Globe Corner Blogs

On our way from Germany to Italy, we decided to spend a night in Basel, Switzerland. The drive to Basel, however, took longer than we thought, even though we made an extended stop at one of the multiple rest areas that pop up along the highway. The delay was due to two things: a wonderful playground, perfect for our toddler, and a very good German cake selection, perfect for my husband. Once the guys on the expedition were satisfied and content, we could take off again.

Basel is one of Switzerland’s largest cities. Located on the Rhine River, in the so-called Rhine knee, and the city is divided by the river. From our hotel room balcony, we could see the largest part of the Old Town across the river and the bridges connecting both sides. We decided to start our evening by crossing the bridge to downtown and the City Hall. The sky looked overcast, but the temperature was pleasant. It looked like the people had decided to enjoy the last moments of the weekend, strolling near the water or just sitting in the riverside cafés. After a very short walk, we arrived at the main square and found City Hall just in time to escape the rain.

The City Hall’s courtyard walls are covered in paintings of angels and knights, including a fountain that was the first of many that we discovered that evening. Basel has plenty of fountains.  We saw them in every corner or small alley in the Old Town, in squares or in private courts. They come in different designs – small, big, made of stones or tiles, plain or colorful. They were all built during different times in the city’s history, and the most of them have drinking water, which is a great feature when you stop at each of them to take a picture and you have a kid who wants to drink the water as if we don’t have any at home.

Finally we stopped at the cathedral, and while my husband was taking pictures, I explored the small stairs that seemed to go all the way down from the terrace to the river. I saw several signs with arrows pointing down announcing a “swimming school” and was curious to find out more about it. To my regret, I didn’t make it all the way down because I got distracted chatting with a very friendly couple from Florida who noticed my son’s Red Sox cap. At the same time, the owner of the just-mentioned cap was trying to climb up and down the stairs from the terrace to the swimming school. Once we got back up on the terrace, I wondered: Do the swimming school facilities include part of the river?  Do the swimming students practice their abilities going against the current? I would have to come back some other time to find out.

At the end of the day, while we were having dinner at one of the nice cafés on the riverside, it started to rain again. This time, the rain seemed to complement our evening. There was something special in the rain falling just a few feet away from us, along the café’s canopy above us and into the river. The light was very soft and affected our bouncy and adventurous toddler, who finally decided to take a break. This time of the day had some magic and made me think that Basel is very much a city of water. We will have to come back some other time. One day was definitely not enough to enjoy all that water.

Read more: Art & Architecture, Basel, Cafe Culture, Family Travel, Switzerland, the Rhine, Travel


Cecilia

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