Best Western Hotel St Gotthard Basel

... the gift shop, we went to the pedestrian area and I searched for gnocchi. I did not find gnocchi on any menus but I did find an Alsatian restaurant, so we all had flammkuechen and a refreshing Swiss wheat beer (mom opted for the Swiss wine).

We didn't stay out too late because tomorrow my vacation starts and we are getting up somewhat early to begin our road trip across Austria, which I am really looking forward to!

... un petit stock de chocolat.

La ville est vraiment à voir, ne serait ce que pour la cathédrale, au cloitre plein d'anciennes pierres tombales plutôt curieuses en tuf et pour sa crypte peinte de fresques du XIV° siècle. Un autre truc sympa: le jardin botanique et les serres exotiques, près du Spalentor.. et en plus, c'est gratuit :)

... mais c'est déjà dépaysant. après le musée des Beaux Arts le Dimanche Matin, on profite d'un temps digne de celui que j'ai laissé sur Avignon pour aller prendre l'air et la verdure au parc Botanique et zoologique de Mulhouse qui vaut vraiment un détour.

This weekend from the 28th to 30th, Basel is celebrating Klosterbergfest. We decided to check it out last night after work with all our Brazilian friends. These Brazilians are always on the ball with Brazilian-type events and seem to know whenever a new Brazilian is in town, which is why I am continually meeting Brazilians.

Anyway, back to the festival. It was only 2 blocks from my ...

I don't know why it took me this long to learn that there are large Roman ruins only 20 kilometers from Basel, but now that I know I wasted no time in getting there for a visit.

It was a incredibly hot day today and walking between the ruin sites and up and down ancient theatre steps was much more exhausting than you would otherwise expect. However, it was all well worth the trouble.

At Augusta Raurica (founded in 44 BC) there is an open-air museum and ...

... office that outlines the 5 walks and the stops along the way. I walked through Marktplatz to the Rhine, then up the hill to Munsterplatz, and back down another hill eventually returning to Marktplatz. It was a short walk but helped me get my bearings around the city center and see some of the local sights.

... of hours to load up on chocolate and to do some very brief sightseeing. The city center is not very big so it was easy to see a lot just by walking around. I went into a church that had a huge tower on it but when I asked to pay for the tower, the woman answered in German. She babbled on and on and in the end I have no idea what she said except that it was in the negative. So either I was trying to pay at the wrong place or the tower was ...

... Runway 31. Clearence, right turn after take off, direct on course. Advance the power lever just seconds later we are in the air. Huch, we managed. I saw myself already in Basel on the ground when suddenly the window startet to became blurry. Oil started to sneak up the window, oh oh. Normally this happens when somebody spilled alot of oil while refilling it or ...

... station, closer to our departure station, Paris Est. Unfortunately to change lines at Val de Fontenay we had to change levels, without the assistance of escalators or lifts. Unfortunately our luggage, especially Belinda's, has increased in size and weight after Disneyland, if it wasn't heavy enough already. During some of the stair work Belinda managed to clunk her extremely heavy case (we both had to sit on it to close it!) down onto the stair so ************e of the ...

Our memories of Basel were rather vague. Our 1973 visit seemed a very long way back! Our purchase of a grapefruit.... a reoccurring nightmare!
The modern Basel was seen only from the train and the very clean efficient station! Our tour manager directed us to the right ...