Oct 2, 2012 - Still in Switzerland - just

Sprinting is hard dragging suitcases!! We thought we would relax until Basel. No such luck! They got the train configuration wrong, so at Biel we had to get off and sprint to the front train and get new seats - the rear train was being detached! Anyway, we made it with seconds to spare! Now to get the heart rates back to normal......

Jul 20, 2012 - Basel, Switzerland

A ½ hour bus ride into the heart of the city; we joined our local guide for a morning walking tour that included – you guessed it – another cathedral, the Basel Munster. This one was lovely but not so ornate. It had beautiful pillars and stained glass windows. Being more of a working city and not so touristy, Basel wasn't as decorated or 'beflower- ed” as Strasbourg or Freiburg. Still there were some beautiful and interesting sights. Today/tonight was our last one of this cruise. We've met some very nice folks and some great waiters that...

May 31, 2012 - Day 14 Venezia to Basel

We were wakened during the night by thunder and lightning again and when we woke this morning, it was still raining. Venice must be sad to see us go. We had some breakfast and then loaded ourselves up for the walk to the vaporetto station and on to the train station. The rain stopped so we had a beautiful walk and arrived with plenty of time to catch our train. There was an interesting couple and young child on the vaporetto with us...they appeared to be having domestic issues and there were lots of snide remarks going back and forth,...

May 23, 2012 - Switzerland

So I’m writing this as we are back on the trains heading to Germany. Tonight we go as far as Basel in Switzerland. About a 7 hour day on the trains. Lovely sunny day but the window is filthy, so can’t see the scenery! Change trains in Milan and again in Zurich, so hope for cleaner windows there! The train trip between Milan and Zurich was lovely. Lakes, waterfalls, snowcovered peaks, cows with bells on and surprisingly quite a lot of vineyards. The train ran along the lake frontages a lot of the time plus lots of tunnels and some viaducts....

May 10, 2012 - Basel

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND I will write about our experiences in Basel soon, but for some general information, here are some exerts from the Lonely Planet – Central Europe chapter on Switzerland: Strangely, given its northerly location, Basel has some of the hottest weather in the country. When the mercury starts rising the city sheds its notorious reserve and just cuts loose. As locals bob along in the fast-moving Rhine River, cool off in the city’s numerous fountains, whiz by on motor scooters, and dine and drink on overcrowded pavements, you...

Apr 9, 2012 - "Avalon" River Cruise - Amsterdam to Basel

First stop next day was Cologne, famous for its magnificent cathedral. It was about the only thing standing after the war. From Koblenz to Rudesheim we traveled through the beautiful Rhine Gorge where we passed about 40 castles and numerous riverside villages. The vineyards along the way were almost vertical. Very hazardous to work in I imagine. In Mainz we went to the Gutenberg museum. Johann Gutenberg printed the first bibles in 1455; about 180 of them on his newly invented printing press. There are about 60 of these bibles still around...

Oct 9, 2011 - Survived the Alps

October 7th Winter has arrived! What a difference, yesterday basking in 29 degrees, today 4 with rain/snow. The first thing we had to do this morning was buy hat and gloves as we had posted them back in July. The good thing about this is that we didn’t do the pass and I didn’t have to cry off. We got the train through the tunnel for 10 minutes and then cycled down through some of the most awe inspiring scenery to date with the clouds adding mystery to glimpses of snow clad rock. We had been tempted to get the train further but were glad we...

May 23, 2011 - Basel

Day 26 May 23rd Basel. Some 1700 kilometres done - sounds pretty impressive. We spent the next 2 nights in David's attic Batchelor pad in the heart of the city. He has recently taken on a years contract with one of pharmaceutical firms in the city. We know David and Jill as they one road away from us at home and Jill and Sue talk whilst walking the dogs. Sadly with Meg gone that has not happened for a while. Jill was out checking that David was being a good boy. Very impressed with the City, which we saw in its best light with delightful...

Apr 24, 2011 - Easter in Basel

Easter Sunday morning Woke to the sound of church bells Realized: I'm going to miss hearing church bells when we're back in Canada The beginning of the sad "leaving" feeling. We travelled from Le Gue aux Biches (St Gildas des Bois, Loire-Atlantique) all the way to Konstanz in one day. It was nice to see "Oma und Opa" again. Visited the Bisons the next day. Dorothea came by train to collect her 3 kids, who'd spent some days with Oma und Opa, and us. We all came to Basel by train on Good Friday. The weather continues unusually summery. We've...

Jan 12, 2011 - Forgetting French and Bypassing Basel

Just a quick update to let folks know where we are. After our lovely Christmas/New Year break, we intended to stay a few more days in Konstanz and then go to Basel for a few days on our way towards southern France. The idea was to give Dorothea and her family a few days to settle back into their routines before we arrived on their doorstep… We were in the midst of packing our bags when the phone call came from Basel that Doro’s older boy was rather sick. It seemed to be the mumps, so the family was concerned lest Kirianne pick it up....

May 16, 2010 - Basel, Switzerland

Saturday 5/15/2010 - Sunday 5/16/2010 - Luzerne, Switzerland - Basel, Switzerland Leaving the rain, cold and otherwise beautiful Luzerne we took the motorcoach for a 1 1/2 hour trip to Basel, Switzerland and step onto the deck of the MS River Harmony, got our room assignment, liberty pass, keys to the room and lunch. Saturday was a settle in day, eat our dinner and 1st night on the River boat. People continued to come aboard well into the night from their respective flights from the USA. So far we have met folks from Minnesota, CA, NJ, NY,...

May 14, 2010 - Our Days in Lucerne, Switzerland

Wednesday, May 12 PM Ed wrote the previous entries, now it's Cindy's turn. BTW - Having difficulty here in Switzerland with internet (and their keyboards are different than ours so using the single PC in the hotel lobby is challenging on many levels - so we'll do what we can). Wednesday's trip was to Mount Rigi where we took a boat ride on Lake Luzerne, then the cable car up, and a cog wheel trail down. At the top we ate at the restaurant, and they had some older musicians including being greated by a man blowing an Alp Horn (it's a long...