Sunday we took a train to Basel and checked into a really nice 3-bedroom Air BnB on a quiet residential street, but close to a bunch of restaurants and groceries (or so the maps and reviews said).
Unfortunately Sunday is a true day of rest for most businesses in that neighborhood, but after some further reconnaissance, we were able to locate one restaurant for lunch and with the energy remaining, we found a convenience store where we could buy some basics for a light dinner and the next day’s breakfast.
The Murano on Hardstrasse welcomed us with a lovely outdoor space and a menu with 2 pages of Spring asparagus dishes as well as some local classics. The stand-outs were the cream of asparagus soup and flamenküche (sort of a cross between a crepe and a flat bread with creme fraiche, cheese, ham, and potatoes). The pictures don’t really do either one justice, but both were very tasty.
The next day we were joined by our friends Melissa and Diana who, despite having just arrived on the redeye from Newark and a connecting train from Zurich, declared themselves up for adventure. We decided to take the local tramline to the old town neighborhood of Basel. It took us a while to figure out the ticket machine, but we were soon underway and into the old city in about 10 minutes. Riding on the iconic narrow green tram made me feel like I was in a foreign film where some trench-coated Continental type should get on and engage us in a mysterious conversation. But no such luck.
First stop the Münsterplatz (Minster plaza) and the Basel cathedral, known for its Romanesque and Gothic architecture and its history of going back and forth between Catholic and Protestant occupants (not uncommon in this region as we’re learning). It has two towers - one dedicated to St. Martin and the other to St. George. Inside, it’s a light, airy space with amazing acoustics.
There was an odd sort of fellow playing a small portable organ. Not the usual image of a cleric or church organist, but he played well and the music highlighted the sanctuary’s liveness.
I particularly liked the crypt beneath which was set up for small scale services and recitals.
The statue of St. George slaying the dragon made me laugh. The dragon looked more lie some kind of hound with wings than a scary creature.
Next we wandered back along the Münsterplatz and down the windy cobblestoned streets to a plaza where we stopped for lunch. By then it was past lunch hour, but we happened on a basic looking place that turned out to have really good salads and another rendition of asparagus soup - definitely the star veg of the season in Basel. A bonus was watching them dismantle a huge Eurovision set (which required a crane to load the components onto trucks).
By then Marg and I were done with walking and headed home while the rest of the gang, including the two most intrepid of travelers went off to explore some more. On the way back we noted an art gallery around the corner from our AirBnB and did a little shopping in the now open local Coop (I guess Switzerland also “runs on Duncan”.
