Basel- The cultural capital of Switzerland

On friday, we went to Basel- a 2hr train ride from St Gallen.

Situated on the banks of the Rhine at the point where the Swiss, French and German borders converge, Basel is a unique and fascinating city full of charm. A city where everything runs to clockwork- yet with a multicultural character to which it owes its emphatically cosmopolitan and innovative reputation.

We were lucky enough to get our own cabin on this train!

The Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. The Rhine and the Danube formed most of the northern inland frontier of the Roman Empire, and since those days the Rhine has been a vital navigable waterway, carrying trade and goods deep inland. It has also served as a defensive feature, and been the basis for regional and international borders. The many castles and prehistoric fortifications along the Rhine testify to its importance as a waterway. River traffic could be stopped at these locations, usually for the purpose of collecting tolls, by the state controlling that portion of the river. - Wikipedia.org

I've got to say that Basel is my favourite canton in Switzerland so far- ranking even higher than Zurich and Luzern! The tagline used for all the brochures was "culture unlimited" and very rightly so! Every single building is an architectural masterpiece- those within the city's Old Town were especially stunning. Coupled with the countless fountains and open air art, it was really a treat for the senses (BK also commented that the air here was fresher, I second that).

Basel is also a paradise for museum buffs- we did not enter any of them though. Firstly because we are not museum buffs plus the current exhibitions were not very appealing, and the entrance fees are exorbitant for poor students like us! Furthermore, what we could see outside the museums was more than enough!

Clockwise from top left:

2. The City Hall in the centre of town: a striking red sandstone building with a prominent tower and colourful murals.

3. Munster: the cathedral that dominates the Basel skyline with its red sandstone facade, colourful roof and twin spires. This former episcopal seat was built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles between 1019 and 1500. (its the same as the twin buildings you see in the distance in picture #1)

Lots of sausages, bread, cheese and preserved vegetables in the marketplace!

Clockwise from top left:

2. Burghers of Calais: Rodin welcomes you at the entrance to Switzerland's most important art collection (Kunstmuseum) with his sculpture.

4. Hammering Man: the 13.5m tall giant standing on Aeschenplatz is Basel's hardest working resident, made by American artist Borofsky.

The journey back was not so smooth though, it was so crowded that the 3 of us had to split up to get seats. We had to transit at Zurich but the train was delayed so we missed the immediate connecting train back to St Gallen and had to wait for the next one. We reached home at 10 plus pm! Luckily we had some toblerone - fruit and nut (BET YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS KIND YET...haha) to keep us alive till we got home because we didn't have dinner!

Basel is a really lovely city-i think the people who live and work here are so lucky!