Basel & Last Night in Bern

Being a non-Labor Day work day, Brian came up with some lame excuse to bail out of our activities for the day - Work! But he cheerfully threw Pam under the bus to commit her to accompany us on our trip to Basel. We were going in spite of the iffy weather forecast to just see what trouble we could get into. We arrived around noon and Pam led us to the tram that took us directly to the Marktplatz, the central square that holds all the city's festivals. In fact, it was the very square that held the Fastnacht celebration in 1971, which a contingent of Fribourgois and I attended. Hard to believe, to be sure, but the Platz was recognizable to these 40-year-older eyes.  It was a party that lasted all night and through the day for us. For the Swiss, it is a Three Day Binge that allows them to keep their austere exteriors for the remainder of the year without snapping from the stress of being Swiss.

We had lunch at an airy cafe on the Platz and just as we were beginning our walking tour of the Rathaus and old town, the skies opened up, forcing us to slog our way dutifully around the prescribed route to the Munster cathedral, basking in our grit, if not the sun. After we came out of Munster, the skies had dried up but I think we were drained. Foreswearing the zoo and the art museum, we meandered our way back to the Bahnhof to return to Bern so Pam could go to her class.  See slide show of Basel.

Had it been earlier in the week, I truly believe we would have forged ahead, but with only 2 days to go to return home, neither the legs or the spirit were willing. It worked out that Brian could join us as Pam was starting into class (like our being alone would violate our alien permit or something) and we shopped for different things on the way home to await Pam's arrival.

Being our last night in Bern, we went to the Kornhaus -- a huge subterranean palace of a restaurant with a 600-year history we won't go into.  It was a festival of gourmet delights! We walked home a new way, down the steps of the big bridge, and made it back in time to collapse and think of the morrow. Zurich is awaiting us in the morning as we get ready to leave this fairy land.  See slide show of last night in Bern.