The Book Cupboard @ Voltaplatz

A bit more about books, books for adults...

Need a good summer read? Already finished your good summer read? Look no further than the Buecherschrank at Voltaplatz in Basel. (It's the first of it's kind in Switzerland! How exciting!) The book cupboard is sponsored by the Christoph Merian Stiftung and is meant to support St. Johann's literature-minded community. The book cupboard is essentially an anonymous book exchange!! Super (spoken with a Swiss accent, of course)! Take one and leave one!

http://merianstiftung.ch/buecherschrank-basel/

The book cupboard is located at the new paved pedestrian area at Voltaplatz (the intersection of tram 1 and tram 11) not far from the Florida Café.

 

I took a look inside a few days ago and it was overflowing with potential summer entertainment. I found books in German, French, English, Japanese and many other languages I wasn't sure of. I found one for myself! (Can you guess which one it is?) Next time I pass by I'll donate one of two. What a wonderful concept!

I would recommend taking larger donations of English books to the AWC library at GGG Basel West or to Centrepoint.

http://www.centrepoint.ch/
http://www.awcbasel.org/

Happy Summer Reading!!

Piles and Piles of CLOTHES!

Ah clothes! Piles and piles of clothes! I suspect you have a closet full waiting for a new home.  I have an even stronger suspicion that you would LOVE some "new" clothes, right?

Well how about hosting a clothes exchange?? Also known as "bare naked lady party," though you don't really need to strip down to your skivvies. I've done it myself a few times (not the striping down) and had a blast! Get all your friends together and make mountains of clothes on the floor. Pick and choose and help support your friends all with a glass of wine in hand.

All you need is a place to host, a day or night of the week, good friends and LOTS of clothes! I also enjoy sorting through accessories. Try exchanging kids clothes and toys too. Give it a go and get some "new" clothes for FREE and feel way good about recycling!

Animals! Animaux! Tiere!

If you live in the TriRhena area you've probably heard about Basel Zoo, but do you know about the special discounts? Have you heard of Lange Erlen? What about the Mulhouse Zoo? Monkey Mountain? How about a shopping trip in Germany, animals included?

At the Basel Zoo the entry fees are quite high, so buying a Family Pass is recommended. What many people are not aware of is that the Family Pass doesn't run from March to March, but rather from November to March, meaning you can get FOUR extra months out of your pass! You may think, why would I go to the zoo in the winter? There are quite a few reasons: the fish, the great ape house (opening July 1st!), the amphibians, the café - all inside!



Also try the zoo in Mulhouse! Or see MONKEYS at Monkey Mountain not far from Mulhouse. Try getting a group together for a cheaper rate!

More animals! Try Lange Erlen not far from the Badischer Bahnhof (German train station in Basel). This is an outdoor park with many animals, a kinder autobahn, the Wiese River nearby and different activities throughout the year. Entry is FREE!

You can even head over to the Rhein Center in Weil am Rhein for your weekly shopping trip and at the same time take a tour of the large pet shop on the 2nd floor. Free is a very good price and you can get a look at little creatures that aren't considered zoo-material like bunnies, mice and koi fish! You can also head outside and pass over the pedestrian bridge to get a look at the swans and ducks on the french side!

Check out the links below for more information:

http://www.zoobasel.ch/e/index.php
http://www.zoo-mulhouse.com/
http://www.montagnedessinges.com/anglais/index.htm
http://www.erlen-verein.ch/
http://www.rheincenter.com/