The Joy of Basel

Advantages: Great for travelling, friendly, easy to get around, clean
Disadvantages: Swiss German is impossible to understand unless you grew up with it!

...Last year (July 2005-6) I had the great pleasure and honour of living in Basel as part of my degree. I was working for one of the many chemical companies near the centre, and living in one of the smaller suburbs, Muttenz. I've been back in England now for three months (at the time of writing), and I miss it all like crazy. If ever there was a good place to start, it's the beginning. Basel is riddled with history; originally a Celtic tribe lived here, until the Romans moved in circa 40BC to Augusta Raurica. Key points in the development of the city include gaining the influence and power of the Bishopric in the 7th century, settlement at various times by both the Frankish and Allemaniac tribes of modern-day France and Germany respectively, and ultimately the integration into the Swiss Confederation in 1501. 28 years later it became...

sonofsanta 09.11.2006 (10.11.2006) · Read review
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Review of Basel (Switzerland)

Unsettling

Advantages: Cathedral, old town, plenty to keep you occupied
Disadvantages: I just didn't feel at home

...Basel is a curious city – despite visiting several times over the past year, I still haven’t been won over by its charms, and I don’t really know why! Maybe it’s the strange mix of cultures that exist in this city that sits a little uncomfortably on the Rhine, within a stone’s throw of both Germany and France: Everything is in German, the locals speak their own local dialect of Swiss German, while you are just a short bus ride from the French border, and it feels as if Basel cannot make up its mind just where it belongs. It’s not as if there isn’t much to do here, either – there is a lovely old town to be explored on the hillside, where you can quite happily while away an afternoon wandering round, and the shopping centre has plenty to offer - and there is a decent selection of British...

JVL 07.06.2001 (09.09.2001) · Read review
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Review of Basel (Switzerland)

Fantastic service

Advantages: Centrally located, very friendly staff
Disadvantages: None I can think of...

..., tvs and hot drink making facilities in the rooms and plenty of cupboard space if you need it, along with spare blankets for those cold Swiss winter nights! The hotel is centrally located and the tram to the train station stops right outside. The immediate area isn't exactly picturesque, but turn right on leaving the main entrance, and 2 minutes later you are in the most picturesque city you can imagine. If you're going in December, the huge and gorgeous Christmas market is only 5 minutes walk from the hotel. If you turn right on leaving the hotel you head down into the commercial heart of Basel and reach a wide choice of restaurants, cafes and pubs in about 5 minutes. A word of warning though - Swiss prices really are as high as you may have heard! We were horrified at the prices over and over again! We were paying the equivalent...

Jen1978 20.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Radisson SAS Hotel, Basel

Stylish hotel but stereotypical Swiss pricing

Advantages: Close to German train station, free public transport when you stay, quiet rooms, stylish decor
Disadvantages: Some rooms are smaller than others, quite a way out from the center

...is excellent and you even get to travel free for the duration of your stay. There are two tram lines that go to the centre and buses that go elsewhere. In conclusion, at £40, it is London prices, but it is a good choice compared to other hotels in Basel. The rooms were worth it if you get the larger ones, if not then you might feel a bit out of pocket....

t3Cougar 31.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Royal, Basel

Weil am Rhein Akzert Maximilian Hotel

Advantages: Great value for a spacious clean room including breakfast
Disadvantages: The multi-complex is an architectural design disaster

...The hotel is on the top 3 floors of a multi-complex. Nothing luxurious but good value for a clean spacious room, breakfast included with 3 drinks from the minibar. The entrance to the hotel is not obvious - look for the glass door next to the house-number and mailboxes - on the door it says in black letters "Hotel Rezeption". Enter and take the elevator to the 6th floor for the hotel reception. The hotel is an architectural / design disaster but if you follow the signs you'll make it to the reception and your room. Corridors and staircases are dimly lit until you press on one of the light switches with a small orange lamp on it. A day pass for all public transport for one zone (for the Tri-zone) costs EUR 6 per person. If you stay in Maximilian Hotel, take Bus 16 on Hauptstrasse to Rathaus (about 5 min) and change to Bus 55 to Basel...

kayci_kayci 21.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Akzent Hotel Maximilian, Weil am Rhein

One of tennis's best players in tennis history!

Advantages: very entertaining player to watch, top class tennis
Disadvantages: he usually wins most matches so it may take something from the match

...Roger's profile: Age : 26 Nationality: Swiss Date Of Birth: 8th August 1981 Place of Birth: Basel, Switzerland Year Turned Pro: 1998 Career Prize Money so far approx: US$ 40,000,000 Has been No.1 since February 2nd 2004 At the age of 6, Federer started playing tennis. By the time he was 14, he had achieved success at becoming the national champion at all age levels in Switzerland. It was in 1996 that he joined the ITF junior tennis circuit. The last year that he was still a junior in 1998 he won the junior wimbled on title and another highly rated ITF world junior championship tournament. This led to him being crowned ITF W/orld junior tennis champion of this ye/ar. Federer has been an amazing player for a number of years now. He's an all round very good player, got a strong serve, very good backhand, good forehand and he...

fizz9999 15.02.2008 (28.02.2008) · Read review
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Review of Roger Federer

Fenjal classic hydrating body milk

Advantages: It consist of plant-based proteins
Disadvantages: Odd smell, bad soaking into skin

...experience, I do not share its recommendation. The content of the lightly green bottle is quite dense, the rubbing onto the skin is quite uneasy, if you touch the milk, you get the feeling of touching something greasy. My skin does not really soak up the milk so that it always stays on my clothes. The smell is odd as old women perfume so that I do not enjoy its fragrance. --- Historical facts about the Fenjal brand --- "Foundation of the company in form of a pharmacy 1899 in Basel (Germany) and expansion into the wholesale of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products shortly afterwards." - copied from the official fenjal website. All in all, I would not recommend fenjal hydrating body milk because of its not corresponding effects on me and since it does not fulfil my expectation from such a brand....

Lirybka 04.02.2008 (28.01.2008) · Read review
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Review of Fenjal Beauty Spa Body Milk

Beautiful and expensive

Advantages: The scenery is fabulous, and the people are friendly
Disadvantages: But you can't understand what they're saying, and it's not cheap!

...I have had the pleasure of visiting Switzerland several times in the last few months, the border is only 2 hours to the south of Heidelberg, and although this is definitely a very expensive country to spend time in, it is well worth a visit! First and foremost, the scenery is generally stunning, as Switzerland is effectively the Alps... Basel, the city right on the border with France and Germany, sits on a plain at the foothills of this mountain range but as soon as you get to the southern side of the city, the peaks loom up out of the mist, and the main motorway cuts right through the valleys. It is a phenomenal drive if you are heading south to Milan, as the motorway carves a path between these towering mountainsides and the weather seems to change in each valley! It is pretty difficult to concentrate on the road with all...

JVL 16.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of General: Switzerland

Best Footie Game around

Advantages: Realistic and fun
Disadvantages: not all liscenses intact

...Zenit St. Petersburg Celtic Rangers Red Star Belgrade Athletic Bilbao Atlético Madrid Barcelona Deportivo La Coruña Espanyol Mallorca Racing Santander Real Madrid Real Valladolid Sevilla Villarreal AIK Hammarby Göteborg Basel Beşiktaş Fenerbahçe Galatasaray Dynamo Kyiv Shakhtar Donetsk National teams Africa Cameroon Côte d'Ivoire Egypt Ghana Nigeria Senegal South Africa Tunisia Asia Australia China Iran Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea Thailand United Arab Emirates Europe Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark England Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Republic of Ireland Israel Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Scotland...

SaveFerris 08.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3)

Freiburg - die schönste Stadt der Welt!

Advantages: Clean, Friendly, Pretty, Warm....
Disadvantages: Best to know some German

...Strasbourg or Colmar in France or Basel in Switzerland. All of these places can easily be reached by train from Freiburg city centre. I stayed at peoples houses both times I went, but there are plenty of hotels in Freiburg if you can't crash at someone's house! If you are near St. Georgen at any time, make sure you visit the freibad (only in summer). It's an outdoor pool with plenty of place to laze around, play football or volleyball and there's a little refreshment place too. For me, there were no negatives, not even on the last day when it rained, quite heavily! But if you do want to take a trip to Freiburg, it's best to have a knowledge of some German as many people do speak English, but your life would be so much easier if you could attempt to use some German. The food may be an issue for some people too, as a lot of what is offered is...

x_smiley_x 28.07.2008 (07.09.2008) · Read review
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Review of Freiburg (Germany)