IrishOboe

We got off to a leisurely start because we all needed the rest and I was shocked to find I’d slept until 9.  Shortly after we got a call from the airport saying Dad’s suitcase would be delivered between 10 and 11.  Sure enough, at 10:30 it was delivered to our door.  We then were free to enjoy a day on the town.

I’d planned to follow one of the marked walking tours in the city that goes along the Rhine, but we ended up spending so much time at Münster church that there wasn’t time.  We saw the old Celtic ruins and I managed to remember a number of interesting facts about places that I learned from the tour I took.  In Münster church we really enjoyed looking at all the carved wood, stonework, stained glass windows, and some 1000 year old frescos.  We spent the most time climbing one of the towers and enjoying the old staircases, city views, and stonework at the top.  Then we spent a fair amount of time looking at the ground of the church admiring Bernoulli’s grave site and other attractions.  I didn’t want to rush them, but I knew we wouldn’t have enough time to fit what we’d planned for the day.  The point of vacation and travel is to enjoy what you do and see, and I could tell they were enjoying themselves so I let it be.

We stopped by the Marktplatz and enjoyed tasting and buying a few products to share for a light lunch.  We had Merguez sausage with brown bread, Bergkäse (my favorite), and some special marzipan from the chocolate vendor (we didn’t get chocolate???).  We decided to do the walk along the Rhine another day and go right to the Augusta Raurica Roman ruins.  I didn’t calculate time well enough and so we ended up only having an hour.  So in not feeling rushed at Münster I made us feel rushed at Augusta.  Oh well, I found it rather less interesting having been to Rome.  It seems much better put together for educational purposes, but I think ruins are more romantic if they’re left as ruins.

We had to be back at 5 to meet a family from Basel Christian Fellowship for dinner, but sadly Mary had fallen ill so we had to change plans.  As much as plan A was preferred, we had a lovely time with plan B, which was to walk with the guidance of Nils around Riehen, the Swiss village where they live.  It was lovely to have tour by a Swiss (if not Basel) native and Dad got many of the questions he’d accumulated throughout the day answered.  I was even less prepared to answer all his questions than I was in Japan.  In Japan I had eight months to get to know the area before their visit and here I’ve only had two!  Things have been going remarkably well despite that fact.

We looked at hold buildings and lovely parks, and had delightful conversation.  We had deliciously dark bread, confections and coffee/hot chocolate at a bakery and thoroughly enjoyed the time.  I learned a phrase in Swiss German, but as usual I was told “But that’s not Basel dialect.”  If I keep learning a phrase here and there from random Swiss people then I’m going to sound like those people from the Olten train station who speak a mishmash of Swiss German since it’s a hub for commuters.  The one up side was that in the context of the bakery I was able to understand a fair amount of the dialect that was spoken as opposed to when I eavesdrop on conversations and can’t pick out a word . . .

But all that is beside the point and it’s already 11pm so I should get on with the day.  We took the bus to Kartäuserkirche for a medieval concert of voice, fidel, flutes/recorders, and dudelsack (like a bagpipe).  It was a very enjoyable concert, though it wasn’t as breathtaking as the other concerts I’ve been to here.  We came home exhausted but happy and satisfied from the day.

I should mention that even though the weather has been lovely in the afternoons with cool/warm temperatures and partly cloudy skies, it’s really rather hazy so making the trip to the Jungfrau that Dad really wants to make will have to wait for the end of the trip when we hope the weather will be better.  There’s not much point to taking a trip up a mountain when the view is obscured!  It’s been great to explore the area at a leisurely pace and though it might not be the most exciting place for the well traveled, it’s certainly fascinating enough to our American eyes.

Well, that covers the basics.  Here are a few pictures to enjoy.  I don’t have time to put them in the appropriate places in the post.  I don’t have time to post them at all but I won’t ever get more time . . .

Janet and Münster tower bell

Dad and Mom at the mid-level of Münster

A picture for my Mom’s sister

Mom drinks from a fountain in Riehen

Dad, Mom, Nils, Janet at the Bakery

Nils, Mom, Dad at a park in Riehen

Mom, Janet, Dad and a German hill, in a park in Riehen