A to C - Art to Cathedrals in Basel

10 November 2022

The boat has arrived in Basel.

I thought I set the alarm for 6, but I waked up at 5:45 and the alarm wasn't set. One of the socks had rolled itself to the middle of my instep and squished everything to my toes, so I tried to take it off. I got dressed

Scooter by the window at 7:30

Mike came in and put the last few things into appropriate bags, and got the scooter out so I could ride it out down the hall and then he put the bags out behind me. We went down to breakfast.

A few people are leaving for home. There are 5 of us that are doing the post cruise section - the three of us and two ladies from Arizona. 58 of the Canadians are doing a post cruise section with their TA and they are staying at a hotel near ours. Actually we are at a different hotel than we were originally scheduled to be in and maybe because the Canadians filled it up.

AmaLucia in Basel

Anyway, the 5 of us went out to a swanky van and identified our luggage and put the scooter into the luggage area and got on.

Our driver

Riverside and Bridges

Clouded skyscraper

The five of us and a guide were driven into Basel.

Trams

The two ladies took that guide and they gave us a gentle walker guide who was a tiny white haired oriental lady. She was very good.

First, we diverted into the entrance court of an art museum (Kunstmuseum) because I was finding a flatter sidewalk to ride the scooter on

Statue backed by a tree and Art museum poster

Alexander Calder Die grosse Spinne, 1959

Mike and the guide in the art museum while she explains the Burghers of Calais

"Les Bourgeois de Calais" by Auguste Rodin

Then, we went through the Basel Minster (former cathedral)

Riding my scooter in the street in Basel

Steeple from the side

which was surrounded by a fair which started at 10.

Before the fair opens

Fair outside the cathedral

Basel Minster is a religious building which was originally a Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church. The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles

Sundial

Cloisters

Closeup of Sculpture of farmers market

Church window from the cloisters

Guide in front of the cathedral

St George

Twin towers

Fall color

Reischacherhof

street flag

Double stroller

Basel History Museum

She ended up with us at an amazing fountain with multiple mechanical things spouting water- Tinguely Fountain.

Tinguely Fountain

In 1977 Jean Tinguely created sculptural machines in a shallow fountain where the stage of the old city theatre company once stood. He lined a shallow fountain with black asphalt and created inside mechanical figures powered by low-voltage current who appear to be playing in the water. These ten iron figures are in constant motion and conversation with each other..

Bitte Bassin nicht betreten -- Kein trink wasser

Do not enter the pool.
Not drinking water

We all got back on the bus and went back through the city gates

Part of the city wall

and picked up Frederico who had been finishing up the cruise part of his job.

Frederico waiting under the Ama Waterways tent

Then we drove to Lucerne.

From the road on the way to Lucerne

Old Swiss House in Lucerne

We visited the Lion of Lucerne,

Whole sculpture

The monument commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. (From the early 17th century, a regiment of Swiss Guards had served as part of the Royal Household of France. like the Swiss Guards at the Vatican). Around 760 of the Swiss Guards defending the Tuileries were killed during the fighting.

Samuel Clements (Mark Twain) praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.

Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti ("To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss" )

The guide explained that the names of the officers who were killed were inscribed in the rock between the wounded lion and the pool of water.

At the Lion of Lucerne

Frederico took a photo of us - he thought he might use it in one of the Ama waterway newsletters. The first couple of times he tried this with my camera but he cut off our heads. He was successful with Lesley's camera.

Then they let us have free time for lunch. I preferred the restaurant with the least amount of cobblestones getting to it. I did not understand how to do this restaurant which had several sections. Mike had a good table and I didn't see him and went back to another section - I screwed up.

Mike's lunch

I had quiche and tea and it was good.

Quiche and salad

We finished early so we wandered around the waterfront.

Mike looking at the lake

Swiss seagull and Shore birds

Lake

Clear water and Dog walker

Sleeping swans

Frederico got the hotel to let us check in early because I did not think I could do another 2 hours on the scooter.

Hotel: Hotel Astoria Lucerne
Address: Pilatusstrasse 29
Lucerne 6003
Switzerland
Check-In: Nov 10 2022 Room Category: DELU

Mike and Lesley left on the walking tour -
Suddenly, I found that my backpack with my pills and my computer was missing. I texted Mike and Lesley but they were on the tour and didn't have their phones on. I tried to call the front desk, but the phone by the bed didn't have directions on how to do that. I tried to call the hotel with my phone, but I got some place in the US. While I was on the phone with them trying to get to talk to a person, I walked over to the desk and saw that the desk phone had a button to contact the front desk, so I pushed it and hung up my phone. I was by this time frantic because I thought the bag had been left on the bus. So I talked to them and she said she would check and call me back. I asked her how to call her if I didn't have a front desk on the phone and she said it was 8787. (I had tried 0, 9 and 1 without success) So I went to pee, and there was a knock on the door. I rushed to the door and there was a bellman with two backpacks - they had both been put in Mike and Lesley's room. So I gratefully identified mine.

I didn't have the converter plug to plug the computer in, but I worked a little bit on the battery and then I shut it off and had a nap.

Mike and Lesley came back - they brought back photos

Tower

Bridge

Fountain

Mike took my card which was in a slot to keep the lights on and went down to get another card for my room. Then he figured out that the only plug in the room that we can plug into was on the desk under the TV across from the bed. To get to the curtains I have to unplug the computer because the cord is across the room.

We went down to dinner at the Mexican restaurant here at the hotel.

Hotel restaurant

i had

Salad, sheimp and baked potato

Mike had a cheeseburger which he shared with Lesley who had nachos to share with Mike.

Lesley's nachos

Leslie and I are going up a mountain tomorrow with the two ladies from Arizona and Mike staying in the room or smoking a cigar on their balcony.