Switzerland as Home

Switzerland enters the passage through a conversation about homesickness. Asked whether the country is missed, the speaker answers that it is, in a way, then locates that feeling more precisely in Basel: the city is missed more than Switzerland itself. The distinction makes national belonging personal and particular, anchored not in an abstract homeland but in a city with its own remembered character.

Basel and the Borders

The speaker describes Basel as divided by the Rhine into Great Basel and Small Basel, halves with different styles and attitudes. Its position where three countries meet gives the city an unusually close relation to its borders: France, Switzerland, and Germany lie within a few kilometres, making it possible to breakfast in France, lunch in Switzerland, and dine in Germany without leaving the city’s immediate vicinity. That compact geography helps explain why Basel, rather than the country alone, is the focus of the speaker’s longing.