School Benefit, Charity Benefit, You Benefit! UPDATED

Spring is on its way, albeit 6 weeks late according to Puxatony Phil. How about some shopping to benefit others and help you jump into spring mode, not to mention save you a lot on some GREAT items!

A NEW ADDITION! 

The BCT (Basel Children's Trust) Flea Market is now scheduled for May 12th from 9-12! Get more information at their website: www.baselchildrenstrust.ch. 

You can find all kinds of deals on clothes, toys and other useful children's items. Also support the BCT by having some coffee and cake while you're there! 

Enjoy! 

FIRST UP:

A used clothes sale at my neighbor's kids' school here in Saint Louis, France!

What:

Vente vetements d'occasion!

Where:

Ecole Privée Emmanuel

16, rue de La Fontaine

68300 Saint Louis

website: www.ecole-emmanuel.org

When:

Wednesday, March 28th and Saturday, March 31,

9:00- 16:00 both days

HOW MUCH!?

From 0.50 euros per item!!!

**They are also serving drinks and snacks!

ALSO COMING SOON:

A handbag and accessory auction put on by the American Women's Club of Basel (AWC) to benefit this year's charity, Sahara. (Sahara provides workplace support and training for women with special needs. www.sahara-basel.ch.)

You can also make donations! Check out the website below. 

What: 

Accessorize Your Life! Charity Auction and Sale

Where: 

Schmeidenhof Zunftsaal

Rumlinsplatz 4

4001 Basel

www.awcbasel.org

When: 

Saturday April 28th, 13:00 - 15:00

Happy Benefiting to All! 

Wonderful Pictures, Wonderful Gal!

Recently I've seen many posts on the desire for a good photographer and photos. Whether it be for chronicling a pregnancy or celebrating a family gathering, private or professional, we all need good photos, right?

Well, I know this amazing gal and photographer! She has done photos for us on a few occasions and she is just magical. She knows how to connect with her "subjects" and she can use any location to make wonderful memories for years to come.


I've shared a few of our photos from Erin here, but don't just take my word for it, check out her blog: http://www.erineagleman.com/.

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.

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! 

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!

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_

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/

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!