Christmas postscript

Seeing the Christmas tree in front of the train station being taken down today reminded me that Basel was a really pleasant place to be for the holiday season. They do it up in terms of decorations, the Christmas market, events, etc., but the whole thing was less...maybe gaudy or tacky is the right word...than what we're used to back home. Of course it's still a commercial affair and you still hear some of the same ridiculous Christmas songs (I'm thinking here of such gems as "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney and "Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart" by George Michael), but overall it just seemed like a relatively dignified affair. So, Basel, as Ali G might say, big up to you!