan it around the beginning of November so you can check this out. It may just be on our list for a trip to Switzerland that we would start or end in Basel....during this fair.

I happened to be in Basel for work in early November, and happened upon the Autumn fair. I learned…read morethat this is an annual tradition that has been going on for hundreds of years. I am rating this fair 'five stars' primarily due to all the foods I've tried. While many cuisines from around the world are represented, I just loved trying out some of the Swiss snacks! There was this small raclette stand at the messeplatz that I must have visited 4 times in 2 days. Then there was the sausage stand and the risotto and sautéed mushroom stalls. Also for the first time, on a super cold sprinkling night, I tasted warm sweet Gluhwein and it definitely made me feel toasty inside! The fair is literally everywhere throughout Basel. You can literally just walk around town and find yourself running into different squares and streets blocked off with stalls, booths and stands. Other than food, you can pretty much find all sorts of craft items, books, kitchen stuff, etc.. I really enjoyed waking through the different areas throughout my two nights there and would so recommend it for people to visit if you happen to be in Basel during that time of the year.

A tent full of UNLIMITED FREE CHOCOLATE SAMPLES from some of the most famous chocolatiers in…read moreGeneva?? Only 15 minutes and a CHF3.50 train ride outside of Geneva?? Count me in!!! Some of these are pretty high-end chocolatiers, so I wondered how they would manage the chocoholics that would inevitably flock to this event planning to stuff their faces with pounds and pounds of free chocolate. But after making my way through about half of the choco-tent, it became clear that even I, among the most determined of chocoholics, had a limit to how much sickly sweetness I could take. The chocolate festival is a big tent set up on a parking lot, lined with booths and booths of chocolate makers. They show off their decorative chocolate creations, and offer generous samples of their wares. Those of you who are sensitive about hygiene and all that stuff may have a problem with the communal sampling bowls that everyone digs into, but I figure I'm doing enough damage to my body with all the chocolate that a few germs probably won't make a huge difference. Most booths have at least a few varieties of chocolates you can sample, so it's a good opportunity to try something that you wouldn't normally spend money on, like green tea chocolate, or a dark chocolate with sweet wine pairing. We tried so many different chocolates that it's impossible to recall the brands and chocolates that I particularly liked. But they have a few fun options you should try, like the chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate shell that they top with whipped cream and warm melted chocolate (made to order, CHF5). They also had a big chocolate fountain in the middle of the tent where you can buy a bowl of strawberries and marshmallows that they smother with the flowing lava of the chocolate fountain. They sell all types of chocolates and sweets, from bark to truffles, bars, macarons, fondants, brownies, chocolate eggs and easter bunnies, you name it. Some of the decorative pieces can get really pricey, but I scored an adorable snowboarding bunny for CHF13 (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=hv1eZoM0uG7u8lWNj_9cWQ&userid=kRJmJ6MCzSqZayotEBiLfw), pretty reasonable, if you ask me. They had smaller bunnies from CHF2-CHF5, which were souvenir-worthy if you wanted to take something back without breaking bank. You can find most of the chocolatiers in Geneva (and in many other cities, I presume), and I don't think they offer the chocolates at any reduced rates. Considering that the weather is warm enough to potentially melt your chocolate purchases as you browse, I would suggest focusing on the free samples and making a list of the chocolatiers that you like for future purchase at a more convenient location. They also have food stands outside selling sausages (CHF6) and frites (CHF5), as well as a hamburger stand (CHF10), and all the other basic festival fare that you would expect to find. As a family event, there are kids bouncing off the walls from sugar-overdose, so watch your step!

Thanks to the Swiss Yelp Elite team for finding this great event! Not only I met new Yelpers, but I…read morehad the Best of the Best chocolate artisans from Switzerland here! The festival gets a little bit more busy towards the end of the afternoon but it was such a great and warm atmosphere that it couldn't go wrong. The chocolate artisans are located under a tent. There are about 20 ish small artisans who offer you free small sample of different kind of chocolate and macaroon as well! I posted some pictures from some of the Chocolate stand you could find there. It's definitely a place to go if you're in the area. Located in Versoix, the festival is only 10min away from Geneva. It would have been a 5-stars festival IF the festival was offering bottle of water or a place with a free fountain of water. The reason is that it's a chocolate festival. In order for you to appreciate to the fullest the different tastes of chocolate, you need to have water so you can "wash your mouth" from the old chocolate and taste the new one. Kinda what we usually do for Wine tasting. Last but not least, I really had trouble finding garbage disposal inside the tent which was really inconvenient. Beside that, it was a great and fun event to bring your kids at! And they also have food, drinks and entertainment outside the tent!

if you are in Basel during the summer, you MUST swing by this outdoor event. "Chill on the Rhine"…read moregoes on from the start of July through the end of August. you've got DJs playing music outdoors. not raging party music, but more lounge/chill stuff, jazz, blues, and more. of course, I'm sure that just experiencing it one night means there could be different music on other nights, so your mileage may vary. projectors and concert-quality lighting rigs illuminate and highlight the old buildings along the Rhine in unique and awesome ways. of course, what would a festival be without alcohol? there was plenty of beer! and it's not expensive either - just remember to redeem your tokens at the end to get your deposit back (it's to prevent people from throwing cups all over and making a mess). crowds vary - there's a big college-age population in Basel, so you get the students, but you also get all kinds of random people who come out to enjoy the good weather and positive atmosphere. no one's raging, people are just hanging out, enjoying some food and drinks. just an FYI - their website is no longer active - they had the event when I was in Switzerland back in 2008, and my research on the interwebs shows they've had it every year up until 2011, so perhaps the domain expired or something. check up before you go to verify if they're still having this - and if so, definitely attend!