Day 17 – Thu 26 Jun 14, Basel

Forecast: 9-20 deg C, some clouds; Basel am: 10 deg C; Basel pm: 24 deg C, Listed distance: 0km; Actual distance: 25km; Cumulative distance: 569km; Av speed: 13.5 km/h

We had coffee in bed again – two days in a row! After getting out of bed we did some washing and then had breakfast.  Greg went out on the bike to recce the route to Mulhouse, made it to France and confirmed the route before crossing the Rhine into Germany for a ride.  Wendy visited the pharmacy museum, which she found all on her own.  Entry was CHF 8, but also included entry to the anatomy museum. 

As the anatomy museum did not open until 2pm, Wendy made her way home from the pharmacy museum via some must-see sights in Basel and then the supermarket for lunch supplies whilst Greg had lunch in the train station.  She visited the anatomy museum after lunch and despite nothing being in English, she had a great time looking at all the exhibits, about 1.5 hrs wandering and taking photos. Some of the dissections date back to the early 1900s. 

When Wendy got home Greg was still there, and he suggested we go and see the Basel Cathedral. So off we went on the tram and visited the cathedral, which when it's all seen, is just ABC!  The original building went up in 1019 and the immaculately restored red sandstone exterior adds a different dimension to this massive structure perched high above and overlooking the Rhine.  

Dinner for Wendy was chicken nuggets and salad and Greg had smoked salmon and salad. We also had a kind of vanilla slice for dessert and some beer.

Whilst Basel did not particularly knocked Wendy’s socks off, once she got her bearings and started to know her way around, she did enjoy it more.  We’re both not sure we will be back any time soon though.  The whole of Switzerland is just so very expensive.  We are sure we could spend the same money elsewhere and get a lot more bang for our buck.

The guest house we are staying in is a fantastic idea. Having a kitchen is wonderful, and it would be so much better if we had our own private bathroom.  The WIFI didn’t work very well, and the building seemed to block 3G access as well, so it was quite frustrating at times.



The Pharmacy Museum

The Pharmacy Museum

Carnival or Tinguely Fountain

Large Moon Ladder

"Intersection: 1992"


The Anatomy Museum - a foot and hands



Vegetable & flower stall - a homage to life's proliferation & a memento of death (in a cloister of the Cathedral)


Cathedral walkway

Wild cherries gathered by Greg on his recce

The floral route - just follow the flowers

Munster (Basel Cathedral)

View from Cathedral

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