Bâlehoo

Are you longing for a great steak, but Swiss prices turn your stomach? Head to El Gaucho Restaurant in Lörrach, Germany. This casual Argentinian eatery offers up tasty grilled steaks at reasonable prices. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed and evokes your favorite American steakhouse - right down to the oversized steak knives. Don’t forget to get a baked potato and corn on the cobb on the side. Yum!

El Gaucho Restaurant
Marktplatz 7, 79539 Lörrach (Germany)
Phone +49 7621 168 959
www.elgaucho-loerrach.de

A reader came to me with what I (and my knotty shoulder muscles) view as a critical question: where to find a good spa in Basel? An informal poll yielded the following results:

•Yves Rocher. This Basel shop is not the most soothing or sophisticated of environments but they do offer massages (and waxing services as well) by appointment only. Freie Strasse 11, +41 61 261 10 90
•Kurzentrum Rheinfelden, about 15 minutes away offer spa services that have found repeat customers in some of the most discerning shoulders I know in Basel
•Badenweiler. If you’re really big on spas, why not try Badenweiler - a whole spa town in Germany, less than an hour away from Basel.

If you have a favorite local spa email me at karena.meehan@balehoo.com or post a response here.

(Picture ed: Nothing says “spa” like elephant towel oragami, no?)

Looking for a way to meet other Basel parents? Join these fun Basel Childbirth Trust playgroups:

Bumps and Babes - Wednesdays 11.00-13.00 Pregnant ladies and moms with babes under one year old meet every Wednesday. The group is held in one of the Starbucks branches or in the park depending on the weather - email the coordinators for this week’s location (and to be added to the distribution list). email: bumpsandbabes@gmail.com

Bumps and Bruises - Thursdays 11.00-13.30 Parent and Toddler/Baby group for children approximately 9mths+. We meet every week in The Burg at Burgweg 7 (closest tram stop Wettsteinplatz). During summer months we also meet in Solitude Park. Bring a snack or lunch for you and your child and let your toddler run around in our great facility. email: bumpsandbruises@gmail.com

Beyond Bruises - Fridays 15.00-17.00 When you feel your child has outgrown Bumps and Bruises, Beyond Bruises is where you need to be. Join us Friday afternoons at The Burg, Burgweg 7, 4058 Basel for free play, arts and crafts, music and fun. email: beyondbruises@gmail.com

Empty ice tray? No worries. We Americans buy ice! And thankfully there are resources in Basel to do so - although not in the supermarket. Crushed ice can be purchased from Bahnhof Kuhlhaus in Basel. 20 kg is CHF10. The phone directory listing is Frigosuisse AG, Munchensteinerstrasse 93, Basel, 061 337 4111. The people working in the office often don’t speak much English, but they are very friendly and helpful (and, luckily “eis” sounds a lot like “ice”).

Finding them is a bit of a challenge, but if you are driving from the direction of the SBB, you will make a left at the first light past the M Park entrance. There is an old pale grey house. You’ll drive past that house and down a small hill into the back of a warehouse area. Keep driving and you’ll eventually see 93 coming up on your right. It is a simple box-shaped warehouse.

Bahnhof Kuhlhaus
Frigosuisse AG
Munchensteinerstrasse 93, Basel
+41 61 337 4111
If the idea of schlepping to a warehouse leaves you cold, MIC Catering, a local catering company, provides ice cubes (and frozen margaritas!). For 11 CHF you get 5 kilos of the cold stuff. Visit the website (German only) or call (they speak English) for more information.

MIC Catering GmbH
Fluhstrasse 11
CH-4153 Reinach
Tel. +41 76 392 0 392

NOTE: A tip from another friend in Basel: Ask your local restaurant if they can supply you with ice on the day of your event.
You’ll find info on this and other hard-to-find items in my “Where Can I Buy” section.