Basel

At this point I’d had a bit of a side affect from a medication I was taking when my wisdom teeth played up in France. Josh’s sister had also had the same side affect, but we had all thought it was so rare that it couldn’t happen to two people on the same trip, but yes… It was a sensitivity to light, and since I’d spent all day in the sun in Bern (all lathered up in sunscreen which became redundant), my hands and toes were bright red, stung like hell, and if I so much as came into contact with sun, would burn like crazy. And it was so sunny…

Daniel decided to take the day off work to show us around, and the poor boys put up with me on our day in the city, with me shade-searching, wrapping my hands around cool bottles of water, and generally looking like a freak. Our first stop was the border control so that Josh could get his passport stamped and play tourist, and then we bought some goodies for a picnic in the (shady) park. A quick stroll to the old town, and we wandered the cobblestoned streets before crossing the Rhine river on foot and returning by boat. Basel has very clever little wooden ferries that are attached by ropes to wires running the width of the river. The boat is driven by the tow of the river, and crosses from side to side during the day. Very cool.

An outdoor summer bar on the other side of the river was sadly closed, so we instead climbed up to the top of the Munster Cathedral tower, winding up narrow staircases until we reached the pinnacle. Taking in the sweeping views of the city on either side of the river, a few obligatory snapshots, and then we navigated our way back down to the square. Josh decided to cheer up the burnt invalid by delivering me with a lovely sunflower from the markets outside the bright red Rathaus, which stood in stark contrast to the clear blue sky.

We crossed back over the river, and the boys were in search of a beer, which we found at another riverside bar open during summer. It was getting towards evening, and so we bought some ingredients to make homemade pizzas, and met Daniel’s girlfriend who joined us for dinner. She was very impressed that we managed to get Daniel eating some greens by adding rocket to a margherita pizza. After debating whether to go out, or not to go out, it was easier to stay in and we were all a bit exhausted, but the others did manage a stroll to the nearest bar for a drink or two.