Paul Klee Museum

This weekend we dodged the rain by planning an indoor activity. The Paul Klee Museum is located in Bern and it only an hour from Basel. Say what you will about Paul Klee, but I had a lot more respect for his work after I visited the museum. He mixed all of his own paint and made all of his painting tools: brushes, scrapers, reed 'pens', etc. The body of work displayed in the museum even included 32 primative paper-mache puppets he made for his son and the audio guide information was exceptional. All of this housed in a Renzo Piano building consisting of 3 in-ground arches (goto works -> short list -> paul klee). We will definitely be going back to visit - the museum sits on a large piece of land that contains a park and scultpure garden too!

Merian Park

Merian Park, about a 15 minute walk from our apartment, is AMAZING! We especially enjoyed the fly-eating plant display and the labyrinth on top of all the prairies, flowers, gardens, sculptures and water features. It seems to have covered every area you can think of regarding different collections of plants (click on the 'Der Garten' link) and the park is beautiful year round due to its variety (click on the Hoppla! link - photos from each month listed on the left). They have lots of activities for adults and kids alike and several museums on-site that are free of charge. Christoph Merian willed the grounds to the city of Basel in 1858 - it's truly a treasure. (Don't be discouraged by the google translator errors - just click on the left-hand links once you get to the page the information will be displayed). See all the Merian Park pictures here.

Alsace Region - France

We went to a couple of places this weekend that were lots of fun to visit: a renovated castle and a maze. The Koenigsbourg Castle is from the 1100s but was reconstructed from ruins in the early 1900s - they had a great audio tour, but Robert thought it looked like he was wearing a car stereo around his neck. The maze is very close by and it's made from corn (a maize maze...ha!). They change the maze every year - they've had planets, and one with a egyption theme. This year's theme was the Brother's Grimm - they have 2 different courses (one for little kids and one for bigger kids) and they give you a map and you have to answer clues to get thru doors along the way. It was really fun. Also nearby is another castle that features birds of prey and they have shows every hour and a park with monkeys that roam free and you can feed them. Alsace is a region that is famous for its wine and is only an hour from Basel - we were forced to try a couple of the wines during lunch (oh, the sacrifices we make...). You can see our pictures of castles in France here.

French Automobile Museum

On a very rainy Sunday afternoon we ventured off to Mulhouse, France (about 25 minutes from Basel) to take in the Automobile Museum. The entrance line was out the door so we knew it must be good & we were not disappointed.

The history of the Fritz Schlumpf collection is quite a story & the collection is now housed in the factory building he once owned. The building is masterfully laid out & even with a throng of visitors it wasn't cramped. We could look at the cars on both sides of the aisle without missing anything & at the end of each aisle there were special exhibits (new Bugatti models and filmed test track demos, a film on how cars are assembled, a movie about the racing industry).

Over 400 cars (all of which are in working order and fully restored) come from as far back as the late 1800 pioneers to present day race cars. Plaques in French/German/English are displayed in front of each model giving you a brief overview of the car. Some cars have an audio guide number and provide more information about a particular model. A history of many famous car companies (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, etc.) as well as many companies that are now out of business are detailed in audio guide 'extras' if you really want to get into the weeds (which were well worth it). The last aisle of cars was what we called the 'gangster cars'. All those huge cars from the 1930's with huge swooping fenders and wide running boards - you can almost see Al Capone firing his Tommy gun out of them. See pictures here.

Hiking in Switzerland

Every weekend that we have nice weather we venture out into the mountains to do some hiking. Some of the hiking trails start from where we park the car and others are accessed via a gondola ride. We purchased a book that lists 50 different hikes throughout Switzerland - it offers the elevation changes of the hike, the sign post designations, the number of kilometers, and the number of hours it will take to complete each one. We usually take lunch to eat along the trail, water and a couple of sweaters if the elevation is over 2400m. Each trail has several alpin restaurants to choose from and we stop for a beer to relax and take in the views before heading back out. The trails that we have followed so far go in a big circle and offer everything from wide-open spaces, fansastic mountain views, waterfalls, and glaciers to beautiful wildflowers and forested areas. It's best to have hiking shoes as the trails range from pavement, wood chips, tree roots, large stones, loose gravel, grass, and dirt. There are always cows around (even if you can't see them you can hear their cow bells) and you have to avoid their droppings much of the time along the trails as well. We would really enjoy your company on a hike or two - sometimes they are a bit challenging, but the views are definely worth it. See all of our hiking pictures here.

Traffic Park

We found a Basel activity book with an entry that was too good to pass up and just down the street: the traffic park. It's a park located on a busy street, but it's isolated from the traffic with a narrow entrance and is about 6 feet below street level. Here's the concept - it's a road system complete with traffic lights, sidewalks, stop signs, bike lanes and road markings but it's used to help you teach your children about how to cross the road and ride a bike on the road safely without actually being on a busy street...GENIUS! Parents can also bring their kids there just to play - it offers many different routes for them to ride on and it looked like the kids there yesterday evening were really having a great time.

Route de Cinq Chateaux

We found a great book at the library the other day that describes several things to do that are very close by. On Saturday we decided to do the Route of the Five Castles very near Colmar, France. You can drive to all five of them, but there is also a nature walk through the woods which was quite nice. It was a raining so the forest offered shelter and allowed us to enjoy the day even though we didn't have ideal weather. The Hohlandsbourg Castle was the one most in tact and had a great wall surrounding the grounds. A stairway led up to the top where you could walk completely around the wall accompanied by midevil music broadcast through speakers. We were looking at some flowers and noticed some ENORMOUS bumble bees, but after a closer look they were actually the smallest hummingbirds we had ever seen! We had a terrific lunch in a town nearby when the weather got particularly bad, but it cleared up a little and Robert was able to take some great photos of the view from the castle.

Innsbruck, Austria (2/2)

Innsbruck's beauty is due in large part to the gigantic mountains that loom over the city. In the winter it's a haven for skiers, but the summer brings many hiking opportunities and great views as well. We took a cable car to the top of one particular area that had a alpen botanical garden (complete with Edelweiss!). We hiked for over 8 hours enjoying great mountain views overlooking Innsbruck, the bobsled run for the olympics, and lots of cows. No hike is complete without a mid-day break that includes lunch and a beer at one of the many trail cafes. Hiking pictures here. The city pictures are here.

Innsbruck, Austria (1/2)

Innsbruck is aptly named for the river Inn that runs through the center of town. It is located in a valley at the east end of the Alps and has rich culture, fantastic hiking, and is a skiers dream. We spent the day on a bus tour that took us to several interesting locations in the city. Innsbruck has hosted the winter Olympics twice (1964 and 1976) and their new ski jump was designed by internationally famous architect Zaha Hadid. We were able to visit the top of the ski jump which has great view of the city and ironically ends over looking a graveyard. Then it was off to the local castle - they had fantastic grounds, both wooded and manicured complete with peacocks wandering about. Our last stop was the Alpen Zoo which was Nancy's favorite because they had at least 6 different owls on display. They only have animals that are found in the mountains and it was quite a treat to see the 1 week old Lynx! In the evening we went to see a stage show which featured Bavarian dances, costumes, music, instruments (including alphorns and a saw) and yodeling. The entire evening was a lot of fun and we were both impressed by the finale that included traditional songs from more than a dozen countries. Take a look at our pictures.

Basel Tattoo

No... Neither of us got a Basel tattoo - we attended The Basel Tattoo. Dictionary.com defines a tattoo as follows: a signal sounded on a drum or bugle to summon soldiers or sailors to their quarters at night. The performance was held in an area called the barracks and contained at least 8 different groups: drum and fife bands, military marching bands, marching bands with a rifle corps (PERFECT formations - they were really polished), traditional Irish dancers, an alphorn group (with a little yodeling), a troup of Russian dancers, two bands featuring my favorite - bagpipes. Let's not forget The Lone Piper and total blowout of all the bands together with a singer from the UK belting out a Highlands song - whew - what an evening! The highlight was the Top Secret Drum Corps that held mock sword fights with their drumsticks and brought the crowd to their feet they were so good. You can see pictures of Basel events here.

Swimming in the Rhine

Yesterday, Robert had a surprise in store for us after dinner - we were going to swim in the Rhine! It is very common to see people in the water during summer - there are public areas right next to the water some have stone beaches and there is even a nude beach not far away. People of every age and walk of life congregate to enjoy the cool water on a hot day. It's a 15 minute walk to the river from our apartment - so off we went to see what it was all about. Here's what you do: put your towel and your clothes in a waterproof bag, you wade into the water with your bag and your shoes because there are hazardous rocks below (but the river gets very deep quickly), a fast moving current sweeps you up and you can float on your bag or swim with the current, when you're ready to get out - navigate over to the river's edge and use stone stairs to exit the river. Then you just take out your towel, dry off and put your clothes back on. We did it twice and will definely do it again. There are three main bridges downtown and we passed under two of them - some people even jump off the middle bridge into the water! We weren't able to get photos of our swim, but here is a site that has a great picture (middle bridge pictured). You can see our other pictures of Basel events here.

Southern France – Lyon (5)

Lyon was our last stop. Situated between two rivers the city is quite large and has a renaissance area that is listed on UNESCO’s world heritage site for its traboules. We took the funicular (a tram that goes to the top of a hill) to see their famous church and a terrific view of the city. A walk in the park, a leisurely lunch and the best part – Nancy found a watch (I've only been looking for 18 years)! Pictures of Lyon.

Southern France - Provence (4)

When we were buying a pass to the major sites in Nimes they asked if we would also like to visit a nearby castle – the Chateau Des Baux. Why not? We ventured out into Provence past the corn, wheat and sunflower farms to experience a medieval town leading up to the ruins of a once great castle that overlooks many of the farms. Van Gogh lived in a nearby town (Arles) and used the beautiful countryside as subjects for some of his most famous paintings. See the pictures.

Southern France – Bridges (3)

Nancy actually arranged this entire trip to see three different bridges: the Pont du Gard built in 19 BC by the Romans, the Garabit Viaduct built by Gustave Eiffel of tower fame, and the most recent French bridge achievement the Millau Viaduct by architect Norman Foster. Three different types of bridges from very different eras – I still can’t choose one as a favorite. See the Pont du Gard pictures here. See other bridges in France here.

Southern France - Tour de France (2)

Lance or no Lance we decided to take a few hours to experience the actual Tour de France. We saw the end of Stage 13, but weren’t sure how to read the schedule so we arrived a little bit early. There is an hour long caravan of sponsors that drives the route prior to the riders arriving. The spectators scramble (almost to blows) to get the wares that are thrown into the crowd along the route (lots of hats, snacks, key rings, etc.). There were five riders that were pretty close together, but the rest of the pack was almost 30 minutes behind (see results) and it was over in a matter of seconds. Take a look at the history of The Tour and check out our pictures here.

Southern France – Nimes (1)

An absolute treasure, the city of Nimes had just enough to keep us occupied and enchanted us with its beauty. Nimes is a Roman city that has 4 major attractions: the Masion Carree which now shows a 3D movie about the history of Nimes, the amphitheatre which had a fantastic audio guide describing the different gladiator fights, costumes, weapons, and history, the beautiful Jardins de la Fontaine with wonderful water features, plenty of shade, and a winding path that led to the Tour Magne a tower built in 19BC. We briefly visited Avignon as well and it reminded us of Lucca, Italy as it’s a city completely surrounded by a wall. See the pictures here.

A day of hiking

Nothing better than a good long walk, especially when it's up and down hill in the beautiful mountains in Switzerland! We have a book that documents many different trails in all parts of the country. Of course they include pictures which makes deciding on a trail difficult because they're all so beautiful. After picking one, we drove to a place about 25 miles south of Interlaken in the central part of the country. We parked the car and began our journey. There were plenty of clearly marked trails that took us through a variety of terrain including meadows, paved roads, stone and dirt trails, steps, and others. We had a small picnic from our back pack, and later stopped for a beer at a restaurant located at the top of a mountain. It was located near a ski lift, and certainly it's packed during ski season. Eight miles, and seven hours later, we made it back to the car. We had enough for one day, but we'll go back for more. The mountains are beautiful and we can't wait to see more of them. See for yourself by clicking here. See pictures of our hiking trip here. Or you can see all of our hiking pictures here.

Tour de France... Well, Almost

Perfect weather today... So we took a long bike ride in Switzerland and France (a seven hour ride). The country is very beautiful to ride in. Rolling hills, trees, wheat and corn fields, farmers taking care of their land, all very pleasant to see, and also relaxing at the same time. We enjoyed riding from town to town, and at the end of every small journey, we checked the map and picked the next small town to ride to. Lots of hills to climb so it's not the same as riding in Indiana. However, there is one thing the same... Cow Shit in France smells just as bad as Cow Shit in Indiana!! Ah... nothing like the smell of the country. Anyway, having the beautiful scenery makes it all worth while. We'll do more rides like this very soon. See pictures of our bike rides here.

A Night Out

Last night we saw two groups play traditional swiss music. The first group of three musicians played a soprano saxophone, an accordion (which looked more like a bandonion), a contra base and an alphorn. They played fun, circus-y music and did a little good ol’ yodeling as well. You can get a taste of their quirky music by visiting their web-site SULP. The second set of three played the contra base, the xylophone and a flat triangular instrument that the musician stood in front of using small metal mallets and a foot petal. They also used instruments that looked like a tin can with a stiff rubber band coming out of the end. This group was decidedly different from the first, and the man playing the xylophone was terrifically inventive with his use of mallets, cymbals, shakers, bells and bows. The last set was both groups on stage at the same time doing a bit of jazzy swiss improve (complete with animal sounds – dogs, sheep and cows). All of this to a back drop of an interesting mix of day-in-the –life photography slides of (mostly) Basel. We had a great time!

Barcelona, Spain (take two)

A couple of weeks ago Robert had to go to Barcelona again on business so I went along to do some sightseeing. I took the bus tour around the city, saw all the Antoni Gaudi buildings, the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Pavilion that he designed the Barcelona chair for, the Contemporary Art Museum, the zoo (where they had the only known albino gorilla from 1966-2003 – Snowflake) and their most famous street, Las Ramblas. See our Barcelona pictures here.