When in Basel…

Most bigger European cities have thier architectural sore thumbs sticking out in the traditional city landscape. These are usually works of modern architecture towering over old city centers and while not necessarily ugly, they definately seem somewhat out-of-place. In Paris, for example, the modern, asbestos-ladden Tour Montparnasse pokes out of a typically uniform city where building rarely depasse the 8 story mark. At 59 stories, it rises way above the Parisian skyline and man, is it an eye-sore in a rather beautiful city. In Lyon, the city skyline is broken by a big red crayon, otherwise known as the Tour du Credit Lyonnais.

That brings us to the Swiss city of Basel (or Bale as it is known in French) where the tallest building of Switzerland, the Messeturm, stands a towering (drum-roll, please) 105 m (344 ft) tall with 32 floors (quite puney really when compared to the Tour Montparnasse, or many an American skyscraper for that matter). In Basel, a relatively small big city (as are many Swiss cities), the blue tower does stand out. Now, this building, which is home to a Ramada hotel and some office buildings would hardly be worth mentioning if it wasn’t for the bar located on the 31st floor, the famous Bar Rouge.

When you first walk into the Messeturm, it is the typical building, nothing too impressive. There is a hotel bar/dining area and arrows pointing you to the elevators. A special elevator takes you up to the 31st floor where a glowing red light greets you; it is called the bar rouge, after all. The entire bar is surrounded by floor to cieling windows which offer an impressive view of the city. The atmosphere is nice, the drinks expensive and the view of Basel breath-taking (but then again, it is just another view from a skyscraper in an otherwise skyscraper-less city). One half of the Bar Rouge is a bar and the other half is a restaurant/lounge. And as the name would suggest, mostly everything is red: the walls, the floors, the furnishing, etc. It is actually quite kitsch, but it is a nice place to enjoy a drink and a view of Basel.

This is just the typical bar. Right. But then, after a few drinks, you feel your bladder beginning to give and you begin looking for the restroom. The arrow points down. You walk down a few steps and contrasting the red from above, you are greeted with an strange green light. Ok… You push open the door to the bathroom and chose your stall. As you sit down on the toilet, you find yourself saying, “Well, this is a nice view.” You do your business facing the window, admiring the view of Basel. “What a strange set-up,” you think as you are washing your hands but you really don’t think too much of it. You head back to the bar.

It was overall a nice spot. You enjoyed yourself and you got a great panoramic view of Basel by night. You head towards the elevator and make your way back down to the ground level of the building. As you exit the building, you are reminded of the toilets. What if… Nah, it couldn’t be. They have to be the windows where you can see out but they can’t see in. But as you step out into the Messe Platz, you are tempted to make sure. You look up at the Basel Messeturm. The red light from the bar catches your eye, but it is the green light one floor below that stops you in your tracks. There, on the 30th floor, you make out little figures moving around. In disbelief, you blink you eyes a few times, you take another look. Sure enough, people are sitting on toilets, peeing into urinals, washing their hands and doing what not, completely oblivious to the fact that the whole city can see them.

You are reminded of the green light in the restroom, the goregeous view and then it hits you.  The city of Basel down below and a green light from a distant tower.  In a Gatsby-esque moment, the people of the city, drawn to the green aura, turn towards the blue Massetrum.  And there up above, shadow in the green light, you are peeing completely unawares that below, a city is watching you just as you are watching it.