It was a short stay in Basel, but we saw a lot! The Rhine River flows through the city and was a short walk from our hotel in Basel’s Old Town. On our first night we walked to the river to find dinner. It was a very busy place, with most of the restaurants doing a brisk business. We continued to wander until we found a small restaurant in a quiet spot, with tables overlooking the river. The food was delicious, and it was fun to watch the activity along the river. There were even a bunch of swimmers in the river!

The Old Town is very walkable, with plenty of places to shop, eat and explore. We took full advantage of the pastry shops for tea and sweet treats. I think my favorite was the schoggiweggli – a soft milk bun with chunks of chocolate, and a specialty of Basel. Now that I’m writing about them, I have to see if I can recreate them at home! And with the chilly weather setting in, outdoor chairs have sheepskins to keep you warm!

The town hall is the seat of seat of Basel government and parliament. It dominates the central square of the Old Town.

We picked two sites to visit on our last day. There were many to choose from, and one was a given for us – climbing the tower of the cathedral! First we stopped at the Basel Historical Museum. Located in a building that was originally a monastery in the 1200’s, it houses an impressive collection of artifacts from the area’s cultural and religious history.

Then on to the highlight of the day (yes, pun intended😁) – the Basel Minster. Construction of the original cathedral was begun in 1019. The building has changed over the centuries, most notably after the destruction from the Basel earthquake in 1356. Even being rebuilt after that, it’s still wicked old by our standards! The church is one of the most prominent structures in the city and you can’t miss seeing the towers. As soon as I found out that you can climb them, we were off!

This was the best tower tour, mainly because it wasn’t a tour. We bought our tickets and were shown the door to the stairs leading up. We got there just as it opened, so there were just a few others climbing with us. We would go up a bit, find a door to a balcony, walk along that to another door leading to more stairs, another balcony, another door with more stairs, another balcony – you get the idea. Eventually we were at the tippy top, just under the spire. Wow!! The view was amazing and the feeling of being so high was incredible. And there was so much to see in the architecture all around you. Someone told us there was a hidden cat and mouse at the top – we found them! Only after we came down did we realize that we could have made another turn and gone up the other tower as well. 242 steps was enough for one day, maybe we’ll go back someday and finish the tower tour.

Below the church, the crypts were on display. There was a great video presentation about the history of the church that was projected onto the foundation and remains of the crypt. It was very well done, and it was in English.

For many years we have known that the Rolls came from the small town of Kiffis, France. John’s parents made the trek to Kiffis close to 30 years ago, and by shear chance, met up with a bunch of the local Rolls during lunch at the local restaurant. They no longer lived in the town, but were there for a day of apple picking. That was the beginning of an international family connection, including several more visits by his parents to France.

Knowing that we would be in Basel, a mere half hour from Kiffis, John’s mother reached out to our french cousins and we made plans to meet for lunch. What a fun day! First, we had to get to Kiffis, so we rented a car and hit the road.

During the day, we lost count of the border crossings between Switzerland and France. There were at least 6, if not 8, as we wound through country roads. Only one road had an obvious (but unmanned) crossing — the others were just announced by the GPS with a “Welcome to France” or “Welcome to Switzerland”.

We had lots of time before lunch, so we stopped at the ruins of the Chateau du Landskron. We love visiting these ruins, and this one did not disappoint. Other than some groundskeepers, we were the only ones there.

And now to Kiffis. It’s a tiny town in a beautifully picturesque setting. We stopped at the war memorial and the church to find family names.

We were meeting for lunch at the Restaurant au Cheval Blanc. This is where John’s parents first met the Rolls. We were the first to arrive, as they were just opening for lunch, but it didn’t take long for almost all of the tables to fill up. Once the food arrived, it was easy to see why folks will travel here to dine. The food was delicious and the atmosphere is lovely. From the overflowing flower boxes and kitchen garden outside, to the beautifully appointed interior, and the delicious food, this place is a gem!

Lunch with Marie-Agnes and her brother, Jean, was so much fun! Between their English and John’s French, we had fun conversations. We also talked to the owner of the restaurant and found out that she was there on that first visit years ago. She is also related to the Roll family and pointed us to the house once owned by the family. Another Roll had visited the restaurant earlier this year – someone not known to us, but likely related. We’ll follow up and see if we can connect with that family. Almost 3 hours later we bade our newly found cousins good-bye. We are already talking about our next trip to Kiffis!

I am finally catching up with my blog posts. My keyboard stopped working mid-trip, so I had to wait until we got home. And then life gets busy and things drop down the priority list. But here you go – the remainder of our Switzerland/Denmark trip in a few more blog posts. Enjoy!

With John’s work commitments behind him, we headed out of Zurich to see some more of the country. We were heading to Basel for a couple of days, and broke up our trip there with a visit to Mount Pilatus. We stowed our luggage in the Lucerne train station and took a bus to the small town of Kriens (have I told you that we love the public transportation in Europe?). Here we boarded gondolas to head up the mountain. Near the top we transferred to the new aerial cableway, the Dragon Ride. The Dragon Ride carries 55 passengers up the last 2000 feet of elevation in just under 4 minutes. Surrounded by glass, it’s a spectacular view!

At the top of the mountain there are cafes, a gift shop (of course) and a beautiful hotel – 30 rooms, built in 1890, and spectacular inside. I’d love to stay there sometime! Check it out – https://www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/hotels/pilatus-kulm-hotels

We wandered around for a bit, climbing the steps to the 2 peaks, and walked along the dragon path, partially tunneled through the rock. The legends and myths of the dragons of Pilatus live on! We were just on the very edge of the Alps, but able to look out over 73 of the Alpine peaks. It is quite impressive!

Deciding to make the most of our trip, we took the cog railway down the other side of the mountain. At a gradient of 48 degrees, this is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world. A 30 minute trip brings you through the barren rock formations at the top, into meadows and grassland at the base.

And to finish out what is called the “Pilatus Golden Round Trip”, we hopped onto a boat for our return trip to Lucerne. It was a spectacularly beautiful day, and the gentle cruise across Lake Lucerne was the perfect way to cap off that adventure.