CAKE ANYONE??

CAKE! 

American style! Oh yes! Lots of sweet sugary frosting and moist cake! I was so looking forward to my daughter's birthday, not only to experience her joy, but to eat good old American cake! It did not disappoint, it was amazing both inside and out. 

If you are needing a fix or some help arranging dessert for a party or event, look no further than Janet Kissling-Barreto at Jay's Delights! (She delivers too!) 

This is the mouth-dropping masterpiece she created for Anne-Sophie's 2nd birthday (and for my pleasure days after). Yes, order large so you have leftovers! Yum! I can't wait until my birthday because I am definitely ordering my own special treat! 

Just contact Janet at 

http://jaysdelights.com/Jays_Delights/Welcome.html. 

You will not be disappointed AND you are supporting a local "artist"! 

The Ultimate Find: A WEDDING DRESS!

It's a "find" that excites me even to this day! Let you tell you all about how I discovered my wedding dress.

It was a miserable raining day in Vancouver, B.C. (not at all uncommon, mind you) and I was out hunting with a few of my friends. We'd been up and down the street known for wedding dresses - there were millions! But not being the conventional type nor the mass produced liking type I didn't see a thing. We were d.o.n.e and it was still raining! Every step we took landed us in puddles. I really didn't think we would find anything, it just wasn't in the cards. Finally in a really fun area of Vancouver called Gastown we jumped in and out of a few designers shops, plus a few vintage stores. I'm totally into reusing old duds.

From the outside the  shop looked much like all the rest, but it had one good thing going for it, a local designer, Ric Yuenn, made ALL the dresses. It was going to be the final heave-ho and then we'd be done for the day. It had been all so overwhelming. Hmpf- not a single thing!

Then a woman came out from the back and asked what I was looking for. I told her "flower lace". (Imagine how much having one made costs - yikes!) She said she'd have a look in back and WOW she came back out with the dress! She and the designer started talking about how they had made it for someone but that person was no longer interested. Hmmm, the wedding was called off?  I didn't take this as a bad omen, but a wonderful opportunity. It was new but used at the same time and because of this I got a terrific deal on a locally hand-made wedding dress! What a find!

http://ricyuenn.net/

After a long day of wedding fun, here I am resting in my dress.

The Silpat

Hmmmm, I wonder how it took me so long to figure this one out! It's a silpat!! Yep, one of the best creations for the kitchen! It makes finding the right baking paper (which is sometimes a trick in a foreign land) obsolete. It's simply a silicon mat you lay on your baking tray. The best bit is you save money and resources at the same time!

Here she is in action:

I use mine all the time for baking everything from pizza to cookies. Another added bonus is that the silpat indeed bakes goods more evenly than a sheet of paper on a tray. When you're done baking all you need to do is give your silpat a quick wash and, viola, you're ready for your next baking adventure (and some freshly baked yummies).

http://silpat.com/

This is just one of the many kitchen saving tips. Do you have any to share?

What a Resource: Basel Expats

Where can I find ...? Does anyone have...? How do I do....? Would anyone like to buy...? Fill in the blanks and send them off to those who know the answers. First, sign up to the yahoo group "Basel Expats".

Now, I primarily use this group to find out about good deals, but it also is the quickest way to get your question out to as many expats / locals as possible and therefore increases your chances for getting the best advice. Believe me many folks are out there just waiting to help answer your questions.

I'd like to share with you a few questions I had answered within hours of posting:

How do I get my french license? What does that involve?
Does anyone have recommendations for plasters, painter, etc...?
I'm looking for a bike trailer. Anyone looking to sell?

By far the most exciting aspect of this group is the thrill of the hunt! When we first moved into our house (well, even before since it took so long) I was up every morning checking for sales. Our house is now very well furnished with barely used wardrobes, (American) couches, chairs, lamps and wool rugs!

It's a great way to get great deals and help those in transition. When and if you end up moving away or moving this way you can look to Basel Expats for some help.

Pumpkin Festival Sept. 25-6

Don't you just love the changing of the seasons? Next up: FALL! This means harvest - pumpkin harvest!  A local family opens their farm to create a wonderful yearly event and a sale of an extreme amount of pumpkins!

It's the Pumpkin Festival at Mathis Hof in Bottmingen! 


This is not far from Basel and easily accesible by public transport/ car. I have not yet been to the festival, but have heard great things about it! There are many activities for families including a corn maze and pumpkin decorating! You will also be able to purchase eggs, apples and vegetables and much more. 


Check out the schedule and farm online: 
http://www.mathis-hof.ch/kuerbisse.php


It's just a great local way to celebrate the fall!  See you there? 

Organic Food Co-op!

Oh boy! I've been waiting all spring and into the summer to get started with this!! Birsmattehof is an organic food cooperative based in Therwill, Switzerland. Distribution depots are placed strategically in and around Basel - there are 37 at the moment!

You can sign up for a 1 to 3-month trial and/ or sign up for the whole year which includes 46 weeks of fresh, seasonal veg! You can pay the full price or get a discount by putting some hours in at the farm. Portions come in three sizes and are known to be more and less abundant depending on the seasonal harvest. Birsmattehof has 60 vegetables and herbs thoughout the year! What a fun cooking challenge! Eggs, "quark" and meat are also available.

Check out the website (It's in German, but don't let that stop you):
http://www.birsmattehof.ch

This is a "kleine Abo" (small order) and at this time of the year it's more than enough for our family of three and summertime guests. Our first basket included lots and lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, potatoes, two heads of lettuce and more. The second and third also included green beans and seasonal herbs! Everything is excellent quality and absolutely delicious!

**Look for the "BIO" label in stores too! This means organic!**

Fleurs à Couper

When I was little I would go out to the field two blocks from our house and pick some pretty purple flowers and "catepillar white flowers". They were a surprise for Mom. When I got a bit older I would venture to a neighbor's house around the block to clip some roses. Pinks, reds, yellows, whites - every color you could imagine! Leave the money in the mailbox; it's only "25 cents for short stem and 50 cents for long". 

Twenty-ish years later I go with my daughter to pick some flowers from the "Fleurs à Couper" about three blocks from our house. A farmer has planted sunflowers, gladiolus, dahlias and margaritas. A strangely  welded metal "caisse" acts as the no-change cash register. There is, or was, a knife meant for cutting the flowers which has gone missing.

The prices range from 0.10€ for a margarita to 0.60€ for a gladiolus. 

We found a few gladiolus to take come with us. The folks in the background of the above shot took tens of sunflowers as if they were decorating for a wedding or some kind of festival. 

When is your next party or dinner with friends? Think about going out to the local farmer's market or directly to the fields to get some freshly cut flowers! 

Sunday's Riddle

Remember the books? Which one did I choose?

And the answer is:

The Book Cupboard @ Voltaplatz

A bit more about books, books for adults...

Need a good summer read? Already finished your good summer read? Look no further than the Buecherschrank at Voltaplatz in Basel. (It's the first of it's kind in Switzerland! How exciting!) The book cupboard is sponsored by the Christoph Merian Stiftung and is meant to support St. Johann's literature-minded community. The book cupboard is essentially an anonymous book exchange!! Super (spoken with a Swiss accent, of course)! Take one and leave one!

http://merianstiftung.ch/buecherschrank-basel/

The book cupboard is located at the new paved pedestrian area at Voltaplatz (the intersection of tram 1 and tram 11) not far from the Florida Café.

 

I took a look inside a few days ago and it was overflowing with potential summer entertainment. I found books in German, French, English, Japanese and many other languages I wasn't sure of. I found one for myself! (Can you guess which one it is?) Next time I pass by I'll donate one of two. What a wonderful concept!

I would recommend taking larger donations of English books to the AWC library at GGG Basel West or to Centrepoint.

http://www.centrepoint.ch/
http://www.awcbasel.org/

Happy Summer Reading!!

JUKIBU!

JUKIBU? An exclamation of hope? A kind of animal? A foreign word for sure!

Well... it's the children's library in Basel! JUKIBU means "Interkulturelle Bibliothek fur Kinder und Jugendliche"or in English, the Intercultural Library for Children and Young Persons. Easily accessible by tram 11, the blue french buses, on bike or on foot this library is amazing! It touts a collection of children's books in 50+ languages!!

Photo by Geoff Parks Photography

Along with books, there are also DVDs, CDs, bilingual book readings and culture events!

The volunteers (no, they are NOT paid so be nice:)) are very friendly and ready to give you a tour or answer your questions. Try using your German skills, but don't worry if English is all you've got. 

If you are a member of the BCT (Basel Children's Trust - recently changed from Basel Childbirth Trust) you will receive a free membership. Non-members will pay a minimal fee.

http://www.jukibu.ch/

** Summer hours: from July 2  to August 15 open the following Wednesday afternoons: July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10 from 15:00- 18:00. 

UPDATES: Here comes the bus, the big blue bus!

Update: Sunday bus service is on its way! Price have gone up, but deals still remain! 

Distribus! It's the local french bus system that delivers you to and from Basel and hits all the little towns and villages on the french side of the border. The most popular bus # 604 goes through Saint-Louis and takes you right to the heart of old Basel leaving you at Shifflande. It runs every 15 minutes and it is also simply known as the #4. You can check out the links below for the routes and time tables for all the buses, including the bus from Gare de Saint-Louis to Bale/Mulhouse Airport (#11)!

http://www.distribus.com/fr/horaires.htm  Just click on the line that looks interesting.

I find that french web sites are rather difficult to navigate (and not just because of the French language), so I would like to let you in on all the special tariffs that at first glance are not at all evident.

Normal tarif, one way: 1.10€ 1.30
Normal tarif, one way, "aeroport navette": 1€ 1.30
NEW* Round trip, good all day: 2.20 
Bus and tram combined, purchased on bus, good one-way for 2 hours: 2.50€ 3.00, (a two zone swiss ticket works to transfer to the french bus as well, but that runs 3.40€ or 4 CHF last I checked ).

With blue card (not person specific):
one way: 0.90€ 1.10
one way, "aeroport navette": 0.90€ 1.10
* Rechargeable on the bus: 9€ 10 for 12 voyages or 18€ 20 for 24, no photo needed.

Monthly "DistriPass Adulte" (person specific): 25€ 28
This is a good option for commuters or daily travelers

Yearly "DistriPass Adulte" (person specific): 250€ 280


AND THE MOST EXCITING NEWS! 


Line 604 will start hourly Sunday service in May! Hey Basel Friends! Come visit us in Saint-Louis!

Also available is a one time pass available for 24 hours with a smaller and larger range including access to Mulhouse. See this link: http://www.distribus.com/fr/formules-et-tarifs-triregio.htm

The bus card and passes are available at the Distribus office in Saint-Louis (14 rue de Ballon, Saint-Louis, 68300). It's not far from the grocery store Géant. **A photo booth picture of yourself is necessary for obtaining a pass. Oh, and make sure to avoid the hours of 12-2pm because they are closed for lunch.  : 8h15 ndredi : 8h15 à 12h00 - 14h00 à 17h15
Samedi : 8h30 à 10h
There is also a bus and tram combined pass that is available and payable through the swiss system. But that's a whole other pot of worms.

Oh gosh, I know that's a lot of information all at once! Take a bite of it now and ponder for a bit. Feel free to come back and check out this post when you're planning some time in french TriRhena.

And a bunch of love to the man in the photo for helping me out with all the details!

Jars...

Jam jars, baby food jars, nut butter jars, applesauce jars, yogurt jars, juice jars, canning jars... Don't just recycle them, reuse them! Remember the slogan that was ingrained in your supple elementary school mind: reduce, reuse, recycle? (Well, it was hammered into mine, thanks Mr. Clark.) We can all reduce by buying less packaging, and we can easily reuse - we can reuse all of those glass jars! 

Transfer all those plastic-packed goods into glass jars to help organize your cupboards and reenergize your interest in cooking! It worked for me!

No more hassle reclosing boxes and bags, no more accidental spills, no more "where did that go?" BECAUSE... everything is in a clear glass jar! Better yet, buy bulk (hopefully using the containers you will be storing the items in or in biodegradable "plastic" bags) and regularly refill your jars.  Even if the environment is not your number one priority, these reused jars are sure to make organizing, cooking and cleaning up much, much easier! 

P.S. Make sure the jars are completely clean and DRY before reusing them otherwise your foods may become moldy and inedible and that would be entirely counterproductive, wouldn't it? It is also a good idea to reuse only those jars that will not rust.

La Fête du Cinéma à Saint-Louis

In Saint-Louis and all the rest of France June 25th to July 1st is "La Fête du Cinéma". It's Movie Festival time! This means you can watch a movie in the theatre for only a few euros. Usually, but not always, movies are dubbed in french. Look carefully for the VO or VOST which tell you that the movie is in the "version original" or "version original sous titre" (with subtitles) or go and practice your french!

La Coupole Cinéma in Saint-Louis is offering showings for only 3 euros! That's a huge saving when you consider the prices just across the border! They also have all inclusive deals. Get a movie, parking and popcorn for just 6 euros. :)

http://cinema.coupole.free.fr/index1.html
http://www.jds.fr/saint-louis/cinema/cinema-la-coupole-saint-louis-film-horaire-437_

Piles and Piles of CLOTHES!

Ah clothes! Piles and piles of clothes! I suspect you have a closet full waiting for a new home.  I have an even stronger suspicion that you would LOVE some "new" clothes, right?

Well how about hosting a clothes exchange?? Also known as "bare naked lady party," though you don't really need to strip down to your skivvies. I've done it myself a few times (not the striping down) and had a blast! Get all your friends together and make mountains of clothes on the floor. Pick and choose and help support your friends all with a glass of wine in hand.

All you need is a place to host, a day or night of the week, good friends and LOTS of clothes! I also enjoy sorting through accessories. Try exchanging kids clothes and toys too. Give it a go and get some "new" clothes for FREE and feel way good about recycling!

Animals! Animaux! Tiere!

If you live in the TriRhena area you've probably heard about Basel Zoo, but do you know about the special discounts? Have you heard of Lange Erlen? What about the Mulhouse Zoo? Monkey Mountain? How about a shopping trip in Germany, animals included?

At the Basel Zoo the entry fees are quite high, so buying a Family Pass is recommended. What many people are not aware of is that the Family Pass doesn't run from March to March, but rather from November to March, meaning you can get FOUR extra months out of your pass! You may think, why would I go to the zoo in the winter? There are quite a few reasons: the fish, the great ape house (opening July 1st!), the amphibians, the café - all inside!



Also try the zoo in Mulhouse! Or see MONKEYS at Monkey Mountain not far from Mulhouse. Try getting a group together for a cheaper rate!

More animals! Try Lange Erlen not far from the Badischer Bahnhof (German train station in Basel). This is an outdoor park with many animals, a kinder autobahn, the Wiese River nearby and different activities throughout the year. Entry is FREE!

You can even head over to the Rhein Center in Weil am Rhein for your weekly shopping trip and at the same time take a tour of the large pet shop on the 2nd floor. Free is a very good price and you can get a look at little creatures that aren't considered zoo-material like bunnies, mice and koi fish! You can also head outside and pass over the pedestrian bridge to get a look at the swans and ducks on the french side!

Check out the links below for more information:

http://www.zoobasel.ch/e/index.php
http://www.zoo-mulhouse.com/
http://www.montagnedessinges.com/anglais/index.htm
http://www.erlen-verein.ch/
http://www.rheincenter.com/

Thank you, Easter Bunny

;

Here he is! The Easter Bunny! A bit creepy to me, but a whole lot of fun for the little ones. This Easter we were very fortunate to be able to take part in the AWC (American Women's Club) Easter egg hunt! Oh what fun and... oh my... that was already two months ago? And we STILL have chocolate in the house!

We'd better get rid of it somehow before it goes bad. In your house this may never happen, but in the land of CHOCOLATE (yes, all capital for a reason) there is always a forgotten stash or bunny somewhere in the house. So, I'd like to share with you an idea: use those leftover chocolates to make cookies! 

Take that old chocolate bunny and those eggs and just chop 'em up. Throw them in with your favorite cookie recipe. Yum! This works with all holiday chocolate (and just plain chocolate bars as well) - Valentine's day, Christmas, Mother's day, Labor Day - okay, so all holidays are chocolate days over here! 

Enjoy! And thank you, Easter Bunny!

And here's a link to the AWC: http://www.awcbasel.org/

Tried and True: The flea market

Last weekend when coming back from a friend's birthday party just on the border of France and Switzerland we ran into (actually drove past and turned back around to attend) a Flohmarkt in Fluh! Now these flea markets are HUGE in Switzerland (and in Germany as well) and are quite easy to find in many towns and villages. They are often repeating weekly, if not daily. In Basel alone there is the Bicycle Market at Petersplatz, the Food and Plant Market at Marktplatz and the Antique and Goods Market at Barfusserplatz and more!

Also, much like the American garage sale there are more local sales where individuals set up a table to sell their goods. Most of the time these occur on Sundays. Keep your eyes open and you'll surely find one near you!

My daughter was most pleased with her latest purchase in Fluh - an old-fashioned rocking horse. Tried and true a wonderful toy for only a few swiss franks!

It's just wonderful to be able to help someone get rid of their junk and at the same time turn it into something "new". Happy flea marketing! Reuse and Enjoy!

Roots to Resources

From my roots in small-town Oregon to my settling on the cusp of three European countries (France, Switzerland and Germany), I've discovered a world of deals and delights! My mission is to share these finds with you and hopefully inspire you to go out and explore your local environment.

For me this quest began with family and friends. When I was very young my mother went to the local food co-op distribution center; with friends I spent time picking the local fruits ripe from the vine, bush or tree; with dad we planted and raised our vegetables (and grew the tallest sunflower in town); I fondly helped grandma type up her refunding envelopes; I could go on and on and on. It was all about living the small-town life, living locally.

My surroundings have changed but my roots and drives remain the same. What resources are locally available? Can I support those around me rather than buying new or mass-produced goods? How do I share this exciting information with others? And thus begins my postings on the resources, reuses and deals of TriRhena. Enjoy!