A rave? At a castle?

This past Sunday was a beautiful and sunny fall day. We decided to take Zoe's suggestion of going on a picnic. I packed up all sorts of good picnic food and we drove up to the castle ruins above Arlesheim. This was the same castle that I hiked up to last week. Nothing better than enjoying nature and a good view with yummy food and good company at a peaceful setting on a Sunday afternoon, right? As soon as we found a good spot to picnic and set up our blanket we realized that we could hear very loud, continuous techno/dance music. In some instances, I love techno/dance music. When I'm at the gym, for example. The only way I can get myself to stay on the elliptical is with loud music blasting through my iPod. But at a castle?

After a bit of exploring, we discovered that a group of teenagers were holding what appeared to be a very lame rave at the top of the castle. They had a generator hooked up with a big stereo system, neon-colored strings strung up, and many empty beer bottles. Perhaps it had gone all night. I don't know. But at this point, at about 1:00 in the afternoon, there were only about 15 teenagers in a music (and perhaps drug) induced trance flailing about to the beat of the music. It had to be one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. Lots of families were passing through the area (Sunday is a big family hiking day in Switzerland) and all of them looked quite puzzled by this strange setting for a rave. Do you suppose they had to apply for a permit with the Gemeinde to hold a party like that at castle ruins?