Story time with Grandmama and goats perched along the tracks are helpful to pass the time also.
Basel is something of an interesting mix of modern industry, primarily focused on global pharmaceuticals, and an old town that spans both sides of the Rhine river just before it crosses over into France where it then forms the natural border between France and Southern Germany. Also, being this close to France means Basel, like most of western Switzerland, has some French cultural influences although surprisingly there are more native speaking Italians in Basel than French despite the largest major Italian city (Milan) being roughly 350 kilometers (200 miles) away.
Our visit was focused primarily on the old town, which Grandmama had scouted out online beforehand. Unfortunately weather was against us most of our stay so on our first day we spent most of our time inside at the old Basel Paper Mill. The visit included a demonstration to the paper making process and an opportunity to design and press your own paper! Charlotte thought this was fascinating and I’m pretty sure Grandmama had a good time too!
After making your personalized paper you are invited to visit the museum that extends across the 4 floors of the facility and would be an all day excursion for any paper aficionado out there...like my Mom! So while the rest of the family was engrossed in the finer points of all things paper I took an opportunity to see the local area.
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| It's a wall. Though maybe interesting, no idea what I meant to take a picture of |
By the end of the first day, at least three of us were pretty tired.
.HEIC)
The next day we were bright-eyed again and excited to walk the old town.
We started our walking tour with a stop at Basel Minster. The Original cathedral was constructed in the 9th century during the reign of Charlemange although there is evidence of settlements on the hill dating all the way back to the 1st century BC! This Carolingian Minster survived an invasion by the Magyars in 917 but was eventually replaced by a newer Romanesque Cathedral started in 1019 during a time of renewal throughout the city overseen by Holy Roman Emperor St. Henry the Exuberant. Henry II Cathedral was then replaced in 1170 by the late Romanesque Cathedral that is reflected in the church that sits upon the hill today. Over the last 900 years, the building has gone through several major renovations and updates to restore the building and from natural disasters through the ages.
Deep inside the Cathedral is the “crossing crypt” that has been converted into a digital museum of sorts that tells the history of the Cathedral and surrounding city via the use of projectors that display “shadows” of events on the ancient structural underpinnings of the building. From the founding of the church, through the arrival of plague, to the impact of two world wars and the centuries of internal turmoil of the Church in central Europe it was an interesting way to see the past of the area.
Our next destination was the Basel Rathaus. A Rathaus is essentially the city hall and while most city halls in the US are unimpressive, nondescript government buildings. Rathaus’ are typically well preserved, ornate and occasionally architecturally distinctive buildings in their cities' respective old towns. Basel’s Rathaus certainly did not disappoint!
With the afternoon drawing to a close and the kids in need of an early dinner we walked across the Rhine and then along the river on our way to a playground near our restaurant. Olivia, in particular, enjoyed the seesaw.
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| She may have rejected my notion of getting off the seesaw to go eat |
After dinner we made our way home to the hotel and the girls promptly fell asleep with their stuffies dreaming of the fun they had with Grandmama and Papa during their stay with us. We hope they come visit again soon!
.HEIC)
