🎠 The Carousel of Seasons – Pipeaway Newsletter #195

Hi from Hurghada!

I joined my friend for a trip to the Red Sea, because who could resist the siren call of sunshine while the European continent experiences the first pre-winter snows?

Winter, autumn, summer? How do we call these ever-shifting patterns of weather after our civilization did its best to make the climate unpredictable?

I am not the only one looking for a rewarding piece of sun as soon as the temperatures drop to one digit. Yesterday, in a Turkish hammam in Hurghada, I talked to a family from Bavaria, a couple with a daughter, who have been doing the same summer escape every winter to Egypt for the last 15 years! They like what their hard-earned money gives them here so much that it doesn’t make sense to look for a replacement.

While I’m trying to remove sand between my toes, my mom writes that she had cleaned my car’s windshield of snow, as it wouldn’t melt (like I do in a 97°C sauna here, for instance).

But even in Europe (remember, I flew over from Switzerland), I felt confused by experiencing the season. Basel started erecting Christmas trees and electric snowflakes in its squares while the country’s oldest and largest autumn fair was still in full swing.

I uploaded the new Pipeaway Walk video from Basler Herbstmesse on YouTube, so you can check out what attracts a million visitors to seven city squares.

On Basel’s Autumn Fair, you’ll find food culture celebrating specialties from roasted almonds to spiced gingerbread (magenbrot), traditional stalls offering everything from toys to crafts, and, to stimulate the child in you even further, there are tons (literally) of attraction rides, from thrilling roller coasters to the iconic Ferris wheel at Münsterplatz.

Just replace bumper cars with ice rinks, and you’ll get a Christmas Market! I’m sure that with the first days of January, Christmas bells will be stored, and Valentine’s hearts will be going up!

We just can’t get enough of the next best thing. If seasonal surprises fail to impress us completely, we change our coordinates and chase seasons that are more to our liking.

The 554-year tradition of the Basel Autumn Fair on the 7 wonderful city squares definitely borders on a miracle. But now I traveled to Egypt, not just as a place where winter temperatures are much bearable than summer ones. I also arrived in the country where the only survivor from the original 7 wonders of the world is joined by the newest attraction that lures visitors from all climates – the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. I can’t wait to see this fascinating collection tomorrow myself.

Have a wonderful week,

Ivan Kralj        
Pipeaway.com

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Ivan Kralj

Editor

Award-winning journalist and editor from Croatia