Thursday, July 27, 2006
1. August Festivities
Hooray, next week is National Day! On July 31, there'll be the big fireworks over the Rhein and on August 1, the official National Day festivities by the Government of Basel. These take place at the Water Tower (Wasserturm) on the Bruderholz (Bus No. 37 or Tram No. 16 and then walk). So if you don't have any plans for August 1 and can't get enough of Fireworks, that's the place to go. If you have a balcony or a terrace pointing to Bruderholz, get yourself a Margarita and enjoy the fireworks at home (they usually start at about 22h00/23h00)
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Short tip for Novartis people who work or have meetings in Peter Merian...
Due to the construction work in Basel city centre it's really difficult to commute between Peter Merian House and St. Johann. Number 11 - the direct connection - takes up to half an hour and counting the way door to door it can amount to 40 Min...
But there is an alternative: From Peter Merian House walk to the train station (4 Min.) and take Bus No 30 (Bus stop is in front of Tschibo store / Confiserie Bachmann) to Johanniterbrücke (9 Min.), there change to No 11 to Voltaplatz (4 Min.), if you're lucky you'll be considerably faster than with the 11 or 1 tram.
But there is an alternative: From Peter Merian House walk to the train station (4 Min.) and take Bus No 30 (Bus stop is in front of Tschibo store / Confiserie Bachmann) to Johanniterbrücke (9 Min.), there change to No 11 to Voltaplatz (4 Min.), if you're lucky you'll be considerably faster than with the 11 or 1 tram.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Upbeat Job Factory Store
A few years ago a Senior Manager at UBS had to retire early. Instead of golfing for the rest of his lifetime he decided to invest the money in the future: in young people. The Job Factory Store is strongly profit oriented, but only employs unemployed youth who did not find an apprenticeship position. Job Factory Store is great!
On the ground floor you have a café, a florist, a hairdresser and a great giftshop where you'll find the most trendy stuff from all over the world. In the basement there's the music store, where you can buy great electric guitars, ranging from Squire to Fender/Gibson, but also custom-made Zions (like mine!) can be found there. The guitarists who sell the guitars also give lessons and really know their stuff, without seeming arrogant.
On the first floor of Job Factory Store you'll find clothes of various brands. The top floor offers a good restaurant during lunchtime and different evening programmes. Job Factory Store also employs youth in different other non-retail areas. Find out more
On the ground floor you have a café, a florist, a hairdresser and a great giftshop where you'll find the most trendy stuff from all over the world. In the basement there's the music store, where you can buy great electric guitars, ranging from Squire to Fender/Gibson, but also custom-made Zions (like mine!) can be found there. The guitarists who sell the guitars also give lessons and really know their stuff, without seeming arrogant.
On the first floor of Job Factory Store you'll find clothes of various brands. The top floor offers a good restaurant during lunchtime and different evening programmes. Job Factory Store also employs youth in different other non-retail areas. Find out more
Gundeli Pet Paradise!
Many of us probably have a pet at home, some of us may have cats... I have three moggies and I am glad that Gundeli offers a wide range of Pet Services in close proximity.
PET SHOPS
In Gundeli there are actually (at least) 4 Pet Shops where you can buy everything for your animal friend.
HOLIDAYS
Please be considerate when buying a pet that it's a living being, which needs a lot of attention and time and also money. It is sad to see that especially now during the holiday season many pet shelters are overcrowded with unwanted cats and dogs which were "abandoned". Also spay and neuter your pet, as it is much more humane than drowning unwanted puppies or kittens.
PET SHOPS
In Gundeli there are actually (at least) 4 Pet Shops where you can buy everything for your animal friend.
- Small Pet Shop "Zum Goldfisch" at Güterstrasse 199 (Tellplatz) specializes in Reptiles and Rodents, but you can also find all neccessities for Cats and Dogs there, as well as Canary Birds, Hamsters and Gerbils.
- Zoo Bahnhof of the Qualipet chain at the train station passage (where Interdiscount, FCB Fanstore and the Tamil shops are) is a very big pet store. You can not only get pet supply of all price ranges there, but also can buy all sorts of animals ranging from many sorts of parrots to stingrays (which are only for show and not for sale!). In Switzerland it's prohibited by law to sell dogs and cats in shops, so please don't expect to find a cardboard box with kittens in the back room.
- Goldenway Cat & Dog Store at Reinacherstrasse 123 targets primarily owners of Dogs and Cats, so if you want to buy a real big bone or organic breakfast flakes for your doggie, that's the place to go.
- Finally we have Fressnapf (attn. very annoying sounds on website...) also a big chain of Pet Supply Stores, which can be found at Dornacherstrasse 393. They got everything for Cats and Dogs, though their variety for rodents, birds and reptiles is not as impressive as Zoo Bahnhof.
- If your moggie, your turtle or your puppy are sick, you can go to Dres. Vögtli & Eugster at Pfeffingerstrasse 41. Great Vets, great practice, also open in some evenings and on Saturdays.
HOLIDAYS
- If you're off to holidays and need a place to stay for your cats I can recommend the CatShelter and Holiday home at Schillerstrasse 30. A beautiful old art nouveau building, completely refurbished for the needs of pampered cats, two big rooms for holiday cats with secure outdoor facilities. Dr. Vögtli is the doctor on call, several animal keepers with a diploma in animal keeping tend to the cats during the day.
- You want a pet that you can't get in the common pet store and we're not talking Comodo Varans, but dogs and cats?
- Cats: You can go to the local Animal Shelter or to the above mentioned Cat Shelter to get a cat. The fee for a cat is 200 Francs. Most of the cats are used to go outdoors and not suitable to live in closed apartments. If there are indoors cats, they are rare and sought after. Indoor cats will only be given out as a pair or if you already have a resident cat.
- Dogs: You can go to the Basel Animal shelter who have many dogs waiting for a new home. Keep in mind that dogs need to pay dog tax, tram fees and that dog waste needs to be picked up! If you work all day, keeping a dog is not suitable (not even a teenie-tiny teacup Chihuahua... sob...well, I have a soft spot for tiny or very big dogs)
- If you want to get a purebred cat or dog you'll find many breeders on the internet
Please be considerate when buying a pet that it's a living being, which needs a lot of attention and time and also money. It is sad to see that especially now during the holiday season many pet shelters are overcrowded with unwanted cats and dogs which were "abandoned". Also spay and neuter your pet, as it is much more humane than drowning unwanted puppies or kittens.
Getting Odd Jobs done...
You are an expat and need to move from one apartment to the other? You are not a millionaire? There are certain charities and brockenstuben which provide odd jobbers.
I made some great experiences with the guys of Remar at Dornacherstrasse who helped me move house, discarded all my old furniture and trash and also helped with Odd jobs such as putting together a very heavy table and fixing lamps. Remar is a christian relief foundation offering jobs to people who have been rehabilitated after drug abuse problems. The guys who helped me spoke English fluently (one bloke was actually a Maltese) and their fees are moderate.
Otherwise we also have Transform again, who offer a wide variety of services ranging from the before mentioned Laundry service to Office work, Garden work, Small repairs/painting, Party Catering etc.
I made some great experiences with the guys of Remar at Dornacherstrasse who helped me move house, discarded all my old furniture and trash and also helped with Odd jobs such as putting together a very heavy table and fixing lamps. Remar is a christian relief foundation offering jobs to people who have been rehabilitated after drug abuse problems. The guys who helped me spoke English fluently (one bloke was actually a Maltese) and their fees are moderate.
Otherwise we also have Transform again, who offer a wide variety of services ranging from the before mentioned Laundry service to Office work, Garden work, Small repairs/painting, Party Catering etc.
Dry Cleaners in Gundeli
All this crinkled summer suits... It's time again to dry clean summer business wear, the duvet or winter wear... Gundeli offers quite a range of Dry cleaners, here's my review:
- Our favourite tailor Torun (Tellplatz, opposite the 16 Tram stop direction City) got my white fine cotton dresses with the horrible red wine stains snow white again. Other drycleaners had failed miserably with this taks or claimed it to be impossible... I owe him so much!!! It's cleaned within a week at reasonable pricing. Advantage: If you want something altered and cleaned it can be done in one.
- Drynette is a big provider dry cleaning services. Novartis has a contract with them, so if you happen to work at Peter Merian you can take your clothes to the office, put them in the Drynette pick-up spot at Peter Merian and pick them up a week later. If you don't work for Novartis or prefer to have them pick up your shirts at home, go to Dornacherstrasse 71 where their Gundeli office is and ask for details.
- Worth trying out: Gundeldinger Feld has a small company called Transform (yes, the guys with the lunch cantina with the yummy cakes!) who not only do laundry for hotels, but also for private people. So if you want to outsource all your laundry, that might be an option, though I don't know their pricing.
- Dry Cleaner Näf at Güterstrasse-Corner-Jurastrasse takes up to 14 days to clean, which is rather problematic if you need the dress fixed before your next trip.
Culinary attractions and the experience of being blind in Gundeldingerfeld
At the crossing of Dornacherstrasse / Bruderholzstrasse you'll find the former factory Gundeldingerfeld which today hosts a wide range of Restaurants and small companies. Here the best in Gundeldingerfeld... (feel free to add recommendations).
EO IPSO
The EoIpso is a lounge / restaurant in a former factory hall. The food at the restaurant is exquisite and at the upper price range, the lounge is cozy and offers outdoor seating. If you're there try their non-alcoholic Cocktails, which are pure Vitamin doping.
BLINDE KUH
If you're afraid of the dark, this is NOT the place to go. Blinde Kuh is a restaurant where you dine in absolute darkness and experience being blind for an evening. It really is pitch dark and without your personal waiter who attends you during the evening you're lost. The waiters of that restaurant are all blind and will guide you through the evening with the different excellent and reasonably priced courses and funny tasting games.
MüKDAM
Too tired to cook? You'll find a wide range of Thai food at Mükdam, the restaurant of the Basel Backpacker's in Gundeldingerfeld (at the end of Gundeldingerfeld). Menus cost around 14 CHF and the yellow curry with pineapple RULEZ!
EO IPSO
The EoIpso is a lounge / restaurant in a former factory hall. The food at the restaurant is exquisite and at the upper price range, the lounge is cozy and offers outdoor seating. If you're there try their non-alcoholic Cocktails, which are pure Vitamin doping.
BLINDE KUH
If you're afraid of the dark, this is NOT the place to go. Blinde Kuh is a restaurant where you dine in absolute darkness and experience being blind for an evening. It really is pitch dark and without your personal waiter who attends you during the evening you're lost. The waiters of that restaurant are all blind and will guide you through the evening with the different excellent and reasonably priced courses and funny tasting games.
MüKDAM
Too tired to cook? You'll find a wide range of Thai food at Mükdam, the restaurant of the Basel Backpacker's in Gundeldingerfeld (at the end of Gundeldingerfeld). Menus cost around 14 CHF and the yellow curry with pineapple RULEZ!
Friday, July 14, 2006
A Perfect Saturday in Gundeli at Güterstrasse
The perfect Saturday starts with breakfast at Café Del Mundo at Güterstrasse 158 (find an article from Annabelle about Del Mundo here). Me and LordYo, my sweetheart can be found there almost every Saturday morning. Saturdays they have a wonderful brunch with the perfect croissants and very yummy Birchermuesli! It's always crowded so be there early to reserve a seat or be ready to wait.
After breakfast you can go to Tarzan, the trendy clothes store which is right opposite of Del Mundo at Güterstrasse 145 to buy some cool T-Shirts or Hoodies. Great design, fun to wear! They also have cool Pixelart posters, if you want to hang something cool in your office.
If you want to buy the IPod fitting your Aqua blue Tarzan hoodie, you can go to Ingeno, the Apple store at Güterstrasse 133 or to MediaMarkt at the rear end of the SBB Train station, which is only a few steps away from Ingeno. Ingeno also has state of the art Apple stuff, so if you want to see real good product design, go there! You can also find trendy laptop bags and backpacks there!
Too fat to fit into the S size Tarzan hoodie? Viva Training at Güterstrasse offers a new approach to fitness for those ladies tired of overcrowded gyms and gawking Arnolds. Viva Training has a holistic approach which includes 3 times weekly 30 Min. training at special facilities designed for the female build (plus optional 30 Min Hypoxi-Training) plus Cooking Shows where you can learn to cook healthy. The training machines are in a circle around an illuminated cube on the ceiling, which shows you (red/green) when you have to start at a machine and when to stop. In between the sessions at the training facilities you jump on a trampolin! I train at Viva and I really like it, the atmosphere is relaxed and it is great fun to work out there.
Need a massage after your training at Viva? If they say that nothing's for free, that's wrong. Migun offers free massages on their massaging machines at Güterstrasse 138. I wish my employer would buy one of these machines... so, don't get scared by the machine and the cyberbuddhist monastery like incense-filled ambiance, it works!
Now that your body is toned and pampered, what about some soothing of the soul? Check out the Esoteric store Mineral Island at Güterstrasse 141, where you'll find many semiprecious stones with magical healing powers... If you want more down to earth wellbeing, why not go to the hairdressers? Walk all the way up Güterstrasse until Number 201 at Tellplatz and check in at MiniPrix Coiffure Hair Salon. A cut only costs 20 Francs (coloration is also 20 Francs) and the young and trendy hairdressers are great and very upbeat. As MiniPrix does not take reservations, you'll have to wait for your turn like in a classic barbershop, but the diverse waiting crowd reduces the waiting time considerably.
So much for the beauty outside. If you want to eat healthy step in next door to the Organic Food Shop Vitalis at Güterstrasse 201 and buy some healthy stuff for lunch, as the morning is over!
After breakfast you can go to Tarzan, the trendy clothes store which is right opposite of Del Mundo at Güterstrasse 145 to buy some cool T-Shirts or Hoodies. Great design, fun to wear! They also have cool Pixelart posters, if you want to hang something cool in your office.
If you want to buy the IPod fitting your Aqua blue Tarzan hoodie, you can go to Ingeno, the Apple store at Güterstrasse 133 or to MediaMarkt at the rear end of the SBB Train station, which is only a few steps away from Ingeno. Ingeno also has state of the art Apple stuff, so if you want to see real good product design, go there! You can also find trendy laptop bags and backpacks there!
Too fat to fit into the S size Tarzan hoodie? Viva Training at Güterstrasse offers a new approach to fitness for those ladies tired of overcrowded gyms and gawking Arnolds. Viva Training has a holistic approach which includes 3 times weekly 30 Min. training at special facilities designed for the female build (plus optional 30 Min Hypoxi-Training) plus Cooking Shows where you can learn to cook healthy. The training machines are in a circle around an illuminated cube on the ceiling, which shows you (red/green) when you have to start at a machine and when to stop. In between the sessions at the training facilities you jump on a trampolin! I train at Viva and I really like it, the atmosphere is relaxed and it is great fun to work out there.
Need a massage after your training at Viva? If they say that nothing's for free, that's wrong. Migun offers free massages on their massaging machines at Güterstrasse 138. I wish my employer would buy one of these machines... so, don't get scared by the machine and the cyberbuddhist monastery like incense-filled ambiance, it works!
Now that your body is toned and pampered, what about some soothing of the soul? Check out the Esoteric store Mineral Island at Güterstrasse 141, where you'll find many semiprecious stones with magical healing powers... If you want more down to earth wellbeing, why not go to the hairdressers? Walk all the way up Güterstrasse until Number 201 at Tellplatz and check in at MiniPrix Coiffure Hair Salon. A cut only costs 20 Francs (coloration is also 20 Francs) and the young and trendy hairdressers are great and very upbeat. As MiniPrix does not take reservations, you'll have to wait for your turn like in a classic barbershop, but the diverse waiting crowd reduces the waiting time considerably.
So much for the beauty outside. If you want to eat healthy step in next door to the Organic Food Shop Vitalis at Güterstrasse 201 and buy some healthy stuff for lunch, as the morning is over!
About Gundeli
The Gundeli Area of Basel is situated at the south of Basel city in the Grossbasel area. Core spots in Gundeli are the Güterstrasse which is at the rear end of Basel SBB main railway station, Dreispitz with its malls and the area of the St. Margarethen Park with its historic St. Margarethen church.
Here some short historical details about Gundeli...
Basel Train Station
The Basel train station was built in the 1860s and expanded in the 1880s. It gained historical importance during World War II when thousands of Jewish refugees from Germany found safe harbour by entering Switzerland through the train station. The area at the rear end of the train station which today is the entry point to Gundeli was actually bombed during World War II. It was the only bomb to ever hit Switzerland during World War II and it was the Americans who mistakenly dropped it. Oops. Luckily the only casualty was an elderly lady who had a heart attack, but several buildings were destroyed through fires. Want to check it out? Go to Hochstrasse, walk to the end and you'll see a ruin commemorating the bombing. It's a playground which currently is being refurbished by a team of children and the city authorities.
Güterstrasse
Güterstrasse means Street of Goods, and it was basically a transportation way for the last 100 years taking goods from the former horse stables and warehouse district Dreispitz to center town. If you go to the Dreispitz entry at Leimgrubenweg Bus stop you can still see the old horse stables. Today Güterstrasse has many trendy shops and is the lifeline for people living in Gundeli and neighbouring hillside area Bruderholz. Currently there is a project going on to refurbish Güterstrasse into a Boulevard (more about the project here). I bet this will attract even more cool stores and Cafés.
St. Margarethenpark
The big park at the south end of Gundeli stretches from the Basel Ice Skating Rink to the Church of St. Margarethen. On top of the Park hill, in the suburban town of Binningen already, the Astronomical Observatorium and the Sonnenbad can be found. The church of St. Margarethen was built during the crusades by a tired nun who didn't make it home after returning from the holy land. Thus the church is over 1000 years old. She and 3 other nuns dwelled here in the area, creating a church and thereafter monasteries on St. Margareth Hill and the neighboring hills. The story can be read in front of the church on a commemorative plate.
Most of the Gundeli area used to belong to a German insurance company called Mainzer Versicherungsgesellschaft who built houses here in the 1880s. Therefore it was discussed to call the area "Mainzer Quartier", still during those nationalistic times giving a swiss district a german name was not welcomed, so instead it was called after the Castle of Gundeldingen. Earlier reportedly 7 castles were in Gundeli, but hell, I haven't seen one of them, though according to local historians four of them still stand.... I suppose one of them is the nice building at Tellplatz. But the other 3, who knows...
Here some short historical details about Gundeli...
Basel Train Station
The Basel train station was built in the 1860s and expanded in the 1880s. It gained historical importance during World War II when thousands of Jewish refugees from Germany found safe harbour by entering Switzerland through the train station. The area at the rear end of the train station which today is the entry point to Gundeli was actually bombed during World War II. It was the only bomb to ever hit Switzerland during World War II and it was the Americans who mistakenly dropped it. Oops. Luckily the only casualty was an elderly lady who had a heart attack, but several buildings were destroyed through fires. Want to check it out? Go to Hochstrasse, walk to the end and you'll see a ruin commemorating the bombing. It's a playground which currently is being refurbished by a team of children and the city authorities.
Güterstrasse
Güterstrasse means Street of Goods, and it was basically a transportation way for the last 100 years taking goods from the former horse stables and warehouse district Dreispitz to center town. If you go to the Dreispitz entry at Leimgrubenweg Bus stop you can still see the old horse stables. Today Güterstrasse has many trendy shops and is the lifeline for people living in Gundeli and neighbouring hillside area Bruderholz. Currently there is a project going on to refurbish Güterstrasse into a Boulevard (more about the project here). I bet this will attract even more cool stores and Cafés.
St. Margarethenpark
The big park at the south end of Gundeli stretches from the Basel Ice Skating Rink to the Church of St. Margarethen. On top of the Park hill, in the suburban town of Binningen already, the Astronomical Observatorium and the Sonnenbad can be found. The church of St. Margarethen was built during the crusades by a tired nun who didn't make it home after returning from the holy land. Thus the church is over 1000 years old. She and 3 other nuns dwelled here in the area, creating a church and thereafter monasteries on St. Margareth Hill and the neighboring hills. The story can be read in front of the church on a commemorative plate.
Most of the Gundeli area used to belong to a German insurance company called Mainzer Versicherungsgesellschaft who built houses here in the 1880s. Therefore it was discussed to call the area "Mainzer Quartier", still during those nationalistic times giving a swiss district a german name was not welcomed, so instead it was called after the Castle of Gundeldingen. Earlier reportedly 7 castles were in Gundeli, but hell, I haven't seen one of them, though according to local historians four of them still stand.... I suppose one of them is the nice building at Tellplatz. But the other 3, who knows...
Welcome to Gundelibuzz / Willkommen zu Gundelibuzz
This is Gundelibuzz the new blog with the coolest spots and the hottest news in the Gundeli area of Basel. I'll put in updates in here about nice places, good things to do and distribute this to all my friends, their friends and their friends who live or work in Gundeli area. This blog will be bilingual, so bear with me if the articles are rather short and snappy!
Gundelibuzz ist ein Blog, der Euch die coolsten und neusten Sachen im Gundeldingerquartier meldet. Ihr werdet hier updates zu angesagten Läden und Restaurants im Gundeli finden und viel Palaver zum Quartiergeschehen. Dieser Link wird an Freunde, deren Freunde und deren Freunde verteilt, die im oder nahe dem Gundeliquartier leben / arbeiten. Da dieser Blog zweisprachig sein wird, müsst ihr damit rechnen, dass viele Artikel eher kurz und schmerzlos sein werden!
Gundelibuzz ist ein Blog, der Euch die coolsten und neusten Sachen im Gundeldingerquartier meldet. Ihr werdet hier updates zu angesagten Läden und Restaurants im Gundeli finden und viel Palaver zum Quartiergeschehen. Dieser Link wird an Freunde, deren Freunde und deren Freunde verteilt, die im oder nahe dem Gundeliquartier leben / arbeiten. Da dieser Blog zweisprachig sein wird, müsst ihr damit rechnen, dass viele Artikel eher kurz und schmerzlos sein werden!
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