Saturday- "Today we dance, for tomorrow we ride!"

I think the title for today comes from an old cowboy movie, but I can't be sure. Regardless, Saturday was another glorious day in Basel. The sky was a perfect blue, and the temps were warm, almost a little oppressive- but enough shade and breeze to make things comfortable on the whole.

Our first goal of the day was to have no tight schedule, and so we decided to take a leisurely walk across the Rhine to the section of the city where the Roche Tower is located. (headquarters of Alan's company) This is the view of the tower (also the tallest building in Basel) from the side of the river where our hotel sits:

This is what the tower is like up close. Interesting juxtaposition of stone age boulders and ultra modern white decor in the building's exterior and lobby spaces.

        

To cross the Rhine River at Basel you have many choices of different bridges or 5 different ferry boats that operate by cable, and use the power of the river to push the boats across. No motors!

This morning, we chose the ferry to take us, for the paltry sum of 1.60 Swiss Francs. This was the least expensive thing that we have paid for.  Food seems to cost about double what it does at home!

We actually spent most of the day just enjoying the Rhine River and all that happens there. It is the hub of fun on weekends, where there seems to be no public safety yet everyone is free to make the most of the city respectively on their own. The wildflowers are similar to what we see at home, but we appreciated the water fountains (dragon with the wings of a bat, tail of a snake ) along the River Walk.  A swim facility is even built right into the swiftly moving Rhine-so unique-see picture

 

Lastly, we spent our final night in Basel relaxing at the outdoor hotel bar and meeting our fellow bike tour participants. Twenty people in total.  The couples we met are from all over the U.S. and have done multiple VBT bike tours. So, we have lots of mentors!  For example, there are some from Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, South Carolina, and California. Plus there's even another couple named Alan and Chris. How weird is that?! They all tell us we will love this and be back for more trips, as this is the only way they vacation now. We are anxious for tomorrow to get here-excited and nervous, but READY!