Heading to Basel to meet up with Fränzi later this afternoon. This is the only time we can meet up as she and Marcel will be going on vacation starting tomorrow. I left on the earlier train as Michael has work to do, so he will take the later train. The train I’m on has stops in Spiez, Thun, Bern, and Olten but I don’t have to switch trains anywhere along the way to Basel.
Our friend Fränzi, from Bern, is working at the Flâneur Festival in Basel. We stopped by for a quick visit over dinner.
We met Fränzi over 10 years ago when she was still working at Kambly, the biscuit (cookie for us Americans) company. She is a fantastic and creative cook and baker. She now is working at a company where she is experimenting making different flavors for gelato. In October, she switches and makes panettone.
If you think these are French fries, then you are mistaken. This is actually gelato made from frozen potatoes. It is absolutely delicious!!!! Who would have guessed!! If you blindfolded me and made me guess the main ingredient; I would never have guessed frozen potatoes. It is sweet like gelato and has the same texture as gelato, too. It is actually vegan for all our vegan friends. The ketchup and mayo are made with different ingredients, too. Any guesses???? The ketchup substitute may be easier to guess than the mayo.
Are my ears ringing because people are saying yuck to the French fries? How do you know you don't like it if you haven't tried it?
Michael and I got the recipe so we will try to make it once we are home in Scottsdale.
Do I look like an information kiosk? I guess I do as so many people come up to me and ask for directions. I had it happen while waiting for the train and there was a person from the Interlaken information office standing about 3 feet from me. How could people miss this person as he was wearing a shirt with the information symbol? I even had two people come up to me in Basel.
From Thun to Bern, there is quite a bit of farming. A farmer drove by with a piled up mound of potatoes in the truck. Red and green lettuce, leeks, and cabbage are growing alongside the railroad tracks. Apples are being picked.
The announcement coming into Bern was late. He only said it is German. Usually, it is also given in French and English.
There are two engines on this train: one in front and one in the back. The train coming into Bern reverses direction so the back of the train coming from Interlaken now becomes the front of the train going to Basel. I like to ride facing forward so I switched seats to the direction of travel.
Basel is Switzerland's third-largest city and also one of the region’s main financial and cultural centers. Its position beside the mighty Rhine River has contributed to its growth as a key trade and transportation center.
Basel is a city on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland, close to the country’s borders with France and Germany. Its medieval old town centers around Marktplatz, dominated by the 16th-century, red-sandstone Town Hall. Its 12th-century Gothic cathedral has city views, and contains the tomb of the 16th-century Dutch scholar, Erasmus. The city’s university houses some of Erasmus’ works.
Basel's Town Hall, a 500-year-old building dominating the Marktplatz, is one of the icons of the city. The German term "Rathaus" literally means "council house" while the local Basel German dialect term "Roothus" means both "council house" but also sounds like "red house", a pun with reference to the red sandstone facade of the building.
The Basel Münster is the most outstanding religious building in the city and one of the most important in the country.
"One of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of Basel, it adds definition to the cityscape with its red sandstone architecture and colored roof tiles, its two slim towers and the cross-shaped intersection of the main roof."
It is characterized by two high towers of more than 60 meters. From these towers are some of the best views of the city and the Rhine River.
The cathedral, originally a Catholic Cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant Church, dates from the thirteenth century, although it has been rebuilt on numerous occasions due to damage.
"During the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation, many valuable pieces of art belonging to the city of Basel and the Münster were destroyed in 1528 and 1529. Numerous citizens stormed many of the churches in Basel, some of them by armed force in order to demolish religious paintings and statues. Huldrych Zwingli, an influential church reformer, condemned the worship of God in the form of pictures as idolatry."
Lit candles and wrote in the large book of prayers.
Wrote prayer requests, too.
"A group of 40 armed men is said to have ascended to the minster from the crowded market place at approximately 1 pm on 9 February 1529. After a first attack on the church, during which an altarpiece was tipped over and smashed, they departed for reinforcements. The chaplains took the opportunity to lock the gates of the Münster. The returning mob of 200 loud and rowdy men assaulted and finally smashed through the barrier. Once inside the church, they destroyed altars, crucifixes, and images of the Virgin Mary and saints. In the course of the afternoon the iconoclasm extended to other churches in Basel as well."
"The Münster is an architectural jewel, as it combines a Gothic exterior with a Romanesque interior.
The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The late Romanesque building, destroyed by the 1356 Basel earthquake, was rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd, who was at the same time employed for building the Freiburg Münster. Ulrich von Ensingen, architect of the towers at the Ulm minster and the lStrasbourg Cathedral, extended the building from 1421. Hans Nussdorf completed the southern Martinstower (after St. Martin) in 1500.
I always enjoy when there is music being played.
The mighty Rhine River flows behind the cathedral.
The heart of Basel is the Rhine River which separates the old town from the new part of the city. It is also a meeting point for locals, especially in summer when there is more ambiance.
Basel locals often come after work or on weekends to picnic on the riverbank and swim in its waters. It is also an area of bars and restaurants where you can stop to eat or have a drink.
Furthermore, it is worth crossing one of the bridges of the city for a view of the old town from the other side of the river.
The Mittlere Brücke is the oldest bridge crossing the Rhine River. It was inaugurated in 1226 and rebuilt in 1905 to enable the passage of the tramway.
It is a place full of romanticism from where you can enjoy fantastic views of the houses located on the banks of the river and the towers of the cathedral.
A stroll through Old Town, known as the Altstadt, is one of the top things to do in Basel. Its cobblestone streets surrounded by picturesque houses make it one of the most beautiful and best-preserved old towns in Europe.
Four passenger ferries cross the river from one bank to the other, using nothing but a steel cable and the current of the water. The ferrymen’s tradition of telling yarns during the journey has continued to this day.
The four ferries “Wilde Maa”, “Leu”, “Vogel Gryff” and “Ueli” operate between the five Rhine bridges in Basel, connecting Grossbasel with Kleinbasel. These public transport options let you cross the Rhine without an engine, using only the force of the river’s current. The Rhine ferries are not only a contemplative pleasure for tourists, but also a pleasant and convenient means of transport for locals and commuters.
In high summer, the river is also the perfect place to take a dip.
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