Basel Cloisters

Martin, our Zürich-based  ex-member of the music group, contacted me late last night to confirm that he was prepared to meet us in Basel and show us around. We three had already arranged to meet up at my breakfast spot at Rathausplatz to finalise arrangements for the day. We phoned Martin at 10:45 to firm up when and where to meet in Basel, he driving from Zürich, we from Freiburg. A follow-on text from Martin reminding us to take passports with us meant that Bernard and I had to return home to pick up our documents, which delayed departure.

Further delay en route was due to a reluctance on the part of our driver to pay the motorway toll 'just for the short distance to Basel' when we got to the city outskirts, so we had to turn back on ourselves and use the original back road. We finally met up with Martin at 12:15, by which stage I was in desperate need of a beer. Shock. Horror. Switzerland is expensive! There was nothing wrong with my beer, but the bottle of water was ridiculously pricey. After this pit stop and much rumblings about pricey Switzerland we moved on to the Münster (cathedral). I could have quite happily spent another half hour there, but we were all a bit rushed, with Martin needing to get back to Zürich for a talk at the James Joyce Foundation and us needing to be back in Freiburg for a concert. Fortunately, we weren't so rushed that we couldn't make our way round the back of the cathedral to the cloisters and out to the wonderful viewing terrace behind.

Martin had told us about a 600-year-old ferry which goes from side to side of the river Rhine, and we really fancied trying this. That was all well and good, but the weather decided just then to dump all its pent-up thunderiness onto us. Torrential rain, thunder, lightning, hail -- it all focused its anger on us poor four visitors. We sheltered under a tree until the rain passed, then went on to a little café which Martin found a mention for in the pages he's ripped from his Rough Guide. My mixed salad was fab, and was reasonably priced, while Martin had what he said was a 'nice' soup. After this it was time to pick up our cars from our respective parking garages and go back to our separate homes.

There was just barely time to change and then head out again for the Freiburg Konzerthaus once again, for tonight's (very different) concert. The South-West German Radio Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the brilliant Michael Gielen in a programme of music by Schoenberg, Mahler and Brahms. The jury was divided about the merits of the various items, but differences weren't serious enough to necessitate coming to blows. Afterwards we retired to the same café/bar as last night and then moved on to a new part of the city for a final follow-up pre-bed drink.

Another packed and really great day. I'd like to go back to Basel some time.