A Medieval jewel set where three countries meet, Basel, Switzerland is a city that resonates with history yet looks forward with an air of confidence. It is a place where borders meet and can be easily crossed. Tucked into a crook of the Rhine River at a point where France, Germany, and Switzerland converge, the city allows the traveler to slide easily between cultures and languages while sampling the cuisine and natural beauty of each.

“Dreilaendereck,” a monument that marks the borders of these three lands, is symbolic. The meeting point is actually in the middle of the Rhine River. On maps, if you look closely, you’ll see a dotted line dividing the Rhine, a manmade demarcation.

I spent the month of May in Basel, the city where I had spent my junior year abroad in 1968-69. I reunited with the Swiss family that had hosted me when I was 20 years old, a young American college student. The trip was a treat for my 75th birthday. I spent four weeks revisiting favorite parks, museums, and cafes, walking the cobblestone streets and riding the trams through a city I have loved for 55 years, and visited six times since my original stay. I ate black forest cake on my birthday and was serenaded with a hearty “Schöne Gerburstag” by my Swiss family. But visiting the Basel Munster in the Old Town was a highlight.

The Basel Munster seen from the Rhine River

I was able to travel in all three countries carrying only my passport and my U-Abo monthly tram pass which I purchased for the equivalent of $115 – a deal considering single ticket prices.

A street in the Medieval Old Town

Carved door in the Old Town

Interior of the Basel Munster

Lunch in France

On a day when there was a break in the rain, I decided to take an excursion to France for lunch. It took me 22 minutes on the number 10 tram from the Batteriestrasse stop in Bottmingen where I was staying with my Swiss host brother and his wife. I traveled through the Swiss countryside to Leymen, a French village just over the border in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace.

The church of Saint-Leger

The village of Leymen, France

The Leymen station, accessible by Basel city tram

I visited the Saint-Leger village church in Leymen, a pretty faux Romanesque building on a hill above the town. Then I strolled down to the Rue Principale looking for a café or restaurant. To my surprise, the three restaurants I checked were all closed, posting signs that they were open only in the evenings or with limited hours, a side effect of Covid’s aftermath. Then I found Restaurant Landskron, open Wednesday to Saturday, and found myself seated in the bar area – typical for a single diner.

The bar keeper Patrick made me feel at home, though he spoke no English. I trotted out my rusty French and managed to order a delicious meal, one of the Alsatian specialties on the menu. Bouchee a la Reine “Grand Mere,” is a round puff pastry filled with chicken, veal, mushrooms and a divine cream sauce just like your grandma used to make. This came with vegetables and egg noodles accompanied by a glass of the house Rose.

Traditional Alsation Bouchee a la Reine in puff pastry

Mixing Languages and Cultures

Of course, no lunch in France lasts for less than two hours. At the table next to mine were three men, one of whom spoke quite good English and had lived in London and visited Los Angeles. Yes, out in the middle of the French countryside surrounded by farm fields and stucco farmhouses with red tile roofs was someone who could converse in “Franglais.” We even threw in a word or two in German, which amused our host Patrick no end. The Alsace region has gone back and forth between Germany and France for so long, everyone speaks both languages.

Typical house and garden

When I said I intended to visit the wine region near Colmar in Alsace-Lorraine, I was immediately told to order the local sparkling wine known as Crémant, and even given the name of a specific winery, which my interlocuter wrote out for me on slip of paper.

Patrick had given me the Wifi password, so Google translate played a role here too.

I finished my meal with a tiny cup of espresso and a chocolate covered almond “noisette” although in Paris that sobriquet also applies to a mini cappuccino served after lunch. My new friends at the next table had a gorgeous rhubarb tart smothered in meringue, a specialty of the house. I vowed to return to try it, but at the moment I was very full.

This is what I love about travel: the serendipity of showing up in a little French town and finding a warm welcome in an establishment much like a French version of “Cheers” where everybody knows each other, and locals come in daily. Discovering new foods and new people in new places is endlessly fascinating.

I said many “merci beaucoups” and “au’revoirs” before departing. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, I highly recommend Restaurant Landskron. I huffed back up the very steep hill to the tram stop and was whisked back to Basel, again in 22 minutes. The trains really do run on time here, an enduring feature of Swiss life.

You can also be in the German city of Weil am Rhein in under a half hour on a tram. I’ll tell you about my trip to the German border in another post – I managed to see and do, meet and greet, and taste the most amazing food and wine, as well as feast on some amazing paintings and sculptures.