KFC: Colonel's grin soon in Basel?
In spring, the first KFC branch since the 1980s is expected to be opened in Switzerland, including in Basel. The confirmation came from a spokeswoman for the firm in a report by the «Blick» newspaper. «In the long term we want to open a KFC at more than 50 locations, especially in the cities of Basel, Zürich, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Luzern, and Winterthur,» the spokeswoman said. In November last year the firm registered itself on the Lucerne Commercial Register. In 2004, the last KFC chains in Switzerland – in Geneva and Lausanne – were closed down.
«Five Guys» also want to come to Switzerland
It is not only the chicken fast food chain which is trying to get a foothold in Switzerland. American burger chain «Five Guys» has announced that this year, the first Swiss branch will open. The company last year opened its first mainland European branch in Paris - previously they were only present in England.
Nelson Pub to move from Rümelinsplatz
Ten years ago, the Nelson Pub opened at Gerbergässlein in Basel’s city centre. The pub, on the corner of Rümelinsplatz, will however be moved from this location next year.
Known as a place to celebrate every victory of the FC Basel, the pub is also known for its smoking area. The Basel student fraternities knock around in the pub along with football fans, pub-goers and people who are addicted to pub sports including darts.
Now the Nelson Pub must find a new location. The contract for the building is to end this year. But all hope is not lost: In 2018 the pub will continue, certainly at another location. Where the pub will move to is not yet known. The operators are at the moment on the hunt for a new location.
Basel snow episodes: a longing for the thick, white flakes
The weathermen made their first accurate prediction of snow, the children waited wistfully for it, but the sky just does not want to give it. Frau Holle finally should have poured snow from her sheets in the morning. But in case something goes wrong, we at least remember a period of really good snow covering.
The 1970s in Birsfelden
When street lights turned on it was a sign that we, the children, had to go indoors. I was probably around ten years old. The light in the sky was stark and yellowy, the wind was clear and hard. On the third floor our mother was cooking dinner. Soon father would be home. Then we would eat, have a bath, and go to bed. But at last on this December night, the snow came. It seemed as if the sky had to get rid of its heavy, strangely lit clouds.
The flakes fell heavy and white. Soon the streets, cars, and roofs were covered with a brilliant white, and the snow had come just a few days before Christmas. After dinner the family went out. An absolute exception: normally at ours the tariff was given through the street lamps. The world shone under a thick, white layer of snow. It was totally new and still. Even though snow was seen far more often than nowadays in the city, it remained a total surprise every year. The white of Birsfelden was a promise, and every breath left behind a cloud which stayed in the air. And our mother was at the time not too old to have a snowball fight with us.
Today
Probably for the festive period it is all the same for everyone: regularly their mobile phones beep. A photo of a brown hill or mountain comes in with the title «on the search for snow». Sometimes it seems as if also an agreement is given: «also here barely any snow is lying on the ground.» The photo of the snow cannon in Gstaad was creative. When it snows in Basel, people must hurry if they want to go sledging – the white fluff does not hang around for long. And mostly it is not enough to transform the world. Or in only moderate amounts it is there for the blink of an eye, to soften the everyday noise, quiet and precise, and then the snowflakes are swept away like lost eyelashes in the cold.