Bustling Basel

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Basel is a bustling city of some 160 thousand souls. It is split by the Rhine River, and is serviced by electric trolleys, which make it easy to get around the city. On our guided tour this morning we walked a short ways from the ship and got on a trolley, which lead us to the center of town. We then walked around for 90 minutes on a guided tour. It's interesting to see the dates on many of the old houses. This one built in1389, this one in 1704, etc. We viewed a Roman buried site, with the bones of a small child still there. Plus, of course, we saw many other interesting sights.

After the tour, several of us got on another trolley and rode around the city for an hour. It brought us back to our starting place. We then got back on the trolley which we rode this morning, and it returned us to our ship in time for a pleasant lunch. After lunch I took another stroll while Zee started packing. We depart the ship tomorrow morning and take a bus to Lucerne. Our tour continues for a few more days.

Yesterday was some sort of holiday in Switzerland, with much partying, drinking, and fireworks going on. The streets were littered with

spent firecrackers, empty beer cans, and many cigarette butts. It's sad to see so many of the young people smoking. The street cleaners are out in full force, trying to clean up the city.

The weather forecast here was 100% rain. With typical, unerring accuracy of the weather forecaster, the day is sunny and hot. Many people are out enjoying the sunshine, with a fair share of young ladies in skimpy swimsuits, which I hardly noticed, and scarcely peeked at. The east bank of the Rhine, where the sun is shining full blast, is lined with many people, enjoying the sunshine and a day off from work. There are even a few brave souls swimming in the Rhine, which is cold and rolling furiously as it heads to towards the North Sea.

We have come to the end of our cruise, and I hope my blog blathering has given you an idea of what it is like to take a river cruise in Europe. As I said previously, one of my favorite ways of traveling. Using our motorhome is another mode of travel which I enjoy. In Lucerne we have signed up for an all-day optional tour, which should be exciting. I'll blog about it later....Jim

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