Tag: blog

Basel – A Hidden Gem

My blog is a lifestyle site and so now and again I share my experiences of travelling around Europe. My last outing was at Christmas when I visited wonderful Antwerp, which I mentioned in my Five Favourite European Cities article. Now I want to talk about another hidden gem that I am currently exploring – Basel in Switzerland.

Getting To Basel

The Eurostar screen illustrates how trains pollute far less than planes.

My regular readers will be aware that I like to travel by land and sea as much as possible. This is mainly because I believe that planes are one of the biggest direct causes of pollution in the upper atmosphere. I stopped flying 9 years ago but haven’t let it stop me enjoying travelling.

For this journey, I popped over to Paris on the Eurostar and then changed stations from Paris Nord to L’Est. I then took a one and a half hour train to Strasbourg before hopping onto a one hour train to Basel. Travelling through Strasbourg made me realise I need to spend some time there soon, possibly during Christmas time.

Getting To Know Basel

This hotel looked lovely.
The city centre was interesting and was accessible by frequent trams.

When I got off the train at Basel SSB railway station, I decided to walk the 20 minutes to the hotel rather than get on public transport. It was a great choice as I was able to check out some of the highlights of the historic city centre. It was, however, exhausting as there was a large hill running up to where our hotel stood. This was brilliant for my step count, though. Especially after spending hours on trains.

The colourful streets reminded me of Salzburg and were lined with trees. Many of the hotels and houses had plants climbing up them, making the whole place feel green and cosy.

Basel film festival was on in a group of theatres and cinemas.
Statues, fountains and trees line the streets.

After settling into the hotel, I walked back into the centre and found myself next to the famous Basel Munster Cathedral and overlooking the River Rhine. Plenty of restaurants, bars and shops lined the streets of this intriguing place.

Basel Munster – Cathedral
Munsterplatz – part of the old town

Final Thoughts

Just a few hours into the holiday and I was already starting to fall in love with beautiful Basel. Look out for more of my posts about my experiences in Basel as I look back on my time in this intriguing European hidden gem.

Thank you for reading my blog post. Please consider following my little blog for future reviews, travel pieces and environmental articles.

My Second Blog Birthday

I am currently on holiday but thought I should acknowledge a milestone for my little blog. It is now two years since I started blogging properly. When I get my teeth into something, I generally stick at it for a while but doing this for two years was totally unexpected. My blog birthday is here and I am grateful to all the wonderful readers and contributors who have helped me get this far.

Looking Back

Although I had a free WordPress blog for a while, I rarely used it. Once in a while I would write a book review or poem but it was very much a hobby.

Then, at the end of May 2022, I made a decision to blog regularly and establish a site that celebrated the things that I enjoy. In doing so, I became a part of the brilliant blogging community. As a result, I have made some blogger buddies and appreciated making valued connections and friendships.

Things I Have Achieved

At the time of writing, I now have 983 followers, written 671 posts and welcomed many wonderful guest posts.

I have also joined an incredible group of bloggers called ‘The Climate Change Collective’ where we celebrate environmental initiatives. Each month we take turns to write posts, including recent research and practical methods to help fight global warming.

Here is our May article for you to have a look at:

Climate Change Collective: How green spaces help our planet

Thank you so much for supporting my blog and taking time to respond to my articles with comments. I really appreciate the love my blog has felt and look forward to another year of producing lifestyle articles. If you haven’t already followed the blog, please consider it.

On it’s second blog birthday, I think I will have to raise a glass in appreciation for the blogging community.

Dog Collars and Holidays – Smorgasbord Funnies

These jokes about dog collars and holidays are very funny. Smorgasbord always finds the best cartoons and memes.

Firstly, some funnies foraged from the web from Debby Gies – D.G. Writes is where you will find an archive full of wonderful posts across several …

Smorgasbord Funnies 2023 – Hosts Sally Cronin and Debby Gies – Dog Collars and Holidays

Thank you for reading this post. If you like poetry, please look at my Nearly Summer poem.