Waking up for the first time underneath a solid roof was nice. i had the chance to get ready and fresh before the guys came in at half 8, so I fixed Nigel's front rack as it kept wobbling and banging against the spokes. The last 4 days i have used bits of cardboard to wedge the rack still but i had a few bits and bobs from a rack that i broke riding into the stadium on the first day, which i kept just incase situations like this one arose. After that was sorted i had a few hours to burn before Kristina was ready to take me to FC Basel's stadium and show me their brand new training facility. I decided therefore, to let myself loose in the city of Basel and having still remembered a few key German phrases and words from school, I set out with the intention of ordering food like a local. So i attacked the language in a similar way to how i used to go for runs back home. Head off in the direction of the pub and if the run fails then you've just got to the pub quickly, nothing lost. The good thing about being in Switzerland compared to mainland France is you know you can start speaking in German and can use English as a back up if all else fails, nothing lost. Only went and nailed it first time didnt I! Pretty sure the lady behind the hot cabinet didnt need me to hold 2 fingers up with one hand and point to what I wanted with the other hand because my dialect was spot on, but either way i had myself 2 massive meat balls (frikadelle) to enjoy. Switzerland is notoriously expensive which is a real shame but there are a few things that you can get for free as I've mentioned before if you have a bit of local knowledge or a mate called Steve. The fountains in the streets all kick out good quality drinking water and I didn't have to sit in McDonald's to write this blog as there is a very cool cafe in prime location with free wifi that most people go to to meet up. The shops are all very high end and everybody is very well dressed and they smell positively delightful. Don't get me wrong I'm not going around sniffing people's hair, I just walk slower than most to take in the sights and before i know it i get smothered in their wake like a very underdressed extra in a Loreal commercial. I feel like a right chump with white socks and Saints training kit on and I swear I walked past a homeless person sleeping on a bench who was popping a collar of a Ralph Lauren polo and probably Diesel jeans!
In the afternoon Kristina the head of projects at Scort took me swimming in the Rhine. Loads of people do it with dry bags as flotation devices and you basically walk down the river as far as you want, put your things in your dry bag, jump in the river and float back to where you started or further! The weather was amazing and there were lots of people drinking and families having bbq's etc there was a really good atmosphere all along the riverbank.
In the evening I was left to my own devices to explore and take in the city nightlife. Trying to put a finger on what makes Basel and Switzerland as a whole so different took me some time. I've eventually put it down to a few things. Equality, Acceptance and Harmony. Whether it was the excellent weather I don't know but in the evenings everybody is out on the streets either sat around the fountains on benches, on terraces in bars or mostly along the riverbanks where a lot of bars are also. As the night started to end I walked up and down both sides of the river expecting to see lots of rubbish and empty cans, groups of scary looking youths and homeless people near bins, the usual things I have grown up accepting in England. Instead what I saw were neat piles of rubbish collected and placed by the bin if the bin was full, and the most eclectic groups of multi cultured people that you find hard to understand how they got to know each other in the first place! There was not one difference in class or difference in attire, everybody seemed to co-mingle no matter what. There was not one group playing louder music than another or one harsh sound of an argument spoken between any two people. Everybody I walked past respected the next person or the next couple or the next family/group of people. Men in suits with their bikes drinking cans on the river side made homeless people look no different and hence equalising the social hierarchy of the whole community. Bars are ALOT more expensive than buying cans but there was no divide between where a bar began on the river and the where the next group of people with their own food and drink decided to set up, everyone was linked. People with cans for 60p were talking equally with people holding bottles for £7. The whole experience was bizarre but harmonious and it took me a while to figure it out but I loved it. During the day things are no different. Cyclists are to Switzerland as Cows are to India it seems. Cars don't drive recklessly in annoyance that cyclists are hogging the road as Switzerland is a "green" country. If anything you are looked down upon if you drive a fancy car and there is no real need for them anyway as everything you need is at most a short bike ride away. Bikes can be left anywhere with no lock (I wasn't going to risk it myself, Nigel would never forgive me) but when I mentioned this to Kristina her answer was, "this is Switzerland!" Why can't everywhere be like this I thought? Or more strangely, how has Basel maintained this safety with the lack of policing? I put it down to the high prices. People are so put off actually getting into Switzerland because the bus fare in is soo much they go elsewhere to be wreckless and steal things, it's my only possible conclusion!
After this i decided to go back to the office to sleep. Another good day and another experience to add to the growing list.
If you're thinking that things just seem to be going right for this boy, how is he always so fortunate and that something's got to give some time. Then you're probably right. I bought some cheese the other day, Maasdamer it's called. Hint of a smell on it but not too overpowering and when it's slightly warmed its an absolute dream in a baguette. I saved one massive slice for emergencies like midnight munchies etc. Today I've retrieved the packet from my clothes pannier and unfortunately that's all I have retrieved! It's been pretty hot recently so there's a strong chance the cheese has slipped to the bottom of my bag and melted a goodun! I dare not put my hand down there to see and I probably won't tell till later as my socks overpower the smell of a sewage plant let alone some melted cheese, so we will just have to wait till Africa to see what state my mosquito net is in!
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