The cathedral
View from Saint Martin's spire
In August of 2012, we spent a few delightful days with David and Amelia in the Basel area. The city straddles the Rhine and is wedged between Switzerland, France, and Germany, so the region lends itself wonderfully well to exploring places in the three countries. Within minutes, one can be in a place with a different culture, architecture, language... It really is quite fascinating.
The photos on this page were taken in the cities of Basel (Switzerland), Strasbourg (France), and Freiburg (Germany). We also visited Neuchâtel in Switzerland (where Vicki and I met in 1974), and the lovely Alsatian wine village of Riquewihr. While the best part was undoubtedly to be able to spend time together, we had a great deal of fun exploring the area.
In Basel, we were in for a special treat: both spires of the cathedral were devoid of any scaffolding. This is a rare sight, indeed, because the red sandstone is fragile and requires constant maintenance. We promptly ascended the Saint Martin spire, the one on the right when standing in front of the cathedral. As can readily be seen from the photos below, the view from above is spectacular!
Click on any image to see a larger (1500 x 1000 pixel) version!
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The cathedral |
View from Saint Martin's spire |
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View across the Rhine to "Lesser Basel" (Kleinbasel) |
The colorful roof tiles |
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Gargoyle |
Looking downstream to the Middle Bridge |
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The cloister |
Looking from the Middle Bridge to Saint Martin's church |
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View from the Rhine promenade |
Looking from the City Hall courtyard into Market Square |
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The train station (we came by rail) |
The Place Kléber in the heart of town |
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Façade on the Place Kléber |
Old and somewhat newer architecture |
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The Palais Rohan |
Lovely flowers adorn this bridge |
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This bridge is decorated, too |
Walking along the canal |
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La Petite France... |
...is probably the most picturesque part of Strasbourg. |
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The top of the cathedral's single spire is being repaired |
Side street |
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Detail on a house on cathedral square |
Even the manhole covers are beautiful! |
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Hotel Bären, the oldest inn in Germany (1387) |
Oberlinden street |
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Augustinerplatz |
Façade detail |
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Restaurant |
Kaiser Joseph Straße |
All photos on this page were taken with our Panasonic DMC-TZ20 point and shoot camera.
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