Basel

Last night we arrived at Basel where we will stop for a day. A lot of steps today, certainly over 10,000. We are staying at a hotel near the airport, and about 100 metres inside the Swiss border. There is a very good bus connection into the city which we took advantage of last night and again today.

I have to say Switzerland must be one of the most expensive places to stay as a visitor, no doubt fine for those earning a Swiss salary. It is a nice country however, so affordable in small doses. I used to work here periodically, at which time I did not worry about the cost as most of my costs were on expenses.

The photograph here is taken in the market square in front of the town hall. We stopped off for lunch, and later dinner in the Mowenpick restaurant which I think is just out of the picture.

One of the fairly unique features of Basel is the ferries crossing the Rhine. They are have no power, instead they are attached to a wire above the river, and are driven across the river by the force of the current. At about CHF 1.60 they are one of the very few things here which is quite reasonably priced. I have included an extra photo showing one of these boats. There are three of these ferries in the city centre.

We had a very nice day site seeing, and later took the bus to return to the hotel. Hotels here provide visitors with a coupon which allows for free transport within the city.