There are five bridges across the river Rhine in Basel, and yesterday I decided to walk the length of the city. So, from home I started out and crossed the bridge furthest downstream: Dreirosenbrucke, or Three Roses Bridge. What a lovely name for a bridge! Who says the Swiss are not a romantic people. From there I turned into Klybeck Strasse, past the second hand shop, past the Kaserne, on to Claraplatz. Continuing on, the street becomes Rebgasse, and brought me to Wettsteinplatz. From there, I walked along Grenzacherstrasse, past the Roche tower and the Tinguely Museum to the Schwarzwalderbrucke, or Black Forest Bridge. It is the farthest upstream of the five bridges. After I crossed the bridge, my route went up the hill that is Zuercherstrasse to reach St. Alban-Tor. That landmark is one of the surviving gates of the old city of Basel. Next I followed St. Alban-Anlage, that green ribbon of tree lined walkway that runs from St. Alban-Tor to the main railway station. But I turned off at Aeschenplatz, walking down through Bankverein and Freie Strasse to the Marktplatz. Going around by Shifflaende, Blumenrain, and St. Johann-Vorstadt until brought me home.
I often take this walk when I have been away from Basel for a while. There is something reassuring about the mixture of constancy and change that is Basel. The streets don’t change. Generally, neither do the buildings change much. But over time, things change slowly, at an acceptable pace. The cafe at the corner of Klybeckstrasse and Oetlingerstrasse was once a boutique. The demolished house in Rebgasse is being rebuilt into something else. But the crane that sits in the street beside that demolished house will be there for weeks while the building work goes on, so the change takes place slowly enough to get used to it.
And Basel is always willing to present its share of surprises: transient events that if missed might never be seen again. Yesterday, enthusiasts with classic American cars had gathered in Aeschenvorstadt, their cars presenting a spectacle that made passersby stop to look and appreciate. And in the Rathaus (City Hall) in Marktplatz, a youth orchestra was playing, to the delight of many.
I love this city, small and compact, but complete. I love the fact that it seems like nothing changes even though it does. I love its ability to surprise. I chose this as my first blog to introduce you to the city, and in future blogs I will introduce you to different aspects, good and bad, that make walking in Basel so interesting.
And the distance walked? That was 13,000 steps.
Walkingman 