Sweeeeeeeeetzerland (part 1)

Hello my friends...we have returned from our exciting trip across Europe by train....

.....here I am at Ebbsfleet...ready to catch the train to France....nice sunny start to the day.....*yawn*...but we had been up since 3.45am because William was also going off on a music tour to France and we had to get him to a very early coach....we were looking forward to relaxing for a couple of hours and maybe catching up on naps on the way to Paris....

.....of the hilarity...humour in the WC on the train.....

....after our naps I helped the typist pass the time by doing the crossword...we only had to cheat on the final clue...we had never heard of "niobium" before....its a metallic element...

....we took a train from Paris all the way to Switzerland and we arrived just in time to take a relaxing stroll around Basel before dinner and bed....but OMD..look at this ....all the crazy Swiss people were leaping into the river and being carried at high speed by the current .....it was  great way to cool off they said (it was about 100 degrees when we arrived)...they carry their clots in waterproof bags which blow up in the water and act like floats...there were hundreds of them doing it...

....I opted to cool off by finding a shady spot for some quiet contemplation.....Basel has these little fountains and pools in every nook and cranny....the water is nice to drink because it just flows straight out of the mountains into the city.....perhaps I should try a few laps...

....I attended to my normal duties in the morning....an espresso to wake up the tired troops before breakfast.....

....we wandered down to a nice cafe in MarktPlatz and had some Bircher Mueseli...a Swiss speciality...its basically muesli and fresh fruit...plus more coffee......

...and we spent the morning at the Beyeler Foundation....a very nice modern art museum in Basel....no cameras allowed inside sadly....

....we enjoyed it very much...and also enjoyed our nice lunch in their cafe....(*more coffee)

....it was fun travelling around Basel by tram....they go everywhere and run strictly to timetable...there are almost no cars in the city....we saw plenty of real dogs on the trams by the way

...look...a tram is due and there it it is.....

...in the afternoon we went to the museum dedicated to paper making and book printing...the whole thing is powered by the river which flows past its door and this big water wheel....

.....wow, they are literally sewing a book!.....

...we did this with a real Quill!....BOL..we even made the paper its written on!...

....look...no cars...

...to end our afternoon we went to see the cathedral...in German it is called the Munster and lives in Munster Platz...

....and it was nice and cool inside....

...on our second morning we walked around Basel some more....bit cooler today thank the dog....

...some old bits with pretty cobbly streets....

....some modern bits with street art.....

...and lots and lots of uppy and downy bits.....

...bikes everywhere.....we stopped to admire this one because it had a very nice old leather Brooks saddle made in England...but fancy new carbon wheels...

....Basel is such an interesting town...

...we call this "Rooftops of Basel"...I think perhaps we have been seeing too much art on this trip....

....I shall bring you more from the rest of our holiday tomorrow my friends.....