Come, Take A Walk with Me

Saturday morning, DJ invited me to go on a walk.  We usually go in the evening (when we go), and so I was not so excited.  I was not getting along with my body that morning, I had lots to do at home, but I relented.  I'm so glad I did.  Of course, I grabbed our "little camera" for some pictures---DJ's still grumbling about how it really wasn't a walk (he had to keep stopping or had to at least slow down while I snapped a few---okay, 102 before the battery died).

It occurred to me that as I've blogged, there have been lots of pictures from Brugge, Lucerne, and Neuschwanstein and the like, but very few from Basel.  So today, I take you on a walk with us across the Dreirosenbrucke (Three Roses Bridge) to the other side of the Rhine and along the river for "our walk".  Depending on our mood, our walk can be a 1-bridge walk, a 2-bridge walk, or a 3-bridge walk.  Whatever the mood or the time available, we cross back over the river on either the first, second, or third bridge, and make our way back home on the other side.  These pictures are by no means comprehensive.  I tried to avoid all the construction, and there's a lot of it.  Basel is always in a state of repair or upgrading which is a good thing, but the cranes, scaffolding, and bulldozers aren't so pretty!  I just randomly took some shots that might give you an idea of what it's like. 

We left our apartment, walked a few blocks, and crossed Dreirosenbrucke.  It's fun, because as you look straight across the bridge, you can see the green hills of Germany, as you look downriver (which is really looking more in a northwesterly direction---the Rhine flows north, so is it upriver or downriver?), you can see buildings which are in France.  This is some of what you see in a closer proximity as you walk across the top of the bridge (did I ever tell you that this bridge is a double decker?):

Turning around and taking a shot back on our side of the river, you can catch a glimpse of one of the original city gates (this is really close to our church building):

Once on the other side of the bridge, we take a 180 and go down a lot of stairs (you can see them, two pictures up).  This puts us down on the river's edge.  There's a playground down there:

So I'll put the commentary in the picture captions, and try to share part of our world with you:






Look at the vines on the building.  I just love the different architectural styles of these apartment buildings!





Not unusual to see 1-6 cruise ships docked on the far side (our side) of the river.



Brugge had its green benches sporting a dragon; ours are black with the Basel Crest.



Fountains like these are found up and down the river on both sides.







Bridge Number 1 - Johanniterbrucke



Took this shot because I love the way the trees form a canopy along the walk.  Notice the mom and daughter skating in the distance?  Look below to see what happens when you take a picture and don't want them to notice.



Oops!  Just taking random pictures of people along the way---whether sun bathing, eating lunch, reading the newspaper, biking, skatboarding, etc., all sorts of people enjoy it here.



You didn't think you could get away without a door photo in the post, did you?  I actually love the gate, as well.



The fire engine of the river.  Sits in that same place, ready to go!



Another water fountain.



One of the ferries that shuttles back and forth across the river at several locations



Want an Italian Ice?





We sat and watched this dog retreive an empty soda pop bottle for a few minutes.  The female in the picture would skip rocks while the dog was out after the bottle.  One time she about nailed the poor dog with a rock---oh, so close.

This was one of two barges we saw on Saturday.  A lot is transported on the Rhine to the port city of Rotterdam.



Enjoying lunch.





2nd Bridge - Mittlere Brucke


The camera died on the third bridge---you're almost there:

One of several sidewalk cafes on the river.



DJ on his way up the stairs to the third bridge - Wettsteinbrucke



A second ferry - The captain positions the boat so the the current of the river carries the ferry across the river.  The ferry is connected to a cable above so it doesn't move downstream.



This is the Munster which was orignally built of red sandstone in the 1300's.  It was partially destroyed by an earthquake that same century and then rebuilt.  Part of the original cathedral still exists.



Don't you love the tilework on the roof?



Another one of the city gates taken from the bridge.



Crossing Wettsteinbrucke.  A lot of city streets have a bike lane.  A lot of people use bikes.  Scooters (both motorized and foot-powered and skateboards are also modes of transportation



Those hills are in Germany.

Looking towards our house.  We live by all those high-rises.



On the other side of the bridge was this tiny building.



I loved these roof tiles and the bell tower that is in the shape of a bell!


The camera died, lucky for you.  The walk back down the other side will have to wait.  DJ and I enjoyed a quick trip to the gift shop at the art museum to buy some tiny prints for our granddaughters (Grammy's latest in a effort to help them learn about the finer things in life!).  Then it was more meandering through the crowded streets and Marktplatz.  We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants which sits on the Rhine and has big windows so you can enjoy the view while you eat.  A great day for us.  A great walk---hope you enjoyed it.