Things you can get away with if you live in Basel

Since moving to Basel over two years ago, I have noted quite a few things that are rather unique to the city.When people initially asked me how different it is to live in Switzerland than Germany, I didn’t really know how to answer it best. After all, Basel is located barely a few kilometers from the German border and also has the same river Rhine flowing through it. But now, I can tell you at least 5 things that you can get away with, if you live in Basel.Here they are:

1.Going for a quick swim in the river during break and then getting back to work/uni –

Surprised? Well, in theory, it is very much possible,since the Rhine flows through the city of Basel and is a haven for swimmers! In fact, I have seen people making use of lunch breaks to go swim and then get back to continue working, or even sometimes swimming to attend classes. On any clear evening though during spring/summer, you can easily spot numerous people along the river banks, barbecuing,partying or just relaxing! Come summer and you’ll see hundreds of people with their Wickelfisch bags, swimming in the Rhine.

2.Having breakfast,lunch and dinner in different countries – while still being in a 10 km radius!

Basel, located near the German and French borders makes it extremely easy to go shopping or exploring in either of the neighboring countries. You can just hop on to Tram 8,for instance, to reach Germany in a few minutes, or the Tram 11 to go to France.So,depending on what you’d like to do, you could potentially plan out the three main meals of the day in three different countries!

3.Getting nearly a week off to participate in the ‘Fasnacht'(carnival) with your clique

Carnival or Fasnacht in Basel is different from the one I have seen in Cologne,Germany. During the three liveliest days of the year, general people enjoy the festivities, but as spectators.We don’t get to dress up in funny costumes but start queuing up from 3 am to witness the opening parade or ‘Morgenstreich’ through the city. However, the only people who do dress up as different characters and practice playing the drums and piccolos throughout the year are the people in ‘cliques’.Each clique or group works extremely hard to put up a great show during these 72 hours and many of the members barely get to sleep through this period.So, it would not be odd if they’d ask for nearly a week off from work to participate in the Fasnacht and then recover from the fatigue!

4.Mixing up German,French and English but being understood

Since Basel is located so close to the German and French borders, you can see the influence in the local dialect. Swiss-German has a lot of French words and phrases indeed. So, Merci (French)vilmal (German)is the normal way of saying ‘Thank you very much’.Also, Basel is a very multicultural city and has a lot of expats.So, you should not have problems with English too. Here are some basic Swiss-German words to help you move around Basel.

 

5.Taking a boat ride..nearly for free

There are two main parts of the city – Klein Basel and Gross Basel, separated by the river Rhine and four bridges.But, walking over the bridges or taking a tram/bus are not the only ways you could use to commute. If you are in the mood of taking a short boat trip, just get on one of the traditional wooden ferry boats and reach the other side in a few minutes – just paying CHF 1.60 per adult or a reduced price of CHF 0.80  for kids!

Oh,and we can also talk about staying in the city of a fascinating mythical creature- the Basilisk! Harry Potter readers, does that ring a bell?You can see fountains and statues of this hybrid creature all across the city.I had written a bit about it in my Mythical Mondays post. But, here’s a picture for you.

 

The Basilisk-a mythical creature that can be spotted throughout the city of #Basel in sculptures and architecture! If you have watched/read #harrypotterandthechamberofsecrets ,you might remember the #basilisk from there! #mythology #sculpture #inlovewithswitzerland #basellife #baselbuzz #mythicalbeast

A photo posted by Menorca@EuropeDiaries (@menorca_c) on Apr 21, 2016 at 1:42pm PDT

 

If you liked this post, please share it with your friends and feel free to hit me up whenever you visit the city. Here is an image you can save on Pinterest too.

Visiting Basel? Here’s a guide to hotels in the city.

 

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