My fav Cafés in Basel
I went to a new Café yesterday. Many are blossoming across town these days, which is great because I looooove discovering new places where I can write, edit a podcast or meet a friend while sipping a delish cappuccino and eating a Laugengipfeli!
It reminded me of the blogpost I wrote 5 years ago: Basel Top 5 Cafés and since a lot has changed since, I decided to write a new list for anyone who is new in town or is looking for inspiration, here is the new top 5:
Joyne, Spalenberg: because of the living-room-feeling plus I get so much inspiration being surrounded by all the beautiful items that are for sale.
Zum Goldigen Velo / Human Gardening, Iselin: for the fireplace, the vintage furniture and the friendliness of the staff.
La Boulangerie, Klein-B: for their healthy options and their pastries that are very different from what you can find everywhere else in town.
Café Smilla, Neubad: because it also feels like sitting in a beautiful living room plus the forest is just around the corner, perfect place to combine with a forest walk.
Re : Cafe und Unverpackt, Allschwil: for the friendliness of the Owner Suzi, the Aussie Flat white, the quality of the products and the closeness to the forest, also great to combine with a walk in Nature.
The new Café I visited yesterday didn’t make it in the top 5 because something was missing.
It looked like they were doing everything ‘right’ and that everything was there: the good coffee, the organic milk, the vegan options, the wooden furniture, the golden cuttleries. They were definitely trying their best, they knew what you needed to do to make it a hipster place and yet it felt like the hipster soul was missing, as if they were not convinced by the concept & vibe themselves. It didn’t feel aligned.
It made me think about 2 things :
The first one is that I could launch a new business and become a Café Consultant. My work would be: advising Café Owners on how to hipsterize their business! I think I would do a great job! I’m joking of course! But also not joking! :P
And the second more serious one is : when do I do things in order to appear the ‘right’ way but it’s not aligned with who I am ?
First I thought: I never do that! I’m authentic! But then I noticed: actually, I do it every time I want to please someone and put my needs second ! Every time I’m not honest with others & myself. Every time I say something because I know my counterpart expects me to reply in a certain way and would be upset if I’d reply another way! And these instances can be soooo subtle sometimes that I barely notice them! But they still happen. Sometimes to ‘avoid conflict’ or because I think ‘they wouldn’t understand’.
So I keep noticing and practicing being more aligned with myself to not just ‘appear’ aligned.
It’s a real practice to observe what we say, how we say it and how it makes us feel in the moment as well as after the conversation. What helped me a lot recently was to pause before speaking and ask myself: do I need to say that right now? Will it serve anyone to share that? Do I want to share because I want to be right? Why do I want to share? What’s behind that impulse? It’s almost like a dance between my energy and my counterpart’s energy - do I step forward or do I keep standing right here?
And then when some situations catch me off-guard and my dance is off-rhythm, then I practice being gentle with myself.
Your turn:
Where in your life does it appear like everything seem perfect on the surface but isn’t aligned with who you are on the inside?
Which Café is your fav in Basel or wherever you live in the world?
