Where to eat in Basel and Zurich

The Frau had a work meeting in Basel earlier this month so she was introduced to the Markthalle. Yodelers...this is everything The Frau has been looking for in Zurich for the last eight years and not yet found. Plates of Indian food for CHF 8. Half liters of soda for CHF 2. Then there was Thai food, Turkish food, Ethiopian food, and more. The Markthalle put Cervelat and overpriced hash browns (i.e. Roesti) in their proper place: far, far away.

The Frau asks you: is there any other place in Switzerland where you can get ethic food for less than your rent? Not to mention, the Markthalle is atmospheric (it was built in 1929 and renovated from 2009 to 2011), it's all the variety of food you could want under one roof, and it's only two minutes from the Basel train station. Oh, and did The Frau mention it's affordable? There are also small shops, a fresh produce market, and free toilets. 

And for those looking for where to eat in Zurich, well, you're in luck: The Frau just wrote an Insider Guide for CNN Travel on Zurich. It includes her new favorite place for a burger: Holy Cow. (That's what you'll be saying anyway when you see the prices–a gourmet burger for CHF 10! It really exists, yodelers.)

The Swiss Police Have Nothing to Do

Lately, Toddler M is very excited whenever she sees a Swiss police car. “Polizei Auto!” she’ll scream with delight.

The Frau wishes she could share Toddler M’s enthusiasm when it comes to the Swiss police.

But this is difficult to do because a couple of weeks ago the Swiss police pulled The Frau over. On her bike. The Frau’s crime? Biking in a pedestrian zone on a rainy Sunday morning with no pedestrian in sight.

The ultimate Schadenfreude. Watching
another biker get pulled over.

The only thing else to be found on the pedestrian-only street? The Swiss police car. And The Frau wants to know: Which is more dangerous? Driving a car down a pedestrian street or riding a bike?

Actually, here’s what’s worse: On August 1, the entire population, including the Swiss police, seemed to think it was just fine to set off fireworks in public squares and parking lots.  The message from the Swiss police seems to be: bikers in pedestrian zones are dangerous, but fireworks in the same places aren’t.

What do you think?

The Frau writes about Swiss life in her new book, Swiss Life: 30 Things I Wish I’d Known. You might like it.

Swiss Life: Another thing to know

Another thing about Swiss life The Frau wishes she had known:

It is possible to line dance to Shania Twain in front of an audience without ever cracking a smile.

Yes. Switzerland never fails to amaze The Frau and her experience at the August 1 farm brunch was no exception.

First of all, let The Frau tell you that the brunch was wonderful. Endless Zopf and Rösti, goats and rabbits for Toddler M to run around after, and Incarom coffee. But the best part was:

Buy your shirt at Migros and you
are the epitome of style at the August 1 brunch

1.  The fact that The Frau knows what’s hot in toddler fashions since her daughter was dressed exactly like another Swiss girl. (Tip: buy your clothes for the brunch at Migros and you will be the epitome of Swiss brunch fashion.)

And

2. The entertainment.

Put on your dancing shoes…and your sour expression.

It’s hard to put the entertainment into words, but imagine this: 40 minutes of American country music + 8 Swiss people line dancing on a stage + these same 8 people wearing cowboy hats along with expressions that said, “I’m reading a technical book.”

Anyone else have amazing August 1 brunch experiences?