do not be misled by the unimpressive population of Basel Stadt (under 200k) to think that driving in Basel is easy. in the small area i routinely search for parking places (literally, it's part of "little Basel") i have come to intersections where it seems that every direction is marked with a blaring red do-not-enter emblem. which leads me to scratch my head and wonder why i was able to get there in the first place. or, how anyone accesses those streets since i swear it had the same sign at the other end...and i have not even mentioned the trams, whose horns continually remind enterprising drivers that in the bulk department it is better not to chance a contest. narrow streets have trams running in both directions, nonchalant pedestrians who conveniently forget they do not own the street, cars parking, lorries/semis unloading and that is all normal.
but now i come to the bicyclists. in all this daily mayhem i have watched bicyclists who seem to be going for medals of honor compete in the chaos. applauding them, i marveled at the bravery it would take to join in, and gazed sympathetically as some voiced their disgust with the actions of drivers. and so, because sanity is overrated, today i decided to attempt a journey across what i now refer to as the city by the river styx. i had not even made it out of the forest when i had already been chased by a doberman and yelled at in German (believe me, it feels more serious) for bicycling on what i can only assume was a pedestrian-only path.
now, you must realize that in this part of the world stop signs are a rarity. generally, every intersection is yield-to-the-person-from-the-right. which means, of course, that people barrel through glancing only right to make sure that way is clear. barely glancing. which puts bicycles at the mercy of their eyesight, which can leave something to be desired. fortunately, i made it to my destination with only a few blocks walking.
on the return trip i stumbled into the world of the underground velobahn, something every bicyclist should experience. there exists this underground highway for bicycles in Basel. zooming along next to railroad tracks under what i can only assume were building and streets it ran for miles, surfacing every so often for its riders to wait patiently until the little red bicycle turned green, allowing them to cross the street. in utter joy that here were no trams, crazy drivers and angry pedestrians, i let myself be swept allow until the usual autobahn malady occurred: the highway ended and i had no idea where i was. but i had enjoyed the experience and, with a little help from a city map and eventually red bike signs informing me the way to get where i wanted to be, i made it back. an older, wiser rider with the velobahn experience under her belt.
but now i come to the bicyclists. in all this daily mayhem i have watched bicyclists who seem to be going for medals of honor compete in the chaos. applauding them, i marveled at the bravery it would take to join in, and gazed sympathetically as some voiced their disgust with the actions of drivers. and so, because sanity is overrated, today i decided to attempt a journey across what i now refer to as the city by the river styx. i had not even made it out of the forest when i had already been chased by a doberman and yelled at in German (believe me, it feels more serious) for bicycling on what i can only assume was a pedestrian-only path.
now, you must realize that in this part of the world stop signs are a rarity. generally, every intersection is yield-to-the-person-from-the-right. which means, of course, that people barrel through glancing only right to make sure that way is clear. barely glancing. which puts bicycles at the mercy of their eyesight, which can leave something to be desired. fortunately, i made it to my destination with only a few blocks walking.
on the return trip i stumbled into the world of the underground velobahn, something every bicyclist should experience. there exists this underground highway for bicycles in Basel. zooming along next to railroad tracks under what i can only assume were building and streets it ran for miles, surfacing every so often for its riders to wait patiently until the little red bicycle turned green, allowing them to cross the street. in utter joy that here were no trams, crazy drivers and angry pedestrians, i let myself be swept allow until the usual autobahn malady occurred: the highway ended and i had no idea where i was. but i had enjoyed the experience and, with a little help from a city map and eventually red bike signs informing me the way to get where i wanted to be, i made it back. an older, wiser rider with the velobahn experience under her belt.
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