From Basel to the Boat

On our second day in Basel we had time to take a tour around the historic area before having lunch and boarding our boat. We only had a couple of hours and so we barely scratched the surface, of what there was to see, but we learned a lot in a short period of time. Basel is a very old community. It started out as a Celtic settlement and was first mention as a Roman fortress around 374 AD.  The city straddles the Rhine River at what is the river's farthest navigable point, and both sides are connected by a series of six bridges. It is definitely a mixture of both old and new.

An interesting note is that the majority of public fountains throughout the cities in Switzerland are considered drinkable unless otherwise noted.  Even so, I decided I would pass on the opportunity to try it out.

One of the largest and best known landmarks in the historic city is Basel Minster. Built of red sandstone between 1019-1500, it was originally a Catholic Church. Part of the original construction  collapsed during the Basel Earthquake of 1356 and had to be rebuilt,  It remained a Catholic Cathedral until the Reformation  when the building was stormed, all things Catholic were purged and the building was converted into the Reform Protestant Church in 1529.

The old cloister

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Behind the church is an area known as the Pfalz, a viewing terrace that allowed us to look out over to the other side of the city.

Our boat was docked just around the bend of this bridge, and after lunch it was time for us to make our way there and check in.

There was one last place to visit before boarding. If you were to look up information on Basel you would learn that one of the things that Basel is known for is that it is the point where the corners of three countries, Germany, France and Switzerland meet. That spot was just a hundred yards from where our ship was docked. Naturally, we had to take a walk to check it out.  I guess you could say we were standing in three places at the same time!

Time to get on board!

Standing on the deck, the boat was long and flat like a barge.

Our room was spacious and full of light from the full sliding window that opened so we could enjoy the sights and sounds of the river. Best of all, we wouldn't have to pack and unpack for a whole week!

A view of the lobby, staircase to the lounge and the library.

When we weren't out seeing the sights we were being fed scrumptious four course meals in this beautiful dining room with views of the river.  

Today we settled in.  Tomorrow we will dock at our first port. Can't wait!

Adieu!