I've had the extreme pleasure to experience the city of Basel Switzerland in a way that few tourists ever will. Fasnacht is a traditional festival that occurs in late February or early March. Actually, the date depends on the date of Easter. Fasnacht is the Swiss-German word for carnival. My girlfriend is a native Baseler, who belongs to a clique that participates every year. I joined them in 2006 and 2007.

The carnival kicks off with Morgestraich at 4:00 AM on Monday. Thousands of people are packed into the narrow streets and squares of the town center. Participants are dressed in colorful costumes and masks. Church bells chime, and on the last stroke, all the streetlights go dark. It's quite a spectacular moment -- and somewhat eerie to the uninitiated. There is utter silence for just a brief moment; then the sounds of piccolos and drums as the cliques begin their march. Huge painted lanterns now weave through the streets, as well as smaller ones on poles. You will also see thousand of head lanterns that the musicians -- and the vanguards who lead them out -- affix to the top of their masks. I have to admit, it was somewhat of an intimidating experience marching down these narrow streets; weaving through the thousands of spectators. Vision is quite hampered as you peer through the eye holes of paper mache masks. I don't know any other way to describe it other than a sort of "organized chaos". As a person who is not usually too relaxed in huge crowds, it was a bit of a strain on me. But I slowly got caught up in the whole energy and camaraderie of the experience, and the anxiety I initially felt lessened.

Morgestraich ends around 7:30 AM, at which time people pack into the many fine dining establishments you will find in Basel, and enjoy a little breakfast. During this opening session of Fasnacht, you hear only fifes and drums. When the festivities kick off again that afternoon, the brass bands begin to play. I was amazed at how well mannered the crowds were, despite the steady flow of alcohol. There were numerous occasions, however, when it was necessary to firmly push back those that attempted to cross the street directly in the middle of our procession. As a part of our clique's vanguard, it was my job to keep these people back to the best of my ability. The musicians in the rear have an even tougher time finding their way, what with having to play and deal with the tunnel vision the Fasnacht masks create. Unfortunately, there were a couple of times when people got downright testy when I pushed them back. But overall, the people were generally easy going.

For four days, we marched, took extended breaks to enjoy a drink or two, then marched again. We would break for dinner in the early evening, then march into the early hours of the morning. The evening meals were a splendid opportunity for me to enjoy some unique Swiss cuisine, and sample the local Basel brew. The festival comes to an end at 4:00 AM on Thursday morning, after which the cleaning crews go to work scouring the streets clean of all the trash, and most notably, the tons of confetti that get distributed throughout the four days. It's amazing that this task gets accomplished in just three hours. But by 7:00 AM, you'd never know a celebration had taken place.

I can't say enough about the warmth & goodwill I received from the people of Basel, as I wandered down the narrow cobbled streets and took in the charm and beauty of centuries old buildings. I highly recommend a visit to this city if you're planning a trip to Switzerland.