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Trip Report

Visiting the north of Switzerland

Visiting a friend in Basel and exploring the surrounding nature

  • Lush meadows+ 5
  • River Rhein where people swim
  • Beautiful view off Basel
  • Visiting the north of Switzerland
ena
About Me:I am currently travelling through Central and South America. I love to explore. If dschungel, mountains, small towns, big citys or at the ocean, I like to mix it up and discover all the different places with their individual perks. :) read more

EuropeSwitzerland6 days / March 2022

Highs & Lows

Swimming in Rhein river

Having too less gas for cooking with us

Itinerary Overview

I visited a friend in Switzerland and stayed with some friends at his place in Basel for a couple of days. We all went there to celebrate his birthday and it was really nice to see all the people, because some life in different cities and I have not seen them for a long time. From Basel we did a hiking trip to the surrounding nature, where we also climbed some rocks and camped there. I arrived in Basel at the Basel Badischer Bahnhof via train, because this train station is still considered to be on German territory and therefore the train tickets are cheaper than going to Basel main station. From there I walked to my friend's place, which was only half an hour and close to the river. Basel is directly at the border with Germany, but also France is very close and so three languages mix in Basel (Swiss German, German and French).

  • 5 Nights: Basel
    friends birthday
  • 1 Night: Grellingen
    Friend's birthday trip
Basel - friends birthday
1

Basel friends birthday

Basel - friends birthday - River Rhein where people swim
River Rhein where people swim
Basel - friends birthday - Beautiful view off Basel
Beautiful view off Basel
Basel - friends birthday - The city has a lot of green streets1+
The city has a lot of green streets

In Basel it is really nice to hang out at the Rhein river, especially at the Klein Basel site. There you can find places to change your clothes and many people swim down the river. So I did too, but you can see people even put their clothes in a bag to carry them along and to keep them dry (also on their way to work). I did a walk through the old city center, and we went to an old castle, but sadly it was raining. On the way back, we met some people who are part of a collective, who heat up the fountains in the city in winter and where people can bathe in warm water. When we met them they offered us to participate to make self-made pasta on the street (under a bridge) and invited us to join, so we did our own pasta and enjoyed a meal in the end together with some other people which passed by. In the evening we cooked together, and one time went to a party in a house nearby, where we danced and sit at the fire.

Grellingen - Friend's birthday trip
2

Grellingen Friend's birthday trip

Grellingen - Friend's birthday trip - The beautiful view
The beautiful view
Grellingen - Friend's birthday trip - Evening is coming
Evening is coming
Grellingen - Friend's birthday trip - Lush meadows1+
Lush meadows

For the trip to the nature, we took a train, which passed by Dornach, where the Goetheanum is, the center for anthroposophy. Then we took another bus and hiked up a mountain to the rocks of Pelzi, a known climbing area near Basel. There we met some really friendly Swiss people, who recommended us several climbing routes, and we took turns in climbing and lead climbing to manage the routes of various difficulties. For the night we had bought some food to cook on the gas cooker, but we had only very little gas left, so the 10 of us were a little afraid off starving, and so we soaked the pasta in cold water and heated it up slowly with very little gas. In the end, it was not the nicest meal, but actually pretty much. After a night camping in a tent at a spot we quickly searched before it got dark, we hiked down to the train station the next day and went back to Basel.

Q & A

  • Anything go wrong during the trip?

    No not really, beside of the gas
  • Tips you would give a friend?

    Switch your phone to flight mode to avoid high fees in Switzerland for Internet.
  • Packing tips?

    Take more gas for cooking
  • Transportation Tips?

    Transportation is expensive in Switzerland
  • Any surprises?

    That we all eat enough in the end
  • Booking details?

    airbnb