9 October 2023 Basel

 

9 October 2023           Basel

We were docked overnight in Basel and this morning we had a walking tour of Basel’s Old Town with our Program Director.  This is our third visit to Basel, so we have already seen most of what was covered this morning.  We explored the Munster, Basel’s Cathedral, although technically it cannot be called a Cathedral as no Archbishop ever lived there and today is a Reformed Protestant Church. We then walked to Markplatz with its colorful Town Hall and then 

We first visited the Cloisters of the church were we saw tombs of many of the wealthy and nobility of Basel were buried (actually we only saw the headstones on the side of the walls of the Cloister as the tombs were inside the walls.  We also saw a black sculpture created after a 1986 fire at the Sandoz pharmaceutical company resulted in the dumping of a red extinguishing foam together with tons of a toxic pesticide into the Rhine River.   The toxic spill flowed for 250 miles down the Rhine through Germany and into the Netherlands.  It turned the Rhine bright red and killed most of the fish and eel population of the river.   It took about 2 years to clean up the Rhine. 

There is one unique feature of the main church.  Beneath a class panel on the floor in front of the alter is a drawing of the Basilisk, a mythical creature in the form of reptile that is said to a serpent king who causes death to those that look into his eyes.  So when you walk across the glass panel do not gook at this monster’s eyes.  We also saw a statue of it on our walk to the Town Hall.  From the Cloister area we had beautiful views of the Rhine River with trees that are beginning to show their fall colors. 

Part of old Celtic Wall

Inside the Cloisters

Headstones of Tombs in the Cloister

Star of David Window on Church

Sculpture Remembering the Toxic Spill

Sculpture of Toxic Spill

Roche Towers-Left one is tallest building
in Switzerland

View of Rhine

Looking at Mittlere Bridge built in 1225

Chapel on top of Mittlere Bridge

Side Entrance to Munster

Inside Munster

Drawing under Glass of Basilish

Inside the Munster

Entrance to Munster

St. George Slaying the Dragon

From the church we walked down a small street where we saw the statue of Basilisk and St. Martin's Church which is now the State Archives.  In front of the church is a colorful statue of Henman Sevogel supporting himself with a court of arms with the Basel staff.  He supposedly represents a commander who stood guard on the market square.  Others say it is a symbol of Basel's participation in the religious wars of the 16th century.

Our walking tour1514, perhaps the most striking feature about this building is its bright red color from the red sandstone used to build it.  There are also colorful frescoes on its walls.  Today it is the seat of government for the canton of Basel-Stadt.

Statue of Basilisk

Sevogel Fountain

Basel Town Hall

Pigeon's Watering Hole

Before returning to the ship, our Program Director got a little treat for us -- Basel Leckerli.  Specific to Basel, it has been around since the 1400’s.  It is a rectangle cookie that is made of gingerbread with candied fruit.  While it looks hard and dry, its center is moist and sweet – w wonderful treat!

Following lunch on board the ship, we had most of the afternoon free.  We spent it relaxing until we joined the rest of our travelers in the lounge for a discussion about Switzerland Today.  Our speaker was an English Teacher in a high school.  In addition to his bachelor’s degree, he also needed a master’s in English to teach at the high school level.  But here in Switzerland they pay much better than in the States – he earns 110,00 Swiss Francs/year (1 Swiss Franc is just a bit more than 1 US dollar). 

Their education system is vastly different than ours.  All children must go to elementary school from ages 4-13.  At 13, their grades determine which type of high school they attend.  Those with good grades to schools that prepare them from college, while others go to trade schools.  They are in these schools until age 18 when all males must do a mandatory 2-year stint in the Swiss Army.  You do not attend college until age 20.  The school year includes 12-14 weeks of holidays, depending on which canton (like our States) you live in.

He does not own a car, but uses a bicycle and public transportation to get around the city.  As Basel is located where both France and Germany meet Switzerland, he says he can ride his bike to three countries, doing what shopping he needs to do (goods in both France and Germany are cheaper than Switzerland), in about an hour.

This discussion was followed by the Captain’s Welcome Drink and Dinner.  When then left Basel for out next stop – Strasbourg.