DAY 35 – BASEL SWITZERLAND

Beautiful view of Basel from the shore of
the Rhine River, with the lovely
ancient cathedral rising up in the distance.

I headed out to just wander around, explore, find something to eat. They have an electric rail system here, and I got a free pass from my hotel – but walking seemed more interesting. It’s been raining off and on all night and early morning, but I decide to risk it.

            Fortunately most eating establishments have a menu out front – and although my German is nicht so gut, I know enough to sort out most dishes. Unfortunately most have 42 kinds of bier and drink, but only 3 food items – and an astounding frequency seems to be pasta. Instead I stop in a Pastry shop and grab a brat & cheese in a croissant, and continue on.

            The Rhine River is only a mile away, so I head towards the water. The Rhine runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea. It’s the second longest river in Europe, and I’ve wanted to get to it since a friend did a Rhine River Cruise a few years ago.

            As I’ve wandered these past few weeks, I’ve noticed that lots of these little neighborhoods have florist shops – far more common than in the cities I’ve lived in the past 20 years. And these seem to keep pretty busy. Both men and women coming out with bunches of flowers – and it reminds me how nice it is to have fresh flowers in the house. Something I haven’t done in many years.

            Eventually I decide on a restaurant for dinner, and although I planned on eating something more uniquely Swiss – when I saw the burger ordered at a nearby table, I opted for that. I don’t eat a lot of burgers (and I’m especially not too keen on fast food) – but this burger was FABULOUS! The meat was so flavorful. Sandrine keeps telling me about fabulous meat she gets from a local farmer in France, and that’s exactly what this tasted like. Probably the best burger I’ve ever had in my life. (What on earth are we doing to our food in the U.S.???)

            Post dinner I head back toward the hotel, but not without stopping at a little Coffee House that serves Tiramisu – which was the perfect ending to a lovely day wandering around Basel Switzerland.