On Saturday
we visited Basel as planned. It was the weekend of the
Art Basel (huge art exhibit where it is all for sale!) but we did not go as I am not really keen on rubbing elbows with the likes of Brad Pitt... you know me. Down to earth, American girl that has an
excess of salad. Yes... and the tickets were expensive, so we skipped it and took in the sites of the city and paid our respects to the
Van Gogh exhibition (also very full with tourists and not cheap, but very well done...I would recommend it).
The
Tinguely Fountain near the Elisabethenkirche provided hours of endless fascination (many others must agree as there are
tons of videos on YouTube). I think Jace wants to build one in our backyard one day. I believe I read in the Lonely Planet that these scultural fountains are done by the same artist that did those outside the
Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Then it was on to the center of town where the Rathaus stands in all its glory. On Saturday many were also in attendance for the market. It was really lovely - lots of cheese, fresh fruit and veg, and flowers.
We then walked through the old town to the Rhein and across the Mittlere Brücke. It really was a glorious day.
We ended up on the other side of the river again, taking a VERY COOL means of transport that I will highlight tomorrow... the cable ferry boats!
Thanks for the tip again, Don M. They were awesome. The boat took us right to the
Basel Münster church, one of the most stunning architectural buildings in Basel, completely made of red sandstone.
I would highly recommend Basel for a day trip - not sure if there is enough to see to warrant an entire weekend. But it was lovely and I can imagine a Rhein river cruise or a walk along the river would have been great as well!
---
This is an essential for anyone thinking about living in Switzerland.
Buy it now via Amazon UK
or
pre-order your Amazon.com copy today!
Thank you for supporting Swisstory by shopping on Amazon.
8 comments:
Love your photos of the church! Oh, and a river cruise sounds lovely...
But you forgot the zoo! There's lots to see even if you venture slightly away, and then you've got the little towns in France...
Great photos of the area. I used to live about 4kms down the road in France there.
Lovely shots, and yes that church is so beautiful. Was last there in March on my visit with the boat ride.
Don't mention the zoo! :) Jace love the zoo. Now we will have to go back! :)
I think next time we will have to go to France, too. Please do recommend a quaint little village or two! :)
I passed through Basel on my first trip to Switzerland a few years ago. I agree, it's a lovely city. Mysteriously quiet for a city. One of those cities you can just stroll about in.
I'm loving the sound of a Saturday market! But um, yes, I'm still waffling about the price to see Van Gogh's exhibit...
I'm sure if you ran into Brad Pitt he wouldn't mind being offered salad. :)
Looks like a relaxing trip, great to know that it can be done in a day trip.
There is a Tinguely structure at Zurich-horn - it's pretty amazing. I really enjoyed these posts about Basel. And I agree with Expat Traveler, go back and see the Zoo!
It's a bit further afield, but I really love Comar and Strasbourg in France. Great weekend trips!!
Post a Comment