奇速英语

How do you get to work? Walk? Bus? Train? River? The last one might sound abnormal, but it is a route of travel for people in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Here, the Rhine river has become a famous swimming spot and one that some people even use as a mode of transportation, floating along with their belongings stored in waterproof bags.

To get from point A to point B, people in Basel don’t simply dive in with their clothes on, but instead pack their belongings into a Wickelfisch that will keep everything dry until they’ve reached their destination. This has made the Wickelfisch a popular accessory in Basel, where it can be found on sale in lots of shops.

Strong swimmers are encouraged to enjoy the stretch between the Wettsteinbrücke and Johanniterbrücke bridges and let the current do the work. Given rivers are typically one-directional (though they do sometimes run backwards) you’re looking at a return journey on foot, but drifting down a river to work is a dreamy way to start the day.

Basel isn’t alone in using the river for recreation and the occasional commute (通勤), reports Business Insider. There are also swimmers in Bern — Switzerland’s capital city — who have used the Aare River as a means of transport, floating along with waterproof bags.

“I only had like 30 seconds walking from my office to the river,” Evelyn Schneider-Reyes, a local resident, told Le News. “I had an ‘Aare Bag’, where I put all my clothes, my smartphone, wallet and shoes. I put on my bathing suit and swam home.”

Considering that emissions data has found more traditional routes of commute like planes, trains, and automobiles to be the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, perhaps it’s time more of us got creative with our journeys to the office.