City Love Companions

Basel is what a 21st century European should be like to my opinion. Not too modern, but not too stuck in the past either. It’s very multicultural and open-minded, probably because Basel is where Switzerland, Germany and France meet. That three-way border is an important part of local identity. The inherent multinationalism opened a way for ex-pats and international corporations. Pharmaceutical giants such as Novartis and Roche are a good example. Roche’s very own skyscraper is in fact the tallest building in Switzerland. There’s been a hilarious rivalry between Basel and Zürich for decades. Who builds the tallest skyscraper, or lures more tourists in; stuff like that. Basel takes the lead…for now. It used to be the largest and most prosperous city in Switzerland. You can see all t...

Geneva is one of the most sophisticated and expensive cities in the world and located at Europe’s largest Alpine lake: Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman in French). In an official multi-lingual county like Switzerland Geneva goes under many names: Genève in French, Genf in German and Ginevra in Italian. The city aims for the number 1 spot at many other things. Best chocolate, boutiques, restaurants, jewellers, biggest banks, fastest cars, the most beautiful women; the list goes on and on. If I were to visit Geneva again, I would go during winter season. I fondly remember all the action around the lake, sitting around in sauna bars, drinking and chatting till morning hours. For all you explorers and geeks out there, Geneva has even more to offer. Grab a free bike at one of many bike rental stat...

Bern doesn’t have that big city, capital vibe, especially compared to a bustling city like Zürich. On the contrary: for a capital it’s remarkable quiet and nightlife is practically non-existent. People are calm, happy, and live in true bliss. Bern is a fairy-tale town: charming and stuck in time with its cobblestone alleys, medieval squares and stone bridges. I like the on-going bear (Bär in German) theme in Bern. There is a bear park (https://www.tierpark-bern.ch/) on the right bank of the Aare River, where the old bear pits used to be. Bears are actually everywhere: on statutes, walls of buildings, fountains and even on the Zytglogge, Bern’s famous Clock Tower. Situated on a gateway to The Old Town, which by itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 15th-century astronomical cl...

Zürich permanently ranks in international comparative studies as being one of the most pleasant cities to live in on earth, sends mixed signals. It’s one part Berlin with its post-industrial, rough architecture and one part Google HQ, all hip with employees playing table tennis during lunch breaks. Many people think Zürich is the capital of Switzerland but that title went to Bern after a compromise between the German and French speaking communities when they had to choose the national capital. But for sure Zürich is the largest city of the country and a main hub for business and international banking. With only 400,000 inhabitants including many expats and young people from all over the world the city is much smaller than it feels. Zürich started out as a Roman settlement and quickl...