Went to France to eat Pain Au Chocolat

Deborah Kade
1 day ago
8 min read

I am starting my writing while sitting on the train headed to Basel to spend part of the day with my friend Jen who used to work at the Adventure Guest House.

The train leaves Interlaken West at 8:34 and arrives in Basel at 10:32.

At the Interlaken West train station I met up with Jeanette who was the past owner of the Anchor Restaurant. We immediately recognized each other! It’s like the years stood still. Michael and I know too many people in Switzerland! Jeanette and Rene spend most of their time now in Spain. She doesn’t like the cold winter weather in Interlaken any more. She misses the beauty of this area, though. She is 70 and Renee is 76. Both are well and enjoying life. She is off to Basel to get some herbs. Jeanette believes the herbs and walking are keeping her strong and in good health.what a wonderful way to start my day! Jeanette was pleased when I told her how we missed the veal steak, the morels, the dollop of whipped cream oozing into thee rick gravy, and the homemade noodles in butter.

I’m taking the direct train from Interlaken to Basel with stops in Spiez, Thun, Bern, and Olten. At least I don’t have to switch trains.

Not much activity on the lake this morning. There are only three or four fishing boats.

Just outside of Thun, I spotted the German train heading toward Interlaken. It must be on time. Otherwise, the Swiss are prohibiting it entry into Switzerland. If the German train is late, it interferes with the Swiss train system and times.

Once we leave the Thun train station, our train picks up speed all the way into Bern.

There are certain things I watch for: if there are any dogs training at the center, if they are rafting, which crops are they picking, and if which field the cows and buffalo are grazing on.

Many of the cows were sitting down. I think that means rain is coming. It does look like rain clouds the closer I get to Bern.

Today, it looks like they are harvesting red and green lettuce.

I'm wondering if they will be harvesting potatoes soon. There are many carts out in the fields.

The sunflower heads are also drooping.

Just passed the Emmi plant outside of Bern. This is where they make Emmental cheese. We call it Swiss cheese.

As we get close to the Bern main station, the train conductor announces the track number of the train in case you need to transfer here to Zürich, Geneva, etc.

Lots of hustle and bustle at the Bern main station with people running to catch their train. There is lots of construction, too. I can hear the muffled announcements of which tracks the trains are coming in on or leaving on. Today, I notice the majority of people have a backpack. Noticed two collisions of people bumping into each other because they were looking at their phones instead of looking straight ahead. The conductor blows his whistle, the doors shut, and we are off.

Many people have boarded the train here in Bern. The girl sitting across the aisle is eating a ham sandwich and checking her phone. Sitting ahead of her, a businessman has taken out his laptop and is adding numbers to a column. The man behind the girl is leafing through the free 20 Minute newspaper he picked up at the train station. The paper gives the top stories.and highlights of the day.you get your horoscope of the day and a puzzle. I can see the older woman sitting ahead of me reading the newspaper. With the Internet, hand held newspapers will be a thing of the past.

The train zips along at a high speed to Olten. Going through the short tunnels cause my ears to block and then pop.

There is a Lindt factory in Olten. Lindt is not my favorite chocolate. I prefer Cailler which uses real milk instead of powdered milk. Next Wednesday I am going to take a chocolate workshop at Lindt, though.

There were no classes at Cailler that I was interested in taking. I did want to take the chocolate Gourmand class, but it isn’t offered this month.

Much industry in Basel.

Jen met me at the Basel train station right by the Bakery Bakery which is a vegan bakery.

We took the number 11 tram down to the Old Town section.

I stopped a lady and asked if I could take a picture of her dog who was so full of energy and excitement.

Lovely architecture in Basel in this section of the city.

The masterpiece is the Rathaus, Town Hall.

Market day in front of the Rathaus.

The Basel Town Hall (German: Rathaus Basel, locally known as Roothuus) is a 500-year-old building dominating the Marktplatz in Basel, Switzerland.

The Town Hall houses the meetings of the Cantonal Parliament as well as the Cantonal Government of the canton of Basel-Stadt.

"The German term "Rathaus" literally means "council house" while the local Basel German dialect term "Roothus" means both "council house" but also sounds like "red house", a pun with reference to the red sandstone facade of the building."

Framing the clock are Basel’s patron saint Emperor Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde as well as a Justitia, with her executioner’s sword and scales. Further above is a standard bearer of the city with a sword, proudly holding his flag up to the sky.

"The town hall was built between 1504 and 1514, at a time when Basel grew rapidly as a trading center. It replaced an earlier town hall on the same site. The construction was started after joining the Swiss Confederation in 1501, in order to demonstrate the newly gained political status. Over time, it has been expanded several times to meet the changing needs of administration and population growth."

"The town hall is not simply another administration building, but an embodiment of the late Gothic architectural style combined with elements of the Renaissance, which makes it unique among the other European administrative buildings. The striking red sandstone facade is decorated with beautiful frescoes depicting important personalities of Swiss history.

In the courtyard there are three statues depicting Munatius Plancus (founder of Augusta Raurica), Lucius Munatius Plancus (Roman senator) and Hans Holbein (famous painter). These statues are reminiscent of important personalities who have made an important contribution to the history of the region."

"The town hall also houses a number of artistic details that reflect Basel's rich cultural history. The painted facade, the statues in the courtyard and even the door handles are decorated with intricate patterns and symbols depicting various aspects of Basel's past – from religious heritage to political affiliation. These elements are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also serve as a visual narrative of Basel's journey through time."

"The characteristic facade made of red sandstone and the striking tower were later founded at extensions in 17th and 19th centuries. This iconic landmark is a testimony to Basel's historical significance and its political autonomy within Switzerland."

In the courtyard of the Town Hall is a sandstone sculpture of the Roman general Lucius Munatius Plancus (1580), who is considered to be the founder of the Roman colony of Augusta Raurica.

The façade to the market square is decorated with several sculptures by the Basel sculptor Hans Turner. The sculptures were done between 1510 and 1511.

From the market square, we walked toward the cathedral. Behind the cathedral is the might Rhine River.

Basler Münster (Cathedral) is probably the most famous landmark in Basel. With its red sandstone walls, colorful roof tiles and twin towers, no other building adorns the cityscape of Basel like the Cathedral.

The cathedral was originally a Roman Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church.

The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The late Romanesque building, destroyed by the 1356 Basel earthquake, was rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd, who was at the same time employed for building the Freiburg Münster.

I lit a candle in the cathedral as I always do.

Jen and I had lunch at the museum restaurant. I had the perch filets with a salad. The salad ingredients with a light vinaigrette were very fresh. The tomatoes were especially tasty.

Jen needed to get something in the next city over on France, St.Louis, so we took the number 11 tram to the border of Switzerland and France and then hopped onto a French bus to the outskirts of the city center.

Well, if you are that close to France and want a French afternoon pastry, why not travel the short distance to France. I had the pain au chocolat while Jen only had a soft drink. The pastry was flaky and buttery. Delish!

My homemade pastry? Here, we melt, for her.

Jen and I needed to take our picture at the train station before I headed back home.

As I leave city, I am reminded of the legend of Basel and the basilisk.

"When a jet-black rooster laid a giant oblong egg in the middle of town in 1474, the city residents knew that a terrible monster was sure to hatch…

In the year 1474, one Thursday morning, the tranquil city of Basel was beset by a great commotion and panic. A scruffy, jet-black rooster that was more than 11 years old had committed the ominous act of laying a giant oblong egg, nearly as large as itself and speckled with black and green, right in the middle of Gerbergasse – and in broad daylight!

Everyone in the town, from young to old, knew that such an egg could only hatch a terrible monster, the basilisk. The city’s inhabitants could imagine nothing more frightening than that. The basilisk, a terrifying creature over one meter tall, with the head and feet of a grotesque rooster and the body of a dark serpent, was more abominable than the wildest of all dragons. The basilisk caused nothing but death and destruction. Fresh grasses and green bushes withered and became dry thickets as the basilisk trod upon them. With its mere gaze, it had the power to kill, and even the tiniest glance from its blood-red eyes could shatter solid rock. Its poisonous breath alone caused immediate death.

Nothing seemed capable of destroying the monster. Even the strongest and bravest of knights, if he managed to pierce the fearsome creature with his lance, would suffer an agonizing death as the poisonous blood of the basilisk would race through the weapon and rob the would-be hero of his last breath.

But the proud citizens of Basel would not let the monster terrorize their fair city, so they devised a clever plan to exploit the fearsome creature’s only weakness. The citizens of Basel realized that anyone who came across the rampaging creature must swiftly draw a small mirror from their pocket and aim it toward the foul beast. The basilisk, upon seeing its own terrible gaze in the reflection, would be stricken by its own cursed powers and miserably perish.

Disaster was averted this time, as the evil rooster was quickly caught and beheaded, before it could spread its curses. And the wretched egg met its destruction too, as the citizens cast it into a great fire, crackling and burning, and peace returned to the brave city once again.

Coming into Bern, I could see the snowcapped mountains off in the distance. Gorgeous!!!!

The Cathedral in Bern