Switzerland Day Six

So we decided to go to Switzerland today, because none of us had ever been there before. The train from nearby Selestat to Basel was a bargain at 33 Euros each for a round-trip fare.The trains are punctual here, and our trip took a little less than one hour. Truthfully, we were all a bit disenchanted with the city.  Maybe it's because it was a big town after almost a week in the country. Maybe it's because it's SO expensive; our first order of business upon reaching Basel was finding the ladies room, where it cost Nancy and I the equivalent of $3.20 each to use the facilities. On a side note, Switzerland elected not to join the European Union, and therefore does not use the Euro. Instead, their currency is the Swiss franc. I took out the minimum (50 Swiss francs) at an ATM.  At present, one Swiss franc equals $1.10 USD.

We walked to the historic downtown area of Basel, where there are many very expensive shops. Although it was fun to window shop, it was a bit disheartening. We crossed the Rhine, but as it was an overcast day, the river was gray and unappealing. Now we know we didn't see the part of Switzerland where Heidi grew up. We didn't see the Alps at all, and we were in sticker shock over the prices of everything, so we really didn't give it a fair shake. Lunch for the three of us cost over 100 Swiss Francs.  I stopped at a chocolate shop and bought a few things...another 50 Swiss francs.  We walked through a nice market, and bought some handmade pasta for dinner tonight...22 Swiss francs. Cute shoes were 290 Swiss francs, so they didn't come home with me!  I did like the dogs in Basel.  There were so many beautiful dogs, often unusual looking breeds.  Otherwise, we were happy to hightail it back to Alsace, land of vineyards, flowers, and little villages!