Basel, Switzerland

Basel, Switzerland - a University town that I absolutely fell in love with, as did Claudia.
We arrived and it was a bustling town full of banks, men in business suits with briefcases, students studying in the cafes and more bikes than you could ever imagine. Pedestrians and bikes outnumber the cars, and as a driver, you yield to them.

We found a fabulous hotel right outside the train station in Basel and were greeted by a gentleman named Yves who was more than helpful. We got to our room and found it to be very nice, and very comfortable. I enjoyed this hotel very much. We settled in for the night completely exhausted and got up in the morning to explore the town. Wonderful transportation got us right to the marktplatz where food vendors and little farmers market stands lined the street. The food was amazing, the smells and aromas intoxicating, and people were fun to watch interact with each other. We enjoyed a bratwurst that was grilled and served with hot mustard and a chunk of wheat bread. Absolulely delicious!

We also found an upscale shopping center called Globus that we fell in love with. There I purchased some coffee to bring home, and Claudia purchased some specialty salt that was infused with Syrah wine. Amazing store, it reminded me of Whole Foods/Dean & Delucca/Bristol Farms, but better! We roamed around the food section (gee, us in the food section?!?!) then headed back out on the street. We used the public transportation and wandered the streets until we came to the water and took a boat ride along the river for about an hour and a half, then back into the city. Here are a few pictures of the boat ride. It has been overcast for the past few days...

We didn't want to leave on an empty stomach so we headed over to a small cafe at that was facing the tram/bus stops. It was perfect for people watching, and filling our stomachs. Breaded and fried pork for both of us with a side of delicious french fries. I am now done and over the pork and fries. I will catch up on fries again in Paris where I first discovered the beauty of the perfect fries. Here are a few shots of Basel:

We headed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and off we went to Zurich! I will miss Basel, and the hotel we stayed at, the Hotel Schweizerhof - and Yves (the gentleman behind the front desk, who was ever so helpful.) Thank you Basel for a wonderful time...