Basel: The Sun and a Bird Conundrum

On the final day of our weekend in Switzerland, we drove north to Basel, a city nestled between the French and German boarders.  Leaving Zürich, we typed the parking garage's address into our GPS and would reach Basel in forty-five minutes.  The smooth ride turned into confusion when the navigation system continuously got lost within the city.  Eventually, we were directed to pull into the wrong garage (must obey technology...) - one that had a 1.50 CHF fare per quarter-hour.  Further difficulties were faced when two validation meters wouldn't accept cash nor credit; forcing us to find a human-based cashier.  Another twenty minutes would pass before we found the correct destination without the help of our disoriented GPS.  Our unexpected detour did have one upside, we passed the Spalentor, the city gate which is an attraction we would have had to skip due to the isolated location.

Mittlere Brücke

Courtyard we found

Martinskirchplatz

Having found parking, we started our tour of Basel - heading towards the river and Mittlere Brücke.  We continued on a pedestrian path along the Rhine and took an alleyway to Martinskirchplatz.  On the same street we found the Blaues und Weißes Haus, a pair of buildings currently used for government practices (Commerce, Social Affairs, and Environment).  Across from the houses was an open courtyard with a entryway to an unknown area.

Rathaus

Balcony above inner courtyard

Sensory overload all over Town Hall

Rathaus from Marktplatz

Statue

Inner courtyard

The doors were unlocked, so we continued into the building - soon realizing we had entered the upper level of the Rathaus opposite Marktplatz, and were on the balcony above the inner courtyard of Town Hall.  To get the ground-level perspective, we took a pathway down to the Marktplatz and entered the Rathaus from the street.  Little did we know, but The Great Bird Dilemma of 2015 would soon commence.  Julie found a semi-responsive finch (Mush) sitting on a bench in the shade and wanted to know what was wrong.  Mush's general indifference to humans wan't alarming, but the apathy for free food and water was abnormal.  Julie asked if there was something we could do, but unfortunately, I said that there really isn't anything more we could do at this point.

Basel Münster

Inside

Altar

We left the Rathaus under the agreement that we would return to see if Mush had made any attempt at survival.  Walking south along the Rhine, we made our way to Baseler Münster, a Romanesque building whose colorful tiled roof reminded us of Matthias Church in Budapest.  Behind the church is the Pfalz, a small park overlooking the river, although; the view of Mittlere Brücke is somewhat tarnished by the smokestacks of the Novartis campus.  Afternoon approached, and we determined the final two attractions we intended to visit were not worth the effort.  The decision to end our visit a little early was mostly due to the anticipation of the long drive home.

Nave

Mittlere Brücke overlooking Rhine

View of Rhytaxi from Pfalz

Before returning to the car, we made one final attempt to rescue a helpless bird.  Julie was determined to find a way to save the poor animal, and hatched a most elaborate plan.  She would find two cups to temporarily trap and transport Mush back to Germany.  Of course, this is assuming the bird would make no attempt to escape during our four hour (plus) drive home. Because the last thing we want in this situation is a bird flapping around the inside of our car - slamming into every window.  Hypothetically, once the bird was "secured" and survived the long drive home, we would take Mush to the emergency vet to see if they could do anything.  However, when words were put into action, Mush had little interest in the cup idea - scattering about and fluttering to the Rathaus gate.  Julie made a few last ditch efforts, but alas, no luck.  That was the our last sighting of Mush, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

And now... your bird related Public Service Announcement:  Roughly 13.7 million birds die daily in the United States alone.  That's a whole lot of bird death. The more you know.  Knowledge is Power!!!

This one is for you, Mush.

Our quick tour of Basel

Zürich: A Ghost Town and an Over-sized Chess Match

It was Sunday in Europe, a wonderful day to do nothing, but a horrible day for sightseeing.  After our breakfast at Hotel des Alpes in Luzern, we had a few hours before we could check-in at our hotel in Zürich.  The drive between cities was less than an hour - how could we possibly fill our time?  Luckily, Julie found a local chocolate factory that offers tours and has the opportunity to make your own chocolate bar.  Aeschbach Chocolate is located in Root (Luzern), a place we could kill an hour or two of our time with free chocolate.  The tour is self guided with free samples throughout, we even paid a few extra CHF for the opportunity to make a personalized 100g bar.  According to the employee, we set the record for amount of time dedicated on design.  In fact, a child started making his five minutes after us and was finished well before.  Our idea was to make our chocolate decorative, not for eating.  Although, the latter intention is only a matter of time before our souvenir becomes dessert.  By the time we left Aeschbach, the plan to bridge the time gap was successful, mainly due to our diligence of being momentary chocolatiers.

Aeschbach Chocolate

Our chocolate bar before

Forty minutes later

Anyone see the mistake we made?

Arriving in Zürich early, we were fortunate to find parking in the hotel's small lot - sounds of resonating delight reigned from our wallets'.  The staff of Hotel St. Josef were very welcoming and even gave us a free upgraded room without our asking.  They provided us a city map and we could even purchase our ZürichCard through them - a pass for all public transportation and "free" admission to museums (mostly offered 5-10% discounts, but included free trips to Mount Uetilberg and Lake Zürich).  After settling, we made our way to the streets and headed to Limmatquai, a street that parallels the Limmat River.  The Swiss permacoud blanketed the city - which resembled a ghost town with all the store closures and eerie greyness.  For the second consecutive day, the boat tour of the city's lake was going to be avoided due to the unfavorable weather (as with a trip to Mount Uetilberg).

Sankt Peterkirche

Limmat River

View from Limmatquai

Knowing Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland, we anticipated the ZürichCards to be quite useful in traveling throughout the area.  However, we came to the realization that our expectations were overestimated.  The majority of the sites on our agenda were entirely walk-able and public transportation was unnecessary.  After passing the Rathaus, we visited our first major attraction, Grossmünster, a Romanesque church believed to have been commissioned by Charlemagne and constructed on the burial site of the city's patron saints, Felix and Regula.  Photography was not permitted inside, but we could climb to the top of the Karlsturm (the south tower) - for a nominal fee.  Blast! The ZürichCard's futility strikes!  The view from the top of the church allows for a great panoramic of the landscape and (what we could see of) Lake Zürich.  We left Grössmuster and traveled to the Helmhaus and Wasserkirche - only to be disappointed by an exhibit (again not covered by ZürichCard) and a church that was closed for the day (except for services).

Lake Zürich

Fraumünster and Sankt Peterkirche

Tower opposite Karlsturm

Crossing the river, we tried our luck on the west side of the city, starting with Fraumünster - again, we were denied entry.  The church is famous for the stained glass windows of Marc Chagall, a famous artist whose work we have seen while visiting Metz (France).  We were informed of an organ concert later in the evening, but the event didn't cater to our stingy price range.  Completing the trifecta of churches, we continued to Sankt Peterkirche, home of the largest clock face in Europe - measuring 8.7 meters in diameter.

Grossmünster

Walking along Limmat

Delicious drinking fountain

Continuing north, we stopped by Lindenhof Park, an area that once held a Roman fortress in the fourth century and the palace of Charlemagne's grandson in the 9th century - now a beacon for chess aficionados.  Before observing the view, Julie challenged  me to a quick match; a most unfortunate slaughter for Julie's army.  While enjoying the view of the river and city, our hunger level slowly increased, however, nearly everything in Zürich was closed.  Fortunately, we found one of two open restaurants around Bahnhofstrasse, a famous shopping district.  Avoiding the Starbucks, we entered a restaurant of a nearby hotel to create a new plan for our remaining time in the Ghost Town.

Serious Game

Not-so-serious game

The Aftermath

Memorial for Julie's chess pieces

Saddened by the realization that Old Crow (a whiskey bar) was also closed for the day only added to the disappointment.  Having replenished our energy with caffeine, we decided to walk around aimlessly - knowing our plans were futile with city-wide closures and no internet to formulate a new plan.  To our surprise, we stumbled upon Zeughauskeller, an old armory converted into a beer hall.  Our barley and hop cravings would be satisfied with some local brews.  The atmosphere was far more lively than the dead town, albeit, far toned-down when compared with München's Hofbräuhaus.  However our ephemeral energy levels quickly depleted and the beer would not supplement a satiating meal.

Panoramic from Lindenhof Observatory Deck

We returned to the other side of the Limmat and searched for restaurants closer to our hotel, ultimately finding Swiss Chuchi, a fondue house.  We ordered a cauldron of cheese with mixed vegetables to ameliorate our fondue experience, however, the server came out with potatoes.  Literally, a sack of potatoes was tossed on our table.  Touché.  Potatoes are indeed (root) vegetables, but the unexpected tubers confused me.  I asked our server about the vegetables, who quickly apologized for the mishap and returned with the plate previously ordered.  Later, our waiter plopped the same sack of potatoes on another table and befuddled another set of patrons.  After dinner, we returned to the hotel and were fortunate enough to not have validated our ZürichCards.  This meant we could return the passes we never used.  Before calling it a night, we were pleased to see sunshine in the weather forecast for our visit to Basel the following day.

Our Zürich Map
(Purple Markers are sites skipped due to weather)

Luzern: Blue Water and Grey Skies

It's officially Spring, and what better way to bring in the new season than a trip to three cities in Switzerland.  Our journey started with a lengthy drive through France - proving to be a blessing and a curse.  Knowing Switzerland is generally more expensive than other parts of Europe, we thought it'd be prudent to purchase wine for the weekend.  Our first attempt proved to be an unsuccessful venture; it was 18:15 and the wine section of the rest stop was chained-off.  Conveniently, the lone chain wasn't much of an obstacle for my crafty arms.  Soon enough, the Rest Stop security force descended upon me and gave me a stern scolding.  Granted, my efforts to learn basic French have been all but futile; yet, I was able to understand a little of what was stated.  Clearly, the sale of alcohol at that time was forbidden, an occurrence I have encountered before in Disneyland Paris.

Saturday Market ready for Easter

Swan River

While in Disney, I tried to purchase a bottle of wine at a gas station and was informed the sale of alcohol was prohibited after 18:00, a rule I credited to some unknown family-environment bylaw.  Turns out, the purchase of libations are restricted on the roadways throughout France after 18:00, presumably to cut down on drunk driving.  A major inconvenience for those of us who have the patience and responsibility to imbibe in a more stationary location.  My dismay was relieved when we found a Cora, the Swiss Army knife of stores.  Given the size of the building, Julie put a time limit on this particular reconnaissance mission - a daunting task with three aisles dedicated to French wines.  Thus, I observed how denizens purchased their local delicacy, a process that appeared more perfunctory routine than critiquing connoisseur.  Time was of the essence and no second could be spared to ponder: region, vintage, earthly undertones, hints of black cherries, or the smokey aroma of an olde-timey cask.  None of that matters anyways, there are two types of wine - those I would buy again, and those I wouldn't.  We finished gathering our groceries, quickly foraged for dinner at the bakery across from the checkout, and were back on the road after twenty minutes.  

Weinmarkt

Fountain in Weinmarkt

The remaining part of the drive was relatively uninteresting aside from the incredible amount of tunnels we drove through.  Before our trip, I asked the hotel if there was an affordable parking garage near the hotel; hoping they would know of a cheaper option than the one I found.  This was not the case, the staff informed me the closest garage was across the river from the hotel at the Hauptbahnhof.  I knew of the train station option, but it was not in consideration due to the alarming fee (for two days) of 97 CHF (CHF essentially equal to the USD).  To clarify, not everything in Switzerland is appallingly expensive, however, parking appears to be in the grotesquely overpriced category.  Regardless, we were happy to have reached our destination and opened a celebratory bottle of wine.  While channel surfing the Swiss television waves, we augmented the positive atmosphere by finding Bob Ross - who was painting a series of happy trees and friendly shrubs.  

Rathaus clock at night

Jesuitenkirche and Kapellbr:ücke

First Tower (Nölliturm) of Musegg Wall

The next morning began with a complementary breakfast which was included in our hotel stay (promotional something or other).  While eating, we noticed the Saturday market vendors setting up their stands along the Reuss River.  Once satiated, we started our tour of Luzern - exiting the front of the hotel to peruse the weekly market.  Before our weekend getaway, I made a walking tour map on Google to identify the sites and the best way to route ourselves through the city.  To my surprise, Luzern was a lot smaller than I anticipated; we had walked through the first three markets on the map within fifteen minutes.  Unfortunately, there was one itinerary casualty of the day due to weather.  We would not take a boat out on Lake Luzern because the lake was blotted out by the Swiss permacloud.  

Path of Museggmauer

Zytturm clock build by Hans Kauter

Luzern Lake somewhere beyond the clouds

Löwendenkmal

Swiss Guards memorial

Pressing on, we made our way to the Musegg Wall (Museggmauer) - a series of fortified towers constructed during the 13th century.  Walking the trail alongside the back of the wall, we came to the second tower, the Little Man Tower (Männliturm), which is open to the public. Unfortunately, the "Spring hours of operation" didn't start until the first of April.  The slight disappointment didn't linger too long, knowing the ascent up the tower would have only brought us closer to the clouds and likely a less visible panoramic view of the city.  Progressing down the fortification, we crossed over to the other side through the archway of Schirmer Tower (Schirmerturm).  We slightly backtracked on the opposite side of the wall to the fifth tower, Zytturm, home of Luzern's oldest the clock, built by Hans Lauter in 1535.  The clock chimes one minute before all other clocks in the city, and conveniently, we were seated on the park bench observing the tower as the bell tolled.  

Door entering Saint Leodegar Church

Organ of Jesuitenkirche

Pews and altar of Jesuit Church

Inside Fraziskanerkirche

Ceiling outside small chapel in Franciscan Church

We continued our trek through the city and eventually took a pedestrian elevator at what appeared to be a construction site.  Down on the lower street level, we identified directional signs for the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal).  Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen* (sculpted by Lukas Ahorn 1820-21), the statue is a memorial to the 760 Swiss Guards who protected the French Monarchy and were subsequently slaughtered at Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution in 1792.  We returned to the pedestrian area to find a public restroom and entered Bourbaki, a movie theater and cafe.  There, we were greeted by the "Ich bin Luzern" movement (fighting against Racism); had our picture taken, answered some questions, and even spun a big wheel for a prize.  Turning this venture into the most elaborate bathroom break - ever - but we won some free Swiss chocolate and were able to avoid the rain temporally.

Kapellbrücke and Wasserturm

Bridge outside Jusuitenkirche

Spreuerbrücke

Water spike

Continuing with our mapped guide, we headed towards the river and lake, stopping at the Church of Saint Leodegar (Hofkirche Sankt Leodegar).  Before heading to the famed Chapel Bridge, we found a path overlooking Lake Luzern; sadly, the cloud cover was at its thickest - making the lake seemingly non-existent.  Crossing the famed Kapellbrücke over the Reuss, we stopped by the most beautiful of the city's churches, the Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche).  We completed our loop of the city after a transient visit to the Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche) and crossed the river again on the Spreuerbrücke.  The remaining time was spent window shopping various storefronts and we searched for free offers discovered within our hotel's guidebook; scoring some chocolate and a key chain in the process.  Rounding out our visit of Luzern, we enjoyed dinner overlooking Chapel Bridge, and ended our day with a quick nighttime stroll around town.  

Chapel Bridge at night

Chapel Bridge and Hotel des Alpes

*Cocktail Information - As the Lion Monument was being hewed, Bertel Thorvaldson's was informed the money raised did not equal the commission promised.  In silent protest, the artist changed the design of the outlining encampment of the sculpture to resemble a pig.

(Essentially) Our Walking Tour