Bottmingen? Batteriestrasse? Bottmingermuhle? Binningen? Binnigen Oberdorf? What street am I on?? Although I started out armed with a map of the city and a map of the bus and trolley routes, it soon became apparent that a good sense of direction trumped all the printed material. I met Angela outside her building at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS). Knowing the security within this building, I knew better than to try to go inside. We took a Trolley to Marketplatz, then walked to a delightful restaurant for lunch, with a table by the window, and the attached views of the Rhine River right outside our window. The lunch was delightful, though like all things in Switzerland, expensive. My lunch of tuna salad was $26.00! After lunch, we wandered the streets a bit to get me oriented, then Angela was off to work, and I was left to my own devices. There truly isn't anything to buy in Switzerland that isn't less expensive in any other country. Angela explained that since Switzerland did not join the European Union, people from other countries buy up Swiss Franks because of its stability, which drives its value up, and makes everything more costly. So shopping is out, but oh what a wonderful city to explore! Over ten years ago Basel was planning to wipe out much of the oldest part of the city for a wide roadway. Instead, they passed the first historic preservation law in Switzerland that has left us with the original City Gates, wonderful and well taken care of block houses, old churches and platzes. And that wonderful Rhine River that winds through the city, still transporting barges and rushing along as it has for all of time. As Americans and citizens of one of the youngest nations in the world, it takes traveling in Europe to make history come alive.
After an afternoon of following any road that looked interesting, I found myself asking, "Where am I?" The maps weren't working, and I had traveled into new areas where I didn't even recognize the bus lines. I just walked using my sense of direction, and made one final attempt to orient myself with the map, when a lady came up and said something in Swiss German, to which I replied in English that I didn't understand German. In perfect English she asked me where I wanted to go, and I found I was only blocks away from my familiar territory. I now have a broader knowledge and appreciation of this great city. Love, Liz
