christmas trees and kunstmuseum

Quiet morning from our window. After breakfast we took another stroll through the city, along the river and through tree-lined streets, and rode the ferris wheel and the tram around a bit too since our feet were chilly.

River ferry near the Munster and city views.

Friendly gull near the Helvetica statue.

We saw some of the oldest public art collection and a special Warhol exhibition at the Kunstmuseum. The museum courtyard was turned into a skating rink.

More treats, the biggest pretzel I've ever seen.

A final stop by the Tingeuly fountain, mostly frozen, and off to the train station for two trains, a tram, a bus and finally hitchhiking to make our way back home after a fantastic weekend.

vitra, weil am rhein

After a morning walk and visit to the the city wall and mill, we took a bus fifteen minutes across the German border to the Vitra Design Museum. The museum (below left) was designed by Frank Gehry and housed a temporary exhibition of his sketches and models for various building projects. The VitraHaus (below right) , by Herzog & de Meuron, contained the cafe, gift shop, and Vitra design show rooms...a great place to play.

 

At the VitraHaus, we got to sit in some fine chairs (like La Chaise lounge designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1948). We'll get to the chairs, but first, lunch.

Pumpkin soup and a coffee served in the windowed cafe, watching the snow.

Okay, onto some design... (gallery interior, design for Superstar- a mobile Chinatown by MAD inside Buckminister Fuller dome, Gehry model for Pritzker Pavilion, Vitra Museum in the snow).

And some more...

And the chairs- plenty of places to sit, thanks mostly to Charles and Ray Eames.

Heading back to Basel for dinner and some jazz at the Bird's Eye, here's the bus stop designed by Jasper Morrison, for the Vitra:

Did I mention this place is pretty much perfect... I guess it has to be, but the publications, signage, fonts, oh so nice.

basel

This morning we took a train ride through the snowy Swiss countryside up to Basel. It was a cozy ride with sunshine, coffee, and the last of the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

We arrived just after noon and made out way to the hotel, with a little extra wandering and a stop to see the red town hall, Rathaus.

Our hotel was charming, a family owned hotel-gallery-theater-restaurant-cafe-archeological site. We stayed in a room that was painted all red with simple furniture and a view on the neighboring rooftops.

We spent the rest of the day strolling through the town, popping into stores, the Christmas market, and stopping for lackerli, pretzels, candied almonds, roasted chestnuts along the way.

Cathedral and carousel-actually a spinning bar:  

The Rhine at night:

Plenty of trees and twinkling lights to start into the holiday spirit, the snow helps too.

up, again...

This time I have company for the hike. Remember this guy? (above left) He hasn't seen the light of day in a while (work induced), so some fresh air and hiking did some good. I had to reintroduce him to the trees and the little chirpy things that fly.

After a peanut butter and jelly picnic in the sun,  clarity and temperature change past the Narderans (as usual).

Cold, cloudy, and windy at the top, but a momentary break from the clouds. The summit never really cleared, but a bit of sun for the trip down. Soaking it in before the normal Sunday rains and tomorrow's broccoli soup making.

a place in the sun

Today I walked across the border to Malval, in the valley, down by the river, and found a sunny spot to sit and start crochetting some wrist warmers- it's suppose to be getting colder.

 Basking in the warm November sun... on a quiet bench.

Walking home, back to the mountains, before the sun sets behind them.

on my mountain

Yes, I've declared the Jura my mountain, or range. Not sure how France will feel about this invasion, but it has been declared.  So, up I went, yes again. Not a cloud in the sky. Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny, clear November day, and I started up early in the morning hoping to explore a bit more of the range.  Most of the orange leaves have fallen since my last trip, but the view was the best I've seen...that is until I was swallowed by the Thoiry cloud just past the Narderans. You can see that dark menace lingering in the distance further along the trail.

But, before entering the cloud, the view below:

And then the view is gone, nothing behind and nothing ahead.

I made my way through the cloud, you get a bit soggy hanging around inside a cloud, but as I reached the summit, the cloud started to pass and I could see the destination, just barely through the haze.

I sat up at the top for a while, soupy, and white, until the the sun started warming it's way through the cloud. There was a bit of blue sky, a little more, mountains and a city in the distance, and a rainbow sitting right beside me.

More clouds sneaking up behind me, but they never made it over the ridge.

The cloud that swallowed me, moving along into the valley.

A few more hikers made it through the cloud on their way to Le Reculet.

Magic on the mountain. Every time.

Hope you get outside, enjoy the fall, and join me on a hike some day.