Pre-Fastnacht Activities (2/14-19/1983)

Monday, February 14, 1983

Happy Valentine’s Day!

After work I started setting the table, making heart-shaped place mats and putting some activities (like how many words can you make from the letters of Valentine’s Day, etc.) on the back of them. Marsha C was cooking when Jan arrived at 18:45, and Kirby arrived later. We started with an antipasto of artichoke hearts marinated in herbal butter and mixed vegetables in mayonnaise. The second course was a heaping bowl full of spaghetti. Then came the veal parmigiana and sautéed peppers. After a respite came coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Tuesday, February 15, 1983

I went to the bank at 10:00, then to an appointment with Dr Jurg Steinegger, the new dentist in Biel. He seemed very nice and was thorough. He checked all my teeth and took x-rays, then gave me another appointment. Apparently my cavity will last three more weeks! Returned to work.

After work, Marsha C and I went home with Ruth D, who lives in Aegerten beyond Brügg in a farmhouse converted to apartments. She was on the top floor and had a fairly large and really cute apartment. We first had supper of several fruit tarts: plum, cherry and apricot, and cheese pies, with coffee (I had tea). Later we went to try on costumes. Ruth is as skinny as a stick, yet some of her costumes were baggy enough for us large Americans. Marsha ended up in a toga-like affair and will be Helen of Troy. I will wear the gypsy costume. We would be wearing the costumes for the Fastnacht/Carnival/Mardi Gras events in Biel. Ruth went to make alterations and Barbara S arrived at 22:20. I was trying to keep alive by not breathing, with all the cigarette smoke. Barb took Marsha and me home, but the fresh air was too late. I had a headache, sore throat, congested nose, itchy eyes, and felt nauseous! Yuck!

Thursday, February 17, 1983

After dinner, about 21:30, Jong-Soon took me down to Chinese restaurant in the Burg. Younger brother came over to greet us and sit us at a corner table. I ordered hot chocolate and Jong-Soon had tea. Jong-Soon asked to see the chef, pointing her finger at me, saying I had to talk to him. Younger brother went to get older brother, who soon came out. Jong-Soon pointed at me, so I had to ask the question she wanted to ask! I tried to do it conversationally, asking if he knew about the Basler Morgestraich, the first event of the Basel Carnival season, and whether he had ever been to it. No. I asked if he was interested in going and he replied he had heard it was the biggest and best, and we talked about several different Fastnacht/Carnival fests. Although embarrassed, I finally got around to saying that if he went to the Basler Morgenstraich, we would also like to go. He did have the Monday off, so it was a possibility, but he was concerned about the weather (and we knew they had a car!). Younger brother came to sit with us, and the two brothers had a discussion in Chinese. They agreed to call us on Sunday once they saw what the weather was like. We continued talking about America, crime, and even got into religion. We finally left at 23:30, after paying 3.20 CHF/$1.60 for our drinks.

Friday, February 18, 1983

After work, Marsha C and I went downtown to the Popularis travel agency to put a down payment on the Côte d'Azur trip. Then to the train station to pick up the Paris trip particulars. After shopping in Migros near the train station, we stopped at the Urania Tea Room. Modern on the outside, comfortable within, with lots of plants, signs on burned paper, sketches of old farmhouses, and leatherette benches along one wall. The tables had small cases to display the strange-looking cookies and pastries they offered. For dinner I ordered Eglifilet Müllerinerart/Perch Filet à la Miller’s Wife, delicious little fishes in a buttery sauce and mayonnaise, with boiled potatoes and a garnish of a tomato wedge and parsley. Marsha ordered Geschnetzeltes, with Rösti and the garnish. She started out with soup and we both had green salad. We drank apple juice. Marsha’s bill came to 17 CHF, and mine to 18 CHF/$9.

Saturday, February 19, 1983

Marsha C and I went to go shopping after lunch, then about 14:30 we headed to the usual parade route to see the children’s Fastnacht/Mardi Gras parade. No one seemed to be lining up along the street, but we saw crowds of people at the Convention Center. There we found the children’s parade going around a couple blocks.

Fastnacht Children's Parade

We searched the crowds of kids for one of Marsha’s patients, but never saw him. We saw most of the groups twice, since they circled the parade route twice. There were a few organized groups (kindergartens) and parts of clique bands (adult bands but accompanied by children) and teen-aged groups. Every kid was in a costume, some weird, and some very clever. It was better than Halloween! There was a rigged bucket of confetti that was dumped on unsuspecting spectators, and several wagons (one covered wagon from Wildermeth’s kindergarten), but no floats. Two women from the hospital laundry ended up standing next to us, and they yelled at the girl from the sewing room (whom we didn’t recognize behind her mask!). Afterwards, we did some more shopping until the stores closed, then went to the carnival rides to buy some French fries and wander around. Ran into one of my patients! We decided to go to the Tea Room on Marktgasse between two department stores. I had apple juice and Marsha had coffee, and we tried the Butterringli/butter rings pastries. We hung out until they closed at 17:00, then headed down Nidaugasse until I heard my name called. It was Ruth D, who was also headed to the Monsterkonzert/Monster Concert that was to begin at 17:20. We walked along Zentralstrasse and back to Marktgasse and Marktplatz, but saw no sign of a concert at 17:20, or 17:30. The three of us went to the Sporting Restaurant for drinks; I had apple juice, and Marsha and Ruth had coffee. At 18:30 we broke up to head home. I had made a chicken curry stew, and Sibylle B ate with us.

Marsha, Sibylle, and I put on thick stockings and skirts, and headed back to the old town. We could hear music and a speech being given in Ringplatz to officially open Fastnacht in Biel, and hurried to see several costumed Güggeli/Gugga/clique bands (club or amateur percussion/brass and drum bands who perform at festivals and in parades) that had gathered, coming in from every direction. They then left in every direction, as they would be going from restaurant to restaurant throughout the town. We met Ruth at the Stadttheater/City Theater and got a central table in the lobby for the Kukoball (whatever that means!), a sort of ball as in gala or party.

Kukoball ticket?

Ruth got our drinks, Sinalco (orange soda) for me, a Bier for Marsha, and a Henniez for herself. Sibylle did not want anything. At 21:00, a Güggeli band came banging in and loudly played a couple numbers. They had someone go around to collect donations. These people played their hearts out! Then a Schnitzelbank/short humorous verse or song group arrived, singing verse that parodized events of the year. Another Güggeli, another Schnitzelbank, and one more Güggeli. At about  22:00, a Jazz band set up on the stage to play several numbers. A couple more Schnitzelbanks, more jazz numbers, and another Schnitzelbank. Everything was in dialect, so I didn’t understand totally. We were waiting for another Güggeli, but none came after 22:00. I saw a  mother of a kid I work with. Sibylle left at 23:00, and I was anxious to go as well because the smoke was irritating my throat and eyes. Didn’t get home until 24:00.

A couple of the verses were: "They put up so  many traffic lights on a certain street, that if it were steeper, they could have a slalom ski race."

Or, "the ice hockey team is doing so much better because they get energy eating candy bars (their sponsor this year) instead of getting lazy reading the newspaper (their sponsor last year)."

Schnitzelbank verse

Schnitzelbank verse

Schnitzelbank verse