8 October 2025.
Monday we walked from Switzerland to Germany, passing closed border-control booths. Not in a high-mountain pass. A suburban street was our path, once again, to lunch.
Staying in Basel is part of our experiment this trip: two weeks in each of three new-to-us-places, exploring, finding places less-visited by our ilk, and “living local.” Basel is in a unique international position, a notch of Switzerland that juts into France and Germany and shares the Rhine River with both. This is a strategic shipping hub for Switzerland and the Dreiländereck, where the countries officially meet, is a mere half-hour’s walk from our apartment. Of course, since it is Switzerland, walking there is quite simple.
Our border crossing experience was not as straightforward. Ignoring spits of rain, we traveled by tram (so convenient!) to suburban Riehen to take the Rehberger-Weg, an artistically inspired walk between the Fondation Beyeler Museum and the Vitra Campus (a furniture company and design museum). Finding the start of the path was our first adventure as a construction project forced a detour. The track seemed obvious from there, but as we searched for the first piece of art we found we were off piste. Huh. Luckily, as paths cross-cross this country like plaid in a tartan, we were able to re-route ourselves with only a half mile walk for our trouble.
Top left and center, our inadvertent detour was at least well-trod and scenic; Top right, a vineyard; Bottom a distant view of Basel.
In my defense, I was guiding us with a very stylized map created by the artist. You can see it for yourself using the link above and clicking on Walking Map. Once I decoded what actually constituted art and which landmarks on the map corresponded, the going was simple enough and the views to Basel remarkable. We passed through small vineyards and past garden allotments, encountered little traffic and even fewer people. The art is, to me, obscure. They are (mostly) three-dimensional, brightly colored objects that allude to real things: a birdhouse, a streetlamp, a tree. We had fun making fun of them.
Top Row: Lookout, big enough for a human to climb into; Streetlamp; Signs. Bottom Row: Drinking Fountain (yes, it works!); Tree
The possibility of rain evaporated and we arrived at the Vitra Campus just in time for our Noon lunch reservation. Lunch in Germany, priced in Euros, was a treat both gastronomically and economically. A bus directly to our neighborhood left from Vitra every half-hour made our return uncomplicated.
Top Row: Vegan quiche and organic salad at VitraHaus Cafe; A Vitra-designed chair for €429 which doesn’t seem bad until you realize it is a miniature like those in the case in the bottom row; A bit of elephant whimsy. They are for sale.
The path was envisioned as a 10-year project in 2015, and it officially ends this month. Presumably, the art along the route will go away…at least in time. We were lucky to have it as a guide.
Girovaga 