Public transport at the border: The North

My journey takes me north today. The destination is the northernmost public transport stop in Switzerland: Bargen SH. Bargen is not a typical border community. It has maintained its original, agricultural character – despite the highway connection. The village is located in the protected area of Randen, a limestone foothill of the Jura that extends across the western part of the canton.

Via Zurich and Schaffhausen, I reach the sleepy nest just before the German border. Fifteen years ago, on May 21, 2011, we disrupted the peaceful calm with a large-scale civil protection exercise. NIMBUS 2011 was a binational disaster exercise with over 1000 participants. A tanker truck accident in no man's land at the border and a storm-damaged scout camp with 300 children presented significant challenges to the emergency services and command units. Together, we overcame these challenges - what remains is a friendship with two comrades, which we still cherish today with an annual 'Veteran's Day': SEMPER FI.

Of course, I could stay on the bus in Bargen and immediately head back. But since I’m already here, I want to feel the groove of the stronghold of the SVP (58% vote share in the last National Council elections). 'Krone' and 'Löwen' have been closed for years, so the bistro at the MIGROL gas station remains. There, I treat myself – appropriate for the target audience – to a grilled sausage, a bread roll, and a beer that’s so small that it evaporates just by looking at it.

Enough local color, I’m taking the next bus back to Schaffhausen. Everywhere, the signs of the millennium drought are evident. The fields are yellow, the beeches brown, and the Rhine Falls are struggling. But hey, it’s summer. It has been dry before. That’s how it sounds in SVP country.