The Basel Triangle

We just love the location of our second swap in Badenia which we had to vacate after three weeks, close to the so-called triangle of Switzerland, France and Germany. We've visited here now for several years in a  row and can highly recommend it, especially if you are a foodie and love scenic hillsides. It's situated in the south-western corner of Germany, which has the mildest climate, btw.

A short hop to Switzerland was on the cards now as we had already explored the French side of the border last year. Basel is the closest city in Switzerland when you cross the border. No matter whether you go for one day or longer, you have to pay the road tax of 42 Swiss franks for a whole year (Swiss Franks at the moment almost equal the US $). A burger, on average, sets you back by $18 and a pizza also by about $20. No surprise there; I had paid $5.50 for a glass of tea in a touristy spot in Switzerland about 20 years ago.

Honestly, this German speaking part of the country is very similar to Germany-- only prices jump up! For food, clothes and certainly hotels. But hubby wanted to get an impression too and visit some places I had seen and liked before.

So Basel it was. The weather gods were smiling down on us as we strolled along the embankment of the Rhine which has a strong current here so close to its origin. We visited the famous Waterfall of Schaffhausen of Father Rhine two years ago. Definitely worth a trip to see!

We were flabbergasted when we saw girls in their bikinis on the promenade. To our surprise, people went swimming in the river. You really had to be a good swimmer and a diver to be so adventurous. Mostly young swimmers, equipped with a plastic bag that holds their clothes, had the guts to go in.

For us it was excitement enough to cross the river in a small ferryboat and climb several dozens of stairs to the historic upper part of town.

Chris de Burgh's song came to mind: "Don't pay the ferryman...until he gets you to the other side."." We felt brave just doing that.s

The mighty "Father Rhine"

It's a must to go and see the biggest waterfalls in Europe when you're on Lake Constance. They are located near Schaffhausen in Switzerland. (You need a passport to cross the border as CH is not a member of the EU).
The waterfall is 23 m high and 150m wide.Scientists reckon it's between 14,000-17,000 years old!  You park your car at the top and descend lots of stairs to get magnificent views on several platforms. I was grateful for the lift to take me up again! You can also approach it by boat.What a spectacle! This video can give you a way better impression than all my words. It makes you believe you're actually there yourself.

At the top is a real castle, Schloss Laufen, that's also a restaurant.Switzerland being Switzerland you may expect steep prices. We paid EUR 6,80 for a Bratwurst with a slice of bread. One with a portion of chips would have been EUR 12,80. (The equivalent of $16). Then again the tickets were not costly at EUR 7,50. Parking and toilet use were even for free.

                                                                Schloss Laufen
The mighty Father Rhine as it is often called has its headwaters for the most part in the Swiss canton of Grisons. Its biggest part runs through Germany until it reaches the North Sea in the Netherlands. Rhine Cruises are very popular.

Bonn - Beethoven's Birthplace

Former capital of Germany, Bonn, is famous for the birthplace of Beethoven.  Situated on the Rhine, Bonn has a mild climate and a beautiful surrounding hilly area to offer with lots of bike trails and hiking possibilities. A boat trip is a treat especially on a sunny day like this. Its castle Poppelsdorfer Schloss has a famous botanic garden. Some of the former castle buildings house the city's university and one big archway is the only building I know with traffic running right through it.

Along the Rhine, many a little cafe or beer garden offers refreshments.Some are even on Facebook...:)

 

Bonn is still the seat of the government's  Ministry of Justice and the Interior as well the seat of the German commission of UNESCO.

Not a bad place to live!

Across the Border: Strasbourg

... Except there is no real border anymore when you cross over from Germany into France, only a sign saying: “ You now entered France!"  and that the speed limit is 120 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on national roads. Strasbourg is merely 50 minutes away from where we were staying in Baden- Baden and well worth a visit. In fact, Alsace is one of my favorite destinations for quick day visits. The best time to avoid huge crowds that are almost always present, is when summer school holidays are over in September. Truth be told that the month of October is indeed the best for gourmet travelers because the first fresh wines are available, all types of venison and mushrooms.

The whole region is well renowned and loved for its quaint, picturesque and medieval towns, dotted with timber framed houses which all seem to have an abundance of window boxes with flowers spilling out. Whether you drive to Riquewihr, Kaysersberg (birthplace of Albert Schweitzer), Obernai or Colmar ─ you are always in for a treat. The year before, our choice was Colmar, my all-time favorite, smaller than Strasbourg but with equally big crowds of tourists vying for sightseeing spots and restaurant tables.

Since my hubby had not seen the capital of the Alsace region and the seat of the European Parliament as well as the European Court of Human Rights. The city’s population has almost doubled in the last decade, with the greater urban area now comprising just under 1 million inhabitants.

The adjacent area to the northwest covers the magnificent natural park and mountain region of the “Vosges”, an ideal location for hikers, bikers and nature lovers. You will find fewer tourists there. I spent a whole week during my college years on a very isolated but romantic “gite”, i.e. a cottage.

We had tried to find home swapping partners on the French site, in vain. We almost made a deal, i.e. signed the exchange contract, when the French found out that it’s likely to be very hot in Florida in the month of August. Indeed. Though there are many picturesque towns of a similar nature on the German side of the border, the French has a more exotic feel to me, being German. And the food in the restaurants is different, even the baguettes are better…although a bit more expensive. Strasbourg, by the way, is very expensive territory with a normal iceream sundae I enjoy in Germany on a regular basis costing here almost twice as much.

With this being our last excursion of this year’s European stay, we enjoyed every minute in spite of the crowds, and we took plenty of photos. The weather was only glorious. We wished we could have stayed along the banks of the river Rhine which runs almost all the length of the border between the two countries. We brought home some regional delicacies like “foie gras” and wine. We skipped the pottery that is typical for this region, colorful stoneware, but just too heavy  to bring back on a plane. Hubby and I, both agreed that Colmar had a more intimate feel to it. But now we had “done” the entire Alsace.
All there was left to do after this excursion was pack up or numerous gigantic bags and clean the house we had spent 3 happy weeks in for our departure back to the US.

Up, up , and away!

Tomorrow is the big day! Bags should be packed by then and our houses in some sort of order because we expect to find the same. Thank goodness, a cleaning crew will make the beds and clean kitchen and bathrooms after our departure. My mind is never on these trivial matters when I go transatlantic. Rather: are the bags too heavy or can I squeeze in another pair of shoes? Will the plane be on time or will it have a puncture again so that they need to fly in a tire from Atlanta to fix the plane which once made us miss our connecting flight to Europe.

Our first stop for 4 weeks will be near Frankfurt in Germany. It's a little historic town 20km to the northeast that nobody has ever heard of. It has several bedrooms, a little garden , a gym and a sauna.Well, we have an outdoor sauna here in Florida too! And the village has a Gelateria, bakeries for yummy breads and Broetchen, cheeses, meats and a fresh market. If I'm in luck, I can still purchase some of this year's WHITE asparagus. No, green doesn't come anywhere near it in this case. And the mushroom season isn't too far off, and raspberries and strawberries and... above all: Rumkugeln are widely available. I once made them myself. But they didn't beat the ones I love and buy for 0.99 EUR. Ah yes, and beer gardens! Wine gardens! It's near a wine growing area and Heidelberg and the Rhine....oh, I forgot how I missed it! Poor hubby has to work but he also will enjoy the produce, goodies, and outdoor refreshments....