Down By the River
Crossing the Rhine in a motor‐less boat without an oar in sight, I began to re‐evaluate the bland, uber efficient stereotype given to many a Swedish city. Just like Zurich, everything in Basel runs efficiently to within a fraction of a second, blondes abound and there isn’t a trace of trash anywhere. However, scratch the surface and you’ll find a subtle hedonistic streak that’ll rival the raunchiest of the twenty to thirty something resorts.
The city might share its name with a key ingredient in a Capri salad, but that’s where the dull connotations end. A river crossing on the clever, rapid harnessing boats or a stroll along the south bank of the Rhine in the St. Alban Rheinweg area ‐ is all you need to confirm this. On any given day expect to see seasoned, Saga touring pensioners ambling past pierced and naked sunbathers, strewn spread eagle style on benches, concrete slabs and whatever else they can find to plant their cheeks on. Naked punk rockers soak up the sun next to the social elite of the prim and proper crowd, and no one bats an eyelid. In this respect Basel even eclipses the carefree ambience of Amsterdam.
Just beyond the Prince Albert parade you’ll find the wonderfully less than conventional Tinguely Museum. The museum’s namesake Jean Tinguely, was something of a barrier breaker in the art scene and his collection of moving machine sculptures, resembles a technologically primitive audition for Robocop. Many of the pieces fill display spaces the size of aircraft hangers and best of all, they’re all activated with the push of a giant, red, button! The exploded and suspended Formula One sports car, fused with a 1930s cinema projector is a big draw, as is the army of armour clad, stick men who resemble the magically animated troops in the final battle of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. You won’t find Angela Lansbury singing away here, but you will find a cool and culturally aware crowd to mix it with.
Sports and More
Back by the river it’s worth taking an hour out to mix a few units with your bloodstream, while observing the sports scene. Champion punters put their counterparts at Oxford to shame with their navigation of the intricate obstacle course, laid out in a stretch of river that flows west at close to twenty miles per hour. The freestyle swimmers are equally nifty, stowing their belonging in buoyant bags before jumping in for sling shot swims. Specially constructed side channels give these brave souls a chance to escape the swell before the bend, but if you miss these ‐ then you are, quite simply, toast.
A great spot to calm your nerves after such an observatory session and one yet to be ruined by tourists, is the rooftop bar of the car park, directly opposite the Messeplatz tram station. Simply head to the top floor and amble towards the bamboo enclosure with the palm trees. You can’t miss it. It’s free to get in and inside you can enjoy a leisurely swim, a spot of volleyball on the imported beach or a cocktail, and a recline on one of the oh‐so‐cool hammocks. Ironically the bar is sponsored by Camel, but the no smoking policy means that all cigarettes get checked at the door.
For something of a hedonistic kinky kick without an alcoholic percentage, head on down the Cartoon Museum on St. Alban‐Vorstadt. This one is worth the trip just to gape in open mouthed awe at the reinvention of Barbie as the dominatrix ‘Bar‐bitch,’ and even if you don’t want to pay 12 Swiss Francs to get in, the postcard selection in the gift shop gives you an extensive preview of the best cartoons in the passing erotic collections. Think for example of various domestic animals, waiting in braced anticipation for the cuckoo clock to strike, and you’re half way there. Check the museum schedule to see which particular variety of erotica happens to be coming to town.
Musical Tattoos
Snap back to reality for a second and you’ll find Basel in possession of a few traditional traits that draw international crowds from every walk, and persuasion of life. The annual Military Tattoo in July is a festival that never fails to deliver and one which in 2009, saw the Queen’s Royal Guard take a break from their Buckingham Palace duties, horses and all, to show the Swiss just how it’s done. If you don’t get goose pimples from military processions set to national anthems then the contemporary tracks will more than likely illicit a rise. In 2009 MJ received the highest of honours from the Queen’s Guard as they covered Thriller, complete with smoke effects and flickering clock tower illuminations, before launching straight into a very jazzy, and slightly inappropriate, upbeat rendition of Candle in the Wind.
Old School Hedonism
The Kunstmuseum in Basel has a great reputation for taking classic exhibits and injecting a bit of oomph, which is exactly what they did with the Van Gogh ‐ Between Earth and Heaven session. The clever curators took the recorded environment around our earless artistic crusader, analysed its impact on his more than fragile state of mind, factored in the influence of his contemporary Belle Époque artist friends and brought it all to a head with a tragic narration of the final, drawn out days of illness and unconsciousness, after Van Gogh shot himself during a bout or drunken depression, and rowing with brother Theo.
If that doesn’t sell the city named after the infamous fox puppet to you, then try taking tram 6 to the Fondation Beyeler at Riehen. A twenty minute ride will bring you to the most astounding pairing of Monet’s, thirty foot long Water Lilies piece and an equally grand, reflecting pool, full to the brim with the same aquatic growths. The neighbouring Berower Park restaurant is pretty satisfying too and kind to your wallet when you’re passing through town on a backpacker budget.
Watch out Magaluf ‐ Basel’s more affordable than ever, there’s not a judgemental battering of an eyelid in sight and it’s only a sixty minute flight from London City Airport. Freedom loving, budget conscious travellers ‐ start your engines.
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