Lonely Expat?

You have just only reached Basel and want to get to know new people besides work?

Basel offers quite a few options for expats to quickly get to know new people:

The Curry Club: A group of usually expats tests a local curry restaurant. Those dinners take place once a month. Check out the baselexpats.com website for information.
http://www.baselexpats.com/pn/html/index.php?name=News&catid=&topic=3

Del Mundo Brunch: If you live in Gundeli, come to Del Mundo on a Saturday at 10.00 AM. There will not only be me, but a whole lot of friendly people to get to know too!

Viva Training: Your husband has taken up a job in Basel and you have not yet found a job or friends here? Join Viva Training at Güterstrasse. It will not only keep you toned, but you will get to know a lot of lovely people.

Technorati Profile

Rainy Cold Weather: Online Grocery Shopping!

It's rainy and cold outside and definately not the weather to carry home vast amounts of groceries, cat sand or PET bottles. If you want to say NO to the hassle, this is your way out:

In Basel Coop and Migros offer home delivery options. You can buy all Migros products under http://www.leshop.ch. As a surplus they also have a wide variety of boutique products, toys, office supplies, pet supplies etc. This also makes your party planning easier: just order all you need two days ahead and everything will be delivered early evening to your door.

If you want to opt for Coop products, you can go to http://www.coop.ch and visit their online store. Coop has another very customer friendly feature: you can select the delivery time, which is any time during the day up to 22h00 in the evening.

In case you have pets and need to buy vast amounts of Dog food, cat sand etc. Qualipet and other major pet supply stores also have home delivery options. Call them for more information or check out their websites:
http://www.qualipet.ch
http://www.fressnapf.ch

I have made great experiences with both Le Shop and Coop, it has really made my life more convenient!

ADDENDUM 25.04.2007: Coop has just announced that it will increase its home delivery fee to 18 CHF instead of 10 CHF!!!

Sale in Gundeli / New Moroccan Shop

Happy New Year to all of you. All the shops are open again and the Winter sale has started! If you are in need to buy new furniture or new appliances now is the right time to do a bargain!

No time and money to go on a short trip to Marrakesh but don't want to miss out on the real Souk feeling? Check out the new Moroccan store Arganhaus right opposite the SBB train station exit at Güterstrasse. You can buy Argan Oil, Moroccan condiments there, Moroccan lamps, shoes and beautiful olive oil boxes etc. Argan Oil seems to be very healthy and it is incredibly good for weather worn skin. I can highly recommend you try it out!

Bollywood in Gundeli!

Are you in desperate need of a Shah Rukh Khan poster? Do you want to learn the lastest Bollywood dance moves? Need some clothing to complement your "balle balle" dance?

A Bollywood shop is opening now on Bruderholzstrasse, where the Sri Ayurveda Shop was. Sri Ayurveda have moved to Thiersteinerallee a few months ago.

The Bollywood shop is due to open in the new year.

Güterstrasse Boulevard

After a long time again a posting in the Gundeliblog! Honestly there haven't been any exciting openings in Gundeli lately, but what is going on is the refurbishment of Güterstrasse which is ripped open and changed into a pedestrian friendly boulevard. If you peep into the gaping holes where the drainage pipes are being replaced you will notice that some of the old piping is still from 1900. Isn't that amazing?

Soon at Dreispitz Migros will open up their Christmas wonderland where you can find baubles and christmas trees. Don't miss it!

Fine Business Shirts and Ties in Gundeli

A new mens business wear shop has opened at Güterstrasse (I guess its number 245) opposite the schoolyard and the WISO second hand shop.

It offers a wide variety of business shirts, silk ties and business wear of high quality for very reasonable prices!

Eating Dinner on a Monday night

If you ever wanted to grab some dinner on a Monday night, you might have noticed that this is nearly impossible in Switzerland. Many restaurants are closed Sundays and/or Mondays.

A wonderful exception in Gundeli which is also not too pricey is the Thiersteinerhof at Thiersteinerallee. Food prices are in the range of a Pizza Delivery service plus setting (around 18 CHF for a Pizza and 20 Francs for Pasta, Meat for about 30 Francs). The food is delicious, the restaurant has outdoor seating and is quite neat and tidy.

The restaurant is held by Antonio Germano who worked for the fabulous Restaurant Rösslirytti earlier. You can certainly taste that!

Off Gundeli Topic: Spa Heaven!

Finally! My dreams have come true! Basel finally has a Spa which deserves its name. The City Spa with its Butterfly logo can be found at Brunngässlein 3 (near the Armani Store opposite DKNY at Aeschenvorstadt).

City Spa offers a wide range of treatments and massages for men and women which are at par with premium wellness resorts in India and Thailand. The reception is warm and inviting with a cozy seating area, bar and children area! The predominant colors are red and orange. The light and sound are dimmed downstairs at the treatment area, where only the sound of a little fountain and light music can be heard.

Body pampering: several packages from Bali, Java, Thailand, Brazil offer relaxation and revitalization. Besides that City Spa also offers Rassoul treatments and Thalasso therapy.

Beauty: waxing (also with sugar and lime, oriental style). Teenagers pay half the price on Wednesdays!

Massages: besides heavenly relaxation massages with City Spa custom made massage oils, they also offer an excellent trigger-point sports massage, foot reflex therapy, lymphatic drainage and deep tissue massage. Massages cost 100 CHF per hour.

Yoga: City Spa offers daily Yoga lessons at a price of 35 CHF.

Find out more on the website of City Spa: http://www.wellform.ch/

Strange Singing in EoIpso

If some of you have noticed strange singing and laughter from the EoIpso, it was the Annual Novartis Pharma HR Summer Event where HR professionals showed their musical side by singing Karaoke and performing African songs and dances....

It was great fun and the food was awsome too!

It's hot in Gundeli!

Yee, I am back from my vacation in Ibiza! I was actually expecting it to be cool and autumny in Basel, but hey, it's just as warm as in Ibiza, only the sea and the pool are missing.

Adapting back to Gundeli is quite tricky, most of all when I compare the grocery prices and the quality of grocery goods (three times the prices for half the quality). But enough ranting about, after all Gundeli is great and I am glad to be back home.

What has changed in this week in Gundeli? Not much. The Cat Shelter of Basel had their open door event on August 26th. I had been there a day ahead to buy cool stuff for my cats. If you need a furry companion of any size, check out their residents.

Bonvivant at Zwingerstrasse in Basel

Remember my mysterious post about the great new restaurant I was not allowed to comment on yet? Well, now I can - after I had a tour of the premises. Bonvivant is the new and highly innovative project of the Gault Millau and Michelin decorated cook Andreas Schürmann.

The restaurant offers only one menu for lunch and one for the evening, prepared with excellent market-fresh ingredients and high quality cooking. The interiors of Bonvivant are warm, wooden and state-of-the-art, with long wooden tables to sit on. The kitchen is open, so that all kitchen wizardry can be observed by the guests.

The atmosphere of Bonvivant in general is more like eating at a (stylish) friend's house...

Prices are quite moderate with a two course lunch costing 35 CHF and a three course dinner costing 65 CHF. Alternately meat, fish and vegetarian menues are served according to the plan below:

monday - meat
tuesday - fish or seafood
wednesday - vegetarian or meat
thursday - meat
friday - fish or seafood

Bonvivant also offers catering for parties, events or dinner at home. Many of the used delicacies can also be bought directly at Bonvivant, such as wines, aprons, condiments and jams.

Find out more on Bonvivants website: http://www.bon-vivant.ch

Early reservations are mandatory as only limited seating is available!

Best Japanese Food in Basel

Tired of Sushi? Wasabi at Güterstrasse 138 offers three excellent Japanese set menus every work day during lunchtime, prices ranging from CHF 11 to CHF 15.

Examples of Menus:
- Teriyaki Chicken (delicious!) with rice, spiced carrots and a very yummy cucumber-noodle salad
- Beef Eggplant curry with rice
- Vegetable Tempura with rice
- Yellow chicken curry with rice, spiced carrots and a very yummy cucumber-noodle salad

But beware: the food at Wasabi is extremely popular and people will be queuing already before opening of the shop to get their menus, if you arrive at 13h00 most will be sold out already. Wasabi is open from Monday to Friday from 11h30 to 13h30.

New Park in Gundeli!

Sorry for the delay in postings, I had some medical procedures which required me to fast, and if I fast, my ability to do anything is reduced to random tantrums about being hungry.

Still, there are better news from Gundeli to tell: A new park called Falkensteinerpark is being built at the corner of Dornacher-, Gilgenberger-, Arlesheimer- and Falkensteinerstrasse at the construction site of the new big residential building complex.

Detailed information (only in German)

Gundeldingerhof - Excellent Cuisine! But book ahead....

Lately LordYo and I went to the Gundeldingerhof to have Dinner. The food was excellent and the service also very good in this Bistro type restaurant. Gundeldingerhof offers Swiss/French type cuisine and prices are in the middle range. Find out more on the excellent website of Gundeldingerhof: http://www.gundeldingerhof.ch/

No Restaurant Review :)

Shhhhhh.... big secret... a new restaurant has opened, but LordYo has asked me not to write a review before we have actually tried it out which is going to happen by the end of this week. Hint: it is in a factory building where dance classes are held, has an open very stylish cuisine and the ingredients of the meals can be bought there also. Can't wait to go there, definately the hottest place in Gundeli at the moment, but still a secret...

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)

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.

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

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.

• 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.

VETERINARIAN

• 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.

WHERE TO GET A CAT OR A DOG

• 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

TIP: You love dogs, but don't have time to keep a dog permanently? Go to the Basel Pet Shelter and borrow a dog for a walk on a Saturday or weekday afternoon! Almost as good as having an own dog!

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.