6-8 October 2023 Fly from Poland to Switzerland •Switzerland • Train from Zurich to Basel • Board our Ship for the Start of our Rhine and Mosel River Cruise

 

6-8 October 2023       Fly from Poland to Switzerland •Switzerland • Train from Zurich to Basel • Board our Ship for the Start of our Rhine and Mosel River Cruise

On 6 October we said goodbye to Poland and flew from Krakow to Zurich on LOT Airlines.  Although we were over 30 minutes late in leaving Krakow and had only 15 minutes to make our connection, our luggage made the flight.  Unlike in the US, when we landed at a remote parking space, there were two vehicles with LOT employees holding signs for those passengers whose flight was already boarding and they were then transported directly to their flight. We arrived in Zurich in the early evening and spent about 45 minutes trying to find our hotel,  Google failed us on that one – my Google map showed the hotel about a 7 block, 20 minute walk from the train station when, in fact, it was only one block from the train station.  One problem was that Zurich’s streets do not always have street signs (around the train station all the streets are called “Banhofstrass”) even if they have another name on maps.  The hotel was a little boutique hotel that specialized in showing movies, but we were too tired to do that.  And the room was extremely small – we had to store our suitcases in the shower so we could walk around the bed.  And there was only about 15” between the bed and the wall.  At least we are only staying one night.

Switzerland, nestled in the heart of Europe with its pristine lakes and towering mountains, is a country steeped in beauty, culture and history, yet a country seeming isolated from the rest of Europe.  Although the richest country in Europe and one of the world’s leading banking nations, it has maintained its neutrality during the world wars and has basically kept itself apart from the European community.  In fact, it wasn’t until 2002 that Switzerland joined the United Nations.  And in addition to all its beauty, it is home to chocolates and fondue – two of our favorite foods.  It is one of our favorite countries to visit.

The next morning, we walked back to the train station where we took a train to Basel.  The Swiss train system is very efficient, punctual, and clean.  They have trains to their major cities about 1 per hour.  The train ride was about 1 ½ hours.  From the train station, my Google map showed our hotel about one street over from the train station, but in fact, it was only a half block up from the train station.  This may not have been Google’s fault.  The hotel we were at was one of three hotels in the same building (and owned by the same company) so instead of checking in at the City Hotel Inn, we had to check in at the Hotel Euler.  This hotel is very nice but again our room was very small – I guess it was getting ready for our 16 days on the river cruise.  We had a very good dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and then spent a very enjoyable 2 hours listening to the pianist that played in the lounge area.

Basel is Switzerland’s third largest city, located on the Rhine River at the junction of three countries – Switzerland, Germany and France.  Basel’s international airport is actually on French soil, but, by an agreement, it is operated by both Switzerland and France.  Basel’s history began around 100 BC when the Celts built a fortified settlement here.  In 374 AD it became a Roman fort named Basilia and then part of the Germanic Empire in 1032.  In 1501 Basel joined the Swiss Confederation.  Today Basel is a banking and industrial center, and its pharmaceutical industry is one of the most important in the world, with many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical company headquarters (Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Moderna, Bayer) headquartered in Basel. What a juxtaposition to see the old medieval buildings and alleyways, like the Basel Cathedral and Town Hall, that are now dominated by the ultra modern and very high skyscrapers of the headquarter buildings.

In the late morning, we took a tram to the part of the Rhine River where the river boats are docked and boarded our “home away from home” – the M/S River Harmony.  We have sailed twice before on her sister ship – the River Rhapsody – so we are really looking forward to this cruise.  We spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled into our cabin and then went down to the lounge/bar to get acquainted with some of the other passengers.  We will be docked overnight in Basel, so tomorrow we will have a walking tour of the city.  So join us as travel through 5 countries for the next 16 days as we traverse the Rhine and Mosel Rivers from Basel to Antwerp.