Basle, an amazingly vibrant protestant Swiss-German speaking city located right on the frontier between Switzerland, France and Germany is the country’s main non-aerial freight hub.

The Rhine runs through it, establishing a port of entry for goods coming from Rotterdam. Home of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry (Novartis and Roche), this culturally lively city is also a center for modern art dealers.

The fact that people there are very open to foreigners comes as no surprise. All the more so because children are given for their birthday a little wallet with three compartments, one for Swiss francs, one for French francs and one for Deutsch marks.