A follow-up to the question about the true costs of living in Basel.
Dear Auntie SAM: I’ve read a lot about how expensive it is to live in Basel. What is the cost of living there ?
Your Auntie’s first guests in Switzerland were her youngest sister & her nephew. Because my sister was still in school then, she could not bring her entire family & she had to maintain a strict budget. Mind you, Darling, she had saved a substantial sum so that she & her son could see as much of this lovely country as possible. It was their first trip abroad, & she wanted to show him everything.
After their nearly 4-week stay, they had visited all of Switzerland’s major cities; had taken ferries across a few lakes; hiked through wooded glens; & bought gifts for family from the vendors on Swiss National Day. After their nearly 4-week stay, also, my sister had lost 7 kilos. Her budget for the cost of their food could only pay for her son’s meals.
The cost of food, in restaurants & supermarkets, is the first negative comment most make about Switzerland. It is shocking to receive a menu at a very average-looking cafe & see entrees priced more than 20 francs at lunchtime; no drink – not even water – offered for less than 5.
In the States, one Sunday every month, my friends & I would gather in Chinatown to share extravagant dim sum brunches. Anything that caught our fancy, we’d take. Over the months, which turned into years, we had a rather extensive list of favorites. By the end of the meal, we’d still find plenty on our table to take with us for another mealtime. Two meals for the price of one: $11.
That price feels like robbery now.
Because now, when your Auntie enter a restaurant, she expects to pay a price closer to the actual cost of the meal, including service. It’s nice knowing that complimentary drinks or desserts simply arise from kindness. And it is wonderful to share a story about having returned from a fantastic vacation, knowing my bartender & waitstaff friends will share stories from their vacations & offer me suggestions of where I might want to next explore.
When your Auntie was a bartender or waitress in the States, vacations – let alone really great vacations – were only a dream.
Despite suffering sticker shock, my sister & nephew found it easy to travel Switzerland. Switzerland is built for tourists. Because of the convergence of France & Germany with Basel, Basel especially. It has mostly temperate weather & many flat streets with wide pedestrian walks. In the summer, along the Rhine, hours turn into days lounging on terraces or piers. Families from France & Germany fill Basel’s parks, preparing picnics, using free grills, enjoying ridiculously inexpensive bottles of good wine & beer.
And the rest of the year ?
It’s a non-stop free festival in Basel.
The crisp days of autumn close the summer season along the Rhine with something akin to an American county fair in every plaza. Gigantic rides tower next to steeples; a beautiful, old-fashioned carousel spins under turning leaves. Vendors sell woollen scarves, delicious risottos, & other fall favorites. Then almost as soon as the rides and games go away, the plazas are decorated, this time, for Christmas. Gluwine warms. The sparkles cheer. And, one month or so later, it’s Fasnacht. The three most beautiful days of the year. Costumes, parades, & spectacle … Then the outdoor music festivals begin.
All provided by tax revenue or collaborations between Swiss companies.
Why ? Because Basel is designed to attract foreign currency, tourists, & Swiss people from other cantons just as much, if not more, than inexpensive shopping in France or Germany attract Baslers. So much so, in fact, that Basel introduced a tramline straight to a mall in Germany last year. And the plan is to do the same into France next year. Each returning packed with euros …
Your Auntie still prefers to shop locally. But lifts her drink & grins to Basel’s varied siren calls …
So, the cost to live in Basel ? You’ll forfeit cheap dining experiences & gain a community in which more people earn a living wage and gain opportunities for play. And, when walking through the streets or at festivals you’ll feel that more people enjoy their life here than back home. Which feels a lot better than a stomach stuffed with steamed dumplings, Darling.
Though, just as Odysseus had to pack his ears to survive his sirens, when exploring this beautiful nation, Dear Pilgrim: pack a lunch.
XO
AS
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TONIGHT the CITY PARTIES !!!
AHOI 2016 with Tour Vagabonde, Roter Korsar, Lady Jean, & Cirque Ozigno. HOLZPARK KLYBECK: 7PM – 6AM
ROCK in 2016 with Hathors, Deaf & Dumb, Heavy Harvest, Rich Kid Blue, & Jeremias. KASHEMME: 7PM – 5AM
SILVESTER KITCHEN PARTY with Show Cooking, Sweet & Savory Buffets, Live Music, & Champagne Apero at VOLKSHAUS: 8PM
THE LAST SILVESTER DANCE with Techno & Deep House at GARAGE; Disco & House at ACQUA; & Partybeats at KUPPEL: 10PM
SILVESTER HEAT with Electronic HipHop Dance Grooves at KASERNE: 10:30PM – 6AM
HIPPIE NEW YEAR with Lukie Wynige & Franky Stache at BALZKLUB and Mike Kay & Ben Ashton UNDERGROUND: 11PM – 5AM
SILVESTER MASKENBALL with performances by Jeff van Phil, Freaky Baby Doll, Nina Bradlin & Tiffany Butt, Willi-D, La Maschera, Jana Morgana. Radio Activ Funeral Orchestra & DJs James Bubble, Raju Tamang, Elliott, & DJK at SUD: 10PM – 5AM