France 2023 - Day 6 / Basel instead of Nancy

Steps today : 21 740 / 14.33 km

I wanted to do a day trip to another city because I felt like one full day in Strasbourg was enough. Had we stayed for 2 full days we would have wandered further afield to the Orangerie Park to see the storks and explore that area, but I did that with Frank already and my mom didn't care either way - so a day trip elsewhere made the most sense.

I suggested Nancy which is a beautiful town and we were looking forward to it, but that plan fell through. For some unknown reason the morning trains we all cancelled and the earliest we would have arrived was 1PM - too late, so forget it.

I briefly considered Freiburg which I visited from Strasbourg a few years ago, but there are no direct trains and we wanted something rapid.

On a whim I suggested Basel which was about 90 minutes away and we went for it! Because it was so last minute, we didn't get together with family and I have to say that it was a very strange feeling but it was impromptu and logistically complicated.

It was a blah, drizzly, cold and damp when we arrived, in fact it was so cold (under 5°C) that I was trembling from the dampness. My spring jacket with sleeveless puffy shell overtop was not going to cut it. Thank God there was a sporting goods store right there in shopping plaza of the station; I went in and bought a warm jacket. Not my colour but I was desperate!

That jacket saved my life! I was so comfy and cozy, I was ready to roll and enjoy the day. The weather was disappointing, but I have nice memories of previous visits on sunny days so it wasn't the end of the world... and the sun did eventually peek out.

By 10 o'clock we started exploring the rainy streets

We stopped for a drink around 11:30 and since we were not in France, Kir Pêches was not an option. I remembered liking 'Hugo' from previous vacations in Switzerland and so that's what I went for. Pretty!

While sitting in the café I noticed a gypsy woman begging for change across the street, so when we left I offered her my shell jacket that I no longer wanted - she reluctantly took it but then asked for money so lord knows if that donation did any good.

The Basel Historical Museum nearby attracted our interest - but it was 20CHF! too expensive.

So therefore, time for lunch which was decided upon as soon as we confirmed we were spending the day in Basel: FONDUE!

We went to a restaurant I had gone to before way back in 2014 and remembered fondly. It was delicious.

After lunch, the rain had stopped and we wandered around for a bit. Basel is not a touristy town and we both said that had we known we would be dipping into Switzerland on this trip, we would have organized it better. Going to my mom's home town and seeing family or going just a little further on towards a more touristy spot like Bern or Lucerne which are much nicer to explore and only an hour away.

Hooker parking. Handy. And we saw girls at work too - it was 2:30 in the afternoon

And look! by 3ish the clouds started parting and the sun was peaking out!

Around 3:30 - out of boredom  - we decided to head back to Strasbourg. 

We were not in the mood for supper after that heavy lunch, but I needed something to eat in order to prevent those 3AM churny empty stomach acid pains.

We decided on a salad at place between the train station and our hotel... but do you know what's on the salad menu in Strasbourg? Cervelat salad. I caved.

We made it back to the hotel around 7:30, had one last night cap and then back to the room to start packing for the onward journey tomorrow.