May 22, 2010 - Rest Day in Basel

Mileage: ZERO
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I didn't intend to spend a rest day in Basel, but between the generosity of my host, and the opportunity to meet a guy named Remy who is at the beginning of a trip around the world, I had to stick around for another 24 hours.  Armed with a city map and all of the Rick Steves' approved touring gear you can imagine, I set out into Basel, Switzerland for a day of unadulterated tourism

I walked and walked and walked.  I got lost 3 times and once I literally did a spit-take when I looked up and saw a church that I had walked past an hour previously as I was trying to make my way down to the river.  The entire town is bisected and surrounded by the Rhine river, yet I had a difficult time finding it.

I did all of the inexpensive tourist things you can do, like take the St.Alban's ferry.  It's attached to a guy line, and uses the current of the river and it's rudder to move across from shore to shore.  Here's an action shot:

Check out the wire connecting the boat to the guy line. Hot Basel ferry action.

Anyway, Basel is an endlessly fascination town, with lots of history and old buildings.  For example, it has a lot of old history associated to the Basilisk, even though the town wasn't named after it.  The Basilisk is what occurs when a rooster lays and egg and it's incubated by a toad.  Apparently it has the head of a dragon, the feet of a rooster and the hair of Larry King.  Or something like that.  It can turn you to stone with it's eyes. Anyway, here it is, just before spitting drinking water into my mouth:

There's a whole story that I listened to at the history museum about Basel and the Basilisk that's too mundane for me to recount.  It involves a well, a Basilisk, and a mirrored bucket.  You can probably fill in the gaps

Anyway, I came home, did some photo and blogging stuff, then Remy, the French guy going around the world showed up.  I think I pestered him with too many questions about gear and his plans, but no matter.  He was a very cool guy, and shared with me the last of his French sausage, bread and cheese.  It was his first day out of France for the next two years, and the fact that he was willing to share the last vestiges of his yummy food meant a lot.  Here's Remy, looking as good as he'll probably look for two years:

God speed, Remy.  Here's his blog, if you can read French.