Mt. Pilatus

In order to see the Alps while we were in Switzerland we needed to get up high.  We accomplished that with our trip to Lucerne from Basel and from there to the top of Mt. Pilatus.

First we caught the tram a half block from the hotel.

That took us to the train station.

Once in Lucerne we got a bus and told the driver where we wanted to go so he told us the stop.

We followed the signs pointing the way up a hill passing this lovely church.

See the red and white signs up ahead?  That's the spot to get the cable car to that mountain in the distance.

Here's Dan in the cable car as we leave.  Each cable car seats 4.  We had it to ourselves.

We get above the town very fast.

There are two stops along the way and we made the mistake of getting out before we realized it was too soon.  So we clamored into the next car.

This mountain isn't just a destination at the top.  In the summer there are all sorts of venues including a rope park, tree tenting, and hiking trails.  On the other side is a cog railroad accessed by a ferry from downtown Lucerne.  It was too early in the season for that to be running.

We changed to a gondola at the second stop.  It was much bigger.

Here's Dan at the top.  

If it were summer time you could take a short hike to the actual top.

It was still winter.

View of the Alps.

Here's a gondola heading up as we await our turn to go down.

Still time to explore Lucerne before catching the train back to Basel.

Basel's Gothic Cathedral

The Basel Cathedral or Minster sits on a hill above the Rhine River.  It was a favored spot of the Celts and then the Romans.  Now the area around the cathedral is the Munsterplatz.

Its built of red sandstone between 1019 and 1500.  

This statue is on the front of the Cathedral is a saint slaying a dragon.  See that the spear has penetrated the dragon's head?

Across the Platz is the bishop's residence.  Prince-bishops ruled the city until the Reformation.

The church is now Reformed Protestant, quite a change inside from the Catholic Churches.

On the other side there looks to be a monastery that would have been associated with the Cathedral when it was Catholic.  Tombstones hang on the walls of the covered walkways.

Basel: Three Tidbits

Tidbits, curiosities, or striking sights.  Whatever you want to call them, they get captured in a photo and call out to be shared here on this blog.

#1

A store window that caught my attention.  What a name for a cigar store?

I wondered if they had to get permission from his descendants to use his name.

#2

View from our window at the East/West Riverside Hotel in Basel.

Notice the specks on the building across the way?

Huge ants are crawling up the side of this building.  We did go in the coffee shop on the ground floor for tea.  We sat in the enclosed backyard.  No ants in sight!

#3

Had to have fondue in Switzerland.

The helpful Tourist Information woman who we returned to see after our trip to Lucerne (subject of another post) recommended two traditional Swiss restaurants to us.  We had the fondue at Walliser Kanne and though we looked up on the iPad how to find it we had a difficult time of it until it suddenly appeared in front of us.

We shared a huge Caesar salad, the fondue, and strawberries Romanoff for dessert.  We were stuffed.

If you get to Basel look for this restaurant.  It's been there since 1947 in a building that's much much older than that.

Basel Rathaus

Easter Monday at 10 o'clock in the morning no one was about except other passengers from our ship. We ran into a couple we had met on board.  

As we wandered about that morning the town hall or Rathaus, a bright red, caught our attention.

Normally there is a market in the square but not this holiday.

We went through the arches to the inner courtyard.

Notice the coat of arms above the door?  I had to ask someone what it was.  It's not a hat but a stylized version of a bishop's crozier or staff, foreshortened of course.  That coat of arms appears everywhere in Basel.  You'll see it in many of the photos I have here.

Quite a magnicent building outside.  I wonder what it looked like inside.

One of many interesting things about Basel.  More to come.