The hotel in Strasbourg was too damned hot. There was no air-conditioning, only a heater (that was on when we arrived). Left the window open all night which helped a little. But also in the bathroom there was a hot water pipe heater that kept the bathroom super hot (we kept the door closed to contain the heat - which of course meant my washing all dried overnight which was a bonus!). Woke up at 6:15, which was a sleepin!
Breakfast in the hotel was also complete chaos and there wasn't enough seats for everyone. We eventually found a table for six, but noone else from our group joined us.
We had a different coach driver today - our previous one (Dorrell sp??) had to have a mandatory break day, and then was going to pick up another tour. The new one had the radio on which was a bit annoying (talk shows and advertising in foreign languages made for just noise. Someone eventually asked them to turn it off which was good.
View southwest along the Ill River from Pont de la Dordogne
Had a pitstop north of Basel, then crossed the border into Switzerland. Had to wait about ten minutes at the border crossing.
In Basel we picked up another local guide and went for a bit of a walking tour. Didn't really see that much, just walked past the Fish market, the Rathaus and up into Barfüsserplatz and then it was lunch time and we had an hour off. But we had no idea what there even was to see. So we asked where the tourist information was, and also toilets. But the guide just said go to a café to go to the toilet (not much use if you weren't going to any cafés) and pointed at the wrong place for the tourist information. Not a terribly useful guide. Anyway, I saw a big i so we headed for that, and got ourselves a map. Walked past the Münster and down to one of the bridges to look along the Rhine, then headed back. Found a free toilet next to the tram ticket office.
Fischmarkt-Brunnen (Fish market fountain)
Basel Rathaus
Basel Rathaus
Statue of Lucius Munatius Plancus in the Rathaus
Ornate doorway in the Rathaus
Fountain in the Rathaus
Interior courtyard in Basel Rathaus
Tower of Basel Rathaus
Then the tour carried on. But all it did was take us to the Münster (which we went inside) and the cloisters next door. And then it was raining. Quite heavily. So we tramped down the hill to where we could take a tram up the hill to our hotel, and that was the end of the tour. And at that stage it would have been the end of the day and it was only around 3pm. So it would have been a complete dud of a day.
Basler Münster (Basel Minster)
The Bishop's House off Rittergasse
Basler Münster
Basel from Wettsteinbrücke (Wettstein Bridge)
Basel from Wettsteinbrücke (Wettstein Bridge)
Basilisk sculpture
Photo by Mum
Interior of Basel Minster
Stained glass windows in Basel Minster
Stained glass windows in Basel Minster
Interior of Basel Minster
Stained glass windows in Basel Minster
Basler Münster (Basel Minster)
Cloisters of Basel Minster
Basler Münster (Basel Minster)
Bronze model of Basel Minster
Except.
The sun came out.
So we headed out again to take advantage of the sunlight.
Took a tram all the way down to the other side of the Rhine over Mittlere Rheinbrücke, then walked all the way back, stopping at many of the things that were in bad lighting earlier, and seeing a couple of extra things too. Added another five thousand steps to the day.
Basel from Mittlere Brücke
The Rhine River from Mittlere Brücke
Martinskirche and Basel from Mittlere Brücke
Tram crossing Wettsteinbrücke
Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge)
The Amazon sculpture by Carl Burckhardt
Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge)
kHaus Cultural Centre
Basel Rathaus
Basel Rathaus
One of the buildings of Basel Minster
Cloisters of Basel Minster
Cloisters of Basel Minster
Tethered ferry service across the Rhine
Cargo ship passing under Wettsteinbrücke
Cargo ship and tram crossing Mittlere Brücke
Basel from Basler Pfalz
Wettsteinbrücke
Basler Münster (Basel Minster)
St George and the dragon on Basel Minster
Basel Historical Museum - Barfüsserkirche
Offene Kirche Elisabethen (Open Church Elisabethen)
Offene Kirche Elisabethen (Open Church Elisabethen)
Photo by Mum
Offene Kirche Elisabethen (Open Church Elisabethen)
Interior of Open Church Elisabethen
The hotel is fairly nice, with a double-sinked bathroom and toilet with separate door. Although we have a courtyard-facing room so the view is nothing special.
Dinner in the hotel restaurant was quite nice. But even though I hadn't eaten anything more substantial than an apple since breakfast, I still couldn't finish it.
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