Basel, Switzerland

If you have been reading my blog you know that we took a river cruise on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel.  Scroll back to see the previous posts about the trip.

April 2, Easter Monday was disembarkation day.  We learned very quickly that Switzerland is expensive from the short taxi we took from the ship to our hotel.  If we'd known where it was we may have walked it.

Being Easter Monday most everything was closed as we quickly learned by walking the streets of the downtown.  Most of these town photos are devoid of pedestrians.

We then figured out the tram system which we had a free pass on thankfully and headed over to the train station and Tourist Information.  We wanted to see the Alps so we gathered information from the very helpful agent at the TI and walked over to Burger King to make our decision.  Food is expensive too!

We decided that a trip to Lucerne, one hour by train and then to the top of Mt. Pilatus by cable cars and gondolas would give us the view of the Alps we wanted.  So Tuesday was planned. Advanced preview photo below of the Alps.

Wednesday our last full day there would be devoted to visiting several of the many museums in Basel.  Below is the one we spent all morning in.  Front was under renovation.

That left Thursday morning's trip to the airport.  When we spoke to the hotel manager about getting a taxi.  He said take the tram to the RR Station then the bus from there to the airport.  Our free transit passes would mean the cost would be nil!

So here are the last posts I'll have about our trip.

Lucerne

Mt. Pilatus

Basel Museums

Other interesting things about Basel

Mother's Day

This is the 100th year of my mother's birth.  She has been gone since September 2013, but her legacy as a mother lives on

in the lives of her daughters.  Here we are pictured below: Bonnie, Suzie, Marie, Mom, and me.

This year I sent Mother's Day cards to my sisters.

I also sent them to my daughters to let them know how proud we are of the mothers they are.

Happy Mother's Day!

Alsatian Town of Riquewihr

We docked in Breisach, Germany but on the other side was France.  Dan chose the bike tour again, staying in Germany and biking almost to the Black Forest.  It was a rather strenuous ride only because the guides had them stop in a coffee shop for hot cocoa and then realized they needed to back in less time than it took them to bike there.  Plus it was uphill!

I chose France and a visit to this town in Alsace.

The description said "Step back in time this morning with a visit to the enchanting Alsatian town of Riquewihr.  Having survived World War II without damage, this charming 

medieval hamlet looks more or less the same as it did in the 16th century.  On your walking tour, admire Riquewihr's historical architecture, frozen in time, and its surrounding vineyards as well as famous sights such as the Older Gate.  while there, enjoy a visit to a winery for a tasting of locally produced Alsatian wines."

The wine tasting happened early: 10 am!  But I did partake.

We had an informative tour and then time to shop which I did with success for granddaughters and myself.

It was a very colorful town.

Dolder Gate above on right.

Here's the old wall around the town.

You have to be connected to the town in order to buy property here.  Someone in our group asked about that.

I never saw a stork but here's the nest of one.  They can be quite heavy so most houses have a special place for the stork to nest instead of the chimney.

Next stop Basel, Switzerland and time to disembark.

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Strasbourg, France

Saturday, March 31st brought us to Strasbourg, a sizable French city.

The river was filled with swans as we docked.

As I wrote last time the rich food of the night before kept me onboard for the morning.  I used the time to walk the track and read.

Though it was Saturday I saw the container shipping yard across the way load barges with containers.  Strasbourg is the second largest port on the Rhine.  We were docked in the midst of it and had to rely on busses to take us to town.

Dan took a guided bike tour of the city.  He's there in green.

After he returned and we lunched we took the shuttle bus to the city center so he could show me some of what I missed.

The city center is a World Heritage Site.  The town has been violently disputed between France and Germany for years. 

Being Saturday of the Easter weekend the streets were filled with people.  These were the biggest crowds we'd experienced.  I'm not big on walking in crowded areas in Europe or anywhere.

The city's main sight is the Cathedral Notre Dame de Strasbourg coming into view above as we walked a less congested side street.  And below where it looked like one spire was never finished.

There was a line to enter.

This style is much more ornate than the Cathedral in Speyer.

Inside Dan pointed out this spectacular window.

The cathedral has an astronomical clock somewhat hidden by scaffolding.

Dan called the pole on the left a totem pole.  Close up below.

Back outside we walked back to catch the shuttle to the ship leaving the crowds behind.