Monday 8th August 2016 – Basel, Switzerland (day trip)

Today we took further advantage of the Konus free travel card and went down to Basel in Switzerland for a flying visit.  The journey took about an hour and a half by train.  As with most journeys, we had to change trains at Bad Krozingen, but this time we managed to get off at the right station!  As it was just a day excursion, we only had time to experience a flavour of what Basel has to offer but we liked what we saw.
The thing we will probably remember most about Basel is the central part the Rhine plays in the life of the city.  In most cities, the river seems to be just there, apart from being used as another means of extracting money from the tourist by taking them on boats trips. But in Basel, the Rhine is definitely at the centre of daily life for the local people and the banks of the river are full of people of all ages enjoying the water either by poodling at the edges or by swimming in it.  

                   

                Views of the Rhine

Whilst we observed from the bridge, tens of people sped along the water beneath us, ostensibly swimming but moving at a furious rate with the current.  Most of them had a Basel “Wickelfisch” floating alongside them or under them.  The “Wickelfisch” is  a watertight bathing sack sold in most stores around the river.  It keeps clothes dry whilst you swim and means you can be ready for a swim at any time.  Simply put your bag in the Wickelfisch, along with your clothes, attach it to you and off you go (assuming you have bathers with you).  It also seemed to be used as a float.

        

                                     Swimming with a “Wickelfisch”

There are four ferries across the Rhine,solely driven by current.

                                Ferry across the Rhine

The Tinguely Fountain is entirely different from anything we’ve seen before.  It was designed by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely and is made up of a number of water driven mechanical contraptions that continuously spoon, spew and fling water in various directions in a very un-choreographed way.  It was oddly mesmerising.

                     

                                           Tinguely Fountain, Basel

Perhaps even more surprising was the arrival of the man charged with the task of maintaining the fountain, with his car boot full of drive belts and replacement parts, who donned his wellies and waded in for a full tour of inspection. I wonder just how many of our fountains would have been tended so meticulously.

We have seen almost too many ornately decorated Town Halls already on this trip but it must be said that the City Hall on Basel knocks your socks off.  The red façade and the frescoes are quite breath taking.

       

                   

                                                                                                                                                                               City Hall Basel

         

            Statue of Munatius Plancus, the founder of the first Roman settlement in the Basel region - City Hall, Basil


                          
            The ugliest fountain we have ever seen – City Hall, Basel

The Cathedral in Basel is noted for its observation platform, offering a splendid view of the city, but being simply too tired to bother, we just toured the cathedral itself. 

                                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Basel Cathedral

Basel Cathedral does not look at all spectacular from the outside as cathedrals go, but the internal architecture matches any we have seen.  There is not much stained glass, but the few windows it does have are wonderful.  We happened to visit during the exhibition by the Basel University Library of the 1516 edition of The New Testament.  Basel has close links with Erasmus and his funeral took place in this cathedral.