Autum feeling in Basel and crossing of the boarder without a passport

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For weeks I (Nina) had a fixed meeting in Weil am Rhein Germany with a group of ladies. We all work in Marketing and from time to time we meet to share our ideas, jobs or just have a good time together. This time, we wanted to get some inspiration for our daily work by visiting the famous Vitra Design Museum across the boarder frome Basel in Weil am Rhein in Germany. So far so good. Very spontanously I decided to take the whole day off work (that is the good thing about being self-employed) and to wander around the streets of Basel. I have never been to this swiss city so far (well, I have passed it a lot of times). Everyone living there is raving about it, but somehow I always had the feeling that this city is dominated by the chemical industry and nothing more. That has always been a reason not to visit the city. Well, never trust your prejudices....

I took an early train from Berne and after a pleasant train journey of 1 hour (I do not know why, but the swiss trains make me always very sleepy ;-)) I arrived in Basel. First, I was really disppointed. I left Berne with the rising sun and arrived in Basel with thick fog. The air was filled with the smell of autum and it was freezing. First task for me - finding a warm sweater as I was dressed for a late summer's day. But where? I even did not have a map of the city....

In the station, the tourist information was still closed at 8 am. But, a very friendly lady (employee of the station) asked me what I was looking for (I must have looked desperately and frozen). I have never met someone this helpful in Switzerland. She organized a key and opened the tourist office, gave me a map, closed the office again and wished me a wonderful stay. I was speechless. As a german, I am not used to such a friendly treatment in Switzerland. Well, my first surprise in Basel. So I made my way towards the city and soon I forgot that it was freezing cold. The city is full of amazing old houses and great architecture. It is packed with little cafes (I loved the cafe in a cathedral!), small boutique shops, wonderful restaurants. You can feel the cultural vibe by just wandering around the streets. Wow - I did not expect this! I took some pics and after a while my frozen fingers reminded me of looking for a sweater. Luckily I found a nice store offering some cheap stuff and happily warm I continued exploring the city. The Münsterplatz offered a great view over the river Rhine and nearly had a mystical feel with coulourful trees and fog. It was amazing - just a bad day for taking good pictures with all the fog around. On a nice summer's day it must be faboulus. It is even possible to swim in the river here! The center of town is the Barfüsslerplatz, where there are lots of restaurants - nothing special but surely nice in summer. I loved the red town hall with a market all around it and the little streets around Spalenberg. This city is really beautiful. As it is situated at the boarder of France and Germany there is an international vibe in the city. It is great for shopping, there are a lot of parks and the people are very friendly - I was so surpised and happy I had decided to come here.

I really like Berne, but Basel comes close to it. But I have never been a big fan of Zurich. Zurich is nice to look at but the vibe there is not the best (at least for me - I know, a lot of people feel differently). People in Zurich are very unfriendly and arrogant - everyone is busily making money. I expected Basel to be similar. But it is not! It is a perfect place to visit and I think a very pleasant city to live in.

Around lunchtime it was getting a bit warmer and I had a picnic at the riverside taking in the views and the feel of the city. And then, it was time to say goodbye to Basel. I jumped on a public bus which brought me across the boarder to Weil am Rhein in Germany and to the Vitra Museum. And then I realised it - I had forgotten all my documents at home in Berne. Well, I was very happy that there were no controls at the boarder. So I entered my Germany without a passport or an ID :-). Well, I hoped, I had no problems when going back to Switzerland again at night.

To close this blog, some thoughts about the famous Vitra Design Museum. Well, the luck was not on our side as the museum itself was closed that day because of a new vernissage (they have changing exhibitions throughout the year). So we were just able to look around the Vitra showrooms, which was quite inspiring. Later, we were able to take part on a guided "architectural" walk around the grounds. Our guide showed and explained us all the special designed buildings and warehouses (the productions site is within the grounds of the museum). It took more than 2 hours (it is big) and it was really interesting. However, this type of industrial design, a very straight one, is not really what I prefer. It feels kind of cold and soulless. But the world famous architects for sure did an amazing job and it was a great experience. So if you ever have the chance to come to this part of the world, the whole complex of Vitra is worth a visit.

I was really tired in the evening after a long day. We had some coffee and cakes in the onsight restaurant together. It was good to see the ladies again (we have kind of regular meetings every 2 month) and to share our impressions. Then it was time to say goodbye and each of us made her trip back home. As Markus was in the region of Basel the same day, I was lucky that he picked me up. Together by car we crossed the boarder back to Switzerland again - I was so very lucky, again no controls....! After a nice dinner in Basel we drove back home to Berne.

But I will come back to Basel again, this is for sure!



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Photos

I loved this cafe in a cathedral
very cosy

Comments

[taracloud]

Only an hour away!
It's so amazing that an hour on a great Swiss train whisked you to a gorgeous city so different from your own! I loved the photos of Basel and the Design Center--how great that you have to return since the museum was closed. Then you can also do some shopping for things that are more expensive in Berne.