We spent an excellent Easter weekend in Basel, Switzerland. With the lock down measures, the idea of air travel was not that inspiring and we were in need of something simple and relaxing. So a city break in the was in order.
We arrived at our hotel (Novatel Basel City) a modern building not far from the highway or the train station, from the outside you wonder whether the plan to stay was good, however, the staff are amazing, the breakfast copious and free public transit for the length of your stay were perfect for our families needs. If you prefer more luxury, then I would suggest the Hotel Kraft—a beautiful hotel on the Rhine river.
The weather was cold, and so comfort and warmth were high on the agenda over fashion. Still I managed to get good use of my Premiata sneakers, paired with straight leg jeans, cashmere sweaters and camel Max Mara coat. For the first time, I used a simple, small crossbody that held a few cards, cash, perfume and a bag of sour candies.
From the hotel, take the number 15 tram into the city (6 minutes), then take the boat across the river. The non-motorized boat is pulled by the current and attached to a cable. The captain, a man of few words (mostly german ones) gave the kids a delicious nougatine Easter bunny to celebrate.
The Tinguely Museum, with its electric mobiles and metal sculptures was very entertaining and we were even able make our own painting using Tinguely meta-machine number 10.
The next stop was the Paper Museum—very kid friendly, filled with activities to do including making your own paper, printing, marbeling and writing with feather plumes. The kids second favorite part of the the trip.
The favourite? Our trip to the Basel Zoo. Although the indoor exhibitions were closed, and the first few animal pens resembled our local farm, the exhibits were very interesting: llama walks with a school group, snow panther feeding during a zoo film session, wild dogs, flamingos, elephants and monkeys. The giraffe and rhinoceros even came out to say hello briefly. The zoo buildings are gorgeous, thought their beauty has been dulled by the recent restrictions.
Finally, I took a solo tour of the Kunstmuseum’s permanent collection. Though not interested in the earlier work, I enjoyed the 20th century collection with a few pieces from Picasso, Rousseau, Arp, Chagall, Mondrian and others.
No fancy dinners as all restaurants are still closed. We ate in the hotel restaurant or had food delivered.
Basel was worth the four day visit despite the many restrictions. A must do for all those in the region who can travel there.
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