While we are in Basel, we may as well stroll over the “Mittleri Brugg”, the Middle (or Central) Bridge. Even though today’s structure was built in 1905, the original bridge goes back to the year 1225, which makes it the first (and for a while only) Rhine crossing. The structure with the colored roof tiles ahead, behind the Swiss flag, is the “Käppelijoch”; originally, this was where one had to pay the bridge toll. Later, it also served as a place of public punishment. For example, women convicted of adultery where shackled and thrown into the Rhine from there, as were men convicted of bigamy or mistreatment of their parents. Looking down into the river these days, one is more likely to see a “Waidlig”, a craft surprisingly tricky to handle in the current with just one oar.