What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Well, Portugal in late October/early November was much easier than Germany, France, and Switzerland.  I talked Carol into this trip because I wanted to squeeze two trips to Europe into 2021, not realizing there would be yet another surge. 

I guess I am an optimist, thinking the drop in late summer was the final coughing and sneezing of COVID.

And, that also meant there was the hiccup of the German Christmas markets being closed in the states where we were.  Rothenburg and Esslingen are great medieval towns to visit, but the markets would have been the icing on the cake.

That said, we still enjoyed the trip.  Yes, it started with the downer that the markets in the area of Germany we were in were closed (they were open in other German states), and spending a large chunk of the first day with issues getting into the apartment, and then getting a COVID test.  

Keep in mind, we also had the possibility that the French and Swiss markets would be closed down.  Fortunately, that obviously did not happen.  At night, the difference between having the markets closed (Germany) and open (France/Switz) felt akin to the difference between Eastern Europe and Western Europe during the Cold War.

But:

• We did have five nights with Christmas markets, compared to four nights without.
• The markets in Strasbourg and Colmar were magical.
• Chateau Haut-Koenigsbourg was a great castle to spend a morning.
• Julia was indispensable for figuring out what the COVID rules were.
• I would recommend this itinerary (or the 2019 one) to anyone looking to experience the magic of the European Christmas markets.
• None of the three of us had ever been any place we went, so it was all new to us, and that was great.
• The decision to skip Stuttgart since the markets weren't open was a good one.
• I was blown away by how impressive the lights were in Strasbourg and Colmar.  It seemed like almost every building had an impressive Christmas display or set of lights.  That really adds to the magic!

Re-upping some of my observations from the final 2019 Christmas markets tour blog post:

• We really enjoyed the combination of Christmas markets and sight-seeing.  If you haven't been, save the markets for dark (it gets dark early there in December, of course).
• I did like the trading off of eating "street food" from the food stalls at the markets with sitting down at restaurants to eat.  I would not have wanted every meal from a market stall, but doing it once every two or three days was pretty good.
• Don't get me wrong, I liked the food at the restaurants, and German/Swiss/Alsatian food is better than its' reputation, but there is a certain repetitive nature to the food.   
• One observation that struck me about the markets is that they are as much a social gathering place for locals to eat and drink as it is for tourists to shop and wander.  I wish American cities had a draw like this.
• They do the non-religious parts of Christmas very well in Europe.

Will we go again on another Christmas markets trip?  Likely yes, but it will be a while before I start planning the next one.  Prediction?  It will include Prague and Berlin.  And trains will be involved as they were in 2019.  

I have to believe that at some point, our COVID troubles will be out of sight.  So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, now.

Two Last Markets, and One More Dinner

After the nose and throat swab, we chilled back at the apartment for a brief time before heading to the other Christmas market in Basel, the Munsterplatz, at the square by the Minster.  

Thought for the day -- why isn't it called the Minsterplatz?  Or the MunsterMinsterplatz?

I'm back with you.  

A difference between the French and the Swiss is that when we had to show our vaccine passport to get into the markets in Strasbourg, everyone was masked.  In Basel, even the security guy checking our vaccine passport wasn't masked.  Neither were many of the people in the market.

Anyhow, it was a nice market, but, like the other one, not very large, especially compared to Strasbourg, or to Vienna and Munich (is hearkening back to 2019 telling "tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago?").

It's hard to see, but they're sending

mixed messages here.  The people

on the top two levels are

representative of the birth of

Jesus, and the big glowing sign

on the bottom level advertises

"Gluhwein."

So after we buzzed through that market, we decided to go back to Barfusserplatz, especially since it was between us and our dinner reservations.  We each bought something at the different markets.  I bought a gnome that I liked, and wondered aloud if you are in habit of naming your gnomes, is that gnomenclature?  I liked it enough that I tweeted it, but didn't get much reaction on Twitter.  Sigh.

Not exactly Abe Froman, but

it is the sausage king of Basel.

After that, we headed to the restaurant for dinner, but we had plenty of time to kill.  So we popped into Mr. Pickwick's, a random British-styled pub on Steinervorstadt near the Barfusserplatz.  We enjoyed talking to our Glaswegian publican, especially when he trashed Swiss beers in that typically British direct style of sarcasm.

With dinner at 7:30, we left the pub in time to get on time, as the walk was uphill.  The restaurant served the best food of the trip, and had the most expensive cheque as well!  Named "Oliv," it is an Asian-Mediterranean menu and quite tasty.  It is another Michelin Guide restaurant, so we finished the trip with two straight Michelin-rated (not starred!) restaurants.  

After that, it was back to the apartment to get ready for the trip back to the US of A.

That's Snot So Sanitary, Is It?

So it was time to hike up the hill to the university, where the COVID testing spot for Basel was in a big tent in a university courtyard.  Greeted by a woman who said, "your flight is tomorrow at 11:45?  Well, you might not get the results in time, but you probably will."  

Those kind of remarks aren't exactly confidence boosters.  

The set-up for the administrative work of signing in was pretty good, at least until we had to pay 163 Swiss francs ($193.11 in USD, not that it is burned into my mind).  A nice nearly $600 tax for the three of us to get back into the country.  Would have been nice if Brandon had waited another week to put the policy into effect.

After the paperwork, we didn't have to wait long at all to be summoned into the testing area.  All three of us were surprised, separately, when we were told the swab would not just go up our noses, but also into our throat.

Oh well, I reasoned, two swabs can't be that bad.  Except it was one swab.  First far up the nose, and then, with the SAME SIDE of the swab, stuck it down my throat.  I almost gagged, disgusted by the unsanitary nature of it. 

The Swiss medical people doing the tests didn't same to care.  In fact, I would say they were neutral on the whole thing.

(Writer: Get it?  The Swiss ARE neutral.  Editor's Note: Whatever, you are the one had your own nose gunk shoved down your throat.  Writer: Well, when you put it that way, I feel even worse!)

Afterwards, we had to synch the app with our own account, or something like that.  Thank goodness Julia, our tech support person in life and for the trip, was eventually able to figure it out.  She then did it for Carol and I.

So, because of the uncertainty of when we would receive the results, I set the alarm for 4:30 am so we could drive like a bat out of hell to Zurich and pay 299 Swiss Francs per person for a rapid PCR test.

At 12:30 am, Julia burst into our room to tell us she got the email and was negative.  Carol checked hers -- she was negative.  I was too tired to figure my app out, so Carol did it for me.  I tested negative.

I reset the alarm for 5:30 am and enjoyed an extra 45 minutes of sleep (I ended up waking up at 5:15).

I Wanted To, But I Refrained From Punching The Mouse

So we did all this before lunch.  For lunch we went to a nice hotel restaurant right across from a main tram stop by Barfusserplatz.  It was expensive, but it was good.  Everything in Switzerland is expensive.  Along with New Zealand, Switzerland is, to me, one of the two most beautiful countries in the world that I've visited.  And my opinion counts for a lot on this blog!

After lunch, we went to the Cathedral.  My camera battery died. . .I had lost track of how long I've been using it, and didn't carry the charged spare with me.  No biggie, some of these are from my camera, and some are from the cell phone.

The Basel Minster was built over the course of 481 years, from 1019 to 1500.  You may find this shocking, but no one person worked on it the whole time.  It has Romanesque and Gothic architecture.  It's not the most exciting cathedral we've ever been in, but it's free despite being in Switzerland.  (You have to pay to go up the tower, but my knee took a pass.)

Built out of beautiful red sandstone and boasting colorful roof tiles, the outside is definitely more interesting than the inside.  In the back of the church (outside), there are commanding views of the Rhine River flowing through the center of the city.  Some interesting history happened here, but google Basel Minster if you are truly willing to read it.

The Mickey Mouse was pretty creepy.

I assume he wanted money.  I wanted

to punch him in the face.  Neither of

us got what we wanted.  He followed

a bunch of teenage girls around the

church.  I wanted to punch him again.

I'm betting he is not an official

ambassador of the Disney Corp.

One without the Mouse.

Rhine photo credits: Julia Bolger

After visiting the Minster, it was time to head up the hill to the university for our PCS COVID tests so we could get back into the country.

The Best Fountain? We Have A Winner!

The Tinguely Fountain is the best fountain we saw the whole trip, despite having been built as recently as 1977.  Two photos here, but watch the video to see why I say it is the best.

I hope I can get my video to load:

Pretty amazing, huh?

Well, that worked, but if it doesn't work, try this link.  I didn't shoot the video in the link, but I'm just trying to give you a flavor for how amazing it is.

Cherub Photo From Basel

This was just a bit further down the street from us in Basel.  We stayed on an awesome street.

Editor's Note: Why did you photo the backside of the upper cherub.

Writer: Because the front, including the face, was in the shade and would not have turned out well.  Nice try, dog breath!

The Heart Of Rock And Roll Is Still Beatin'

 Pulled from the "This Is Basel" website:

The graffiti in Gerbergässlein is probably the best-known piece of street art in the centre of Basel. Every day, people stand in front of it and admire the huge mural, take photos or guess at the subjects. The work was commissioned by the rock bar «L'Unique» across the alley. Appropriately, the wall features world-famous musicians. If anyone can't find his or her favourite musician, they should make a suggestion to the landlord. The work of art is thus constantly evolving and immortalizing the world's most famous superstars.

This mural was right down the street from our apartment, just a block away.  I don't know who everyone is, but I do know most of them.  It's been around since at least 2016, and perhaps longer (the mural, rock and roll has been around since the 1950s).

I like John Lennon a lot, but "Imagine" is

just dreck.  Absolutely terrible song, and 

somehow the popular kids got it voted

as our senior prom song in 1981.  I doubt

I will receive a refund but I deserve one.

Tiny Carol gives you an idea of the scope

and size of the rock and roll mural.

 

The House of Rats

Okay, I realize I'm obsessed by the fact that the Town Hall is called the "Rathaus" in germanic speaking countries.  is it because I work in politics?  Is it because it implies local elected officials are rats?  I'm not really sure, but I like it.

The building is over 500 years old, and is very interesting on the outside and the main courtyard.  We couldn't tour the building, which is a shame, because it is now where the meetings of the Cantonal parliament (state parliament) and the Cantonal government (state government) are held.

Lavishly decorated on the outside, these photos hopefully will prove to be a feast for your eyes.

On the Marktplatz outside of the Rathaus.

The courtyard.

These might be the most

muscular dogs I've ever seen!

The old mermaid blowing her horn carving.

A demented looking bear.  From a distance

they actually look like demented chickens.

This would make a great

house topper at our home.

This symbolizes. . .I have no idea.

Ditto.

A bear, as sculpted by someone who has never

seen a bear, but only had one described to him.

My guess is that these are crests of cities/towns

in Basel-Stadt, the canton Basel is in.

They seem pretty serious.  Lighten up Francis!

A Stroll Around Basel

Our last full day of the trip proved to be very nice weather.  We covered a lot of the "To-Do's" on my list for Basel.  Our first stop was right near our apartment, at the Andreasplatz "jovial monkey" fountain.  Is the monkey jovial?  We report, you decide:

I'd say he's beyond "jovial,"

and is oozing joie de vivre.

From there we headed up the hill to the Petersgasse, known for the irregular, half-timbered houses.

Among the last half-timbered houses of the trip.

Through the tree you can see the Spalentor Gate.

Just a block above the houses is the famed Spalentor Gate, which dates from 1356, or the early 1400s,depending on your source.  It is the only remaining of the six city gates from that time period.

Tram going around the gate.

Gate door.

From the outside.

Roof tiles.

From inside the old gate looking out.

Basel easily could be nicknamed the "City of Fountains."  I make that observation because there are a lot of, um, fountains.

(Editor's Note: Whoa, the in-depth analysis you provide your readers!  I'm shocked you still have any.

Writer: I'll bet none of my readers are confused, doncha think?)

The "dancing fountain" is so named because

I never found the actual name of the fountain.

At first I thought this was the skull of an elephant.

Now I think it is the skull of a bull.  I'm just

glad it's not the skull of a hippopotamus or 

else that annoying Christmas song "I want a

hippopotamus for Christmas" would be 

stuck in our heads right now.

Another fountain.  The best is yet to come.