大象传媒

Basel - 446 miles travelled

Rather like a trusty old motor, the citizens of Basel seem to need a while to work through the gears when it comes to Euro 2008.

The tournament opens with here at the St Jakob-Park on Saturday (or, to use Uefa speak, match day minus three), so the locals can be forgiven for going about their everyday business without getting too carried away just yet.

But if, as the days tick down to the big kick-off, they adopt the same energy and enthusiasm to the tournament that they exhibit when playing a real-life game of frogger in an attempt to avoid the trams in the city centre then there is no cause for concern.

There is a definite sense that the final coat of paint is being applied to preparations. In Marktplatz on Wednesday afternoon, carpenters were busy putting the finishing touches to the official merchandise store, while images of Frank Rijkaard looking perplexed in a dugout appeared intermittently on the big screens erected on either side of a bridge over the Rhine.

A pamphlet at the tourist information centre assures readers that the cathedral square - - is one of the most beautiful in Europe. The hope over the next few weeks must be that it will also be transformed into one of the most atmospheric.

As I wandered around the perimeter of the aforementioned square, there were relatively few of the quaint cobbles to be seen, many of them obscured by temporary seating areas that have been erected adjacent to a giant screen. A screen, it must be said, that sits somewhat incongruous to the giant and historic spire next to it.

The advertising executives and shop owners of Basel cannot be accused of failing to maximise the potential that comes with hosting a major sporting event in your own backyard.

Just about the first sight that greeted me as the bus drove out of the airport was the huge image of several Chelsea players, John Terry among their number, smiling down benignly from an advertisement for televisions. There must be a cruel Moscow-fuelled irony in there somewhere.

And throughout the city, football is currently being used as a tool to sell just about anything. Model trains, lingerie, food, electronic goods, supermarket produce, books - you name it and I more or less guarantee football is selling it.

No exception to this trend is Bergli Books, which specialises in English language editions and has the obligatory football paraphernalia in the window.

Andrew, who runs the shop, posted on my last blog with a few suggestions about stuff to do in Basel, so I popped in for a chat.

He believes everything will be completed on time and that to question Swiss efficiency would be foolhardy.

With the Euros in mind, he had invited , Britain's first Asian professional footballer and now a resident of Basel, to give a talk at his establishment.

Cited by some as the inspiration behind the film Bend it Like Beckham, Permi explained to a cross-section of ex-pats why they should be excited at the prospect of Euro 2008. She was, given the number of Americans in the room, also asked to talk through the basics of the offside rule.

But the buzz in the city is not just about the football. The Art Basel festival attracts thousands of people - further intensifying the demand for hotel rooms - and runs until Sunday.

On my flight from Heathrow on Wednesday morning, I'd overheard a conversation between an Englishman and an Indian gentleman, discussing the price of art and their forthcoming sales.

They seemed like the sort of people who would have felt at home walking down the concourse at Heathrow's brand spanking new , past Prada, Gucci and Gordon Ramsay's restaurant - 拢16.50 for an English breakfast.

Give me high-street discounts, a meal deal and a conversation about football any day of the week.