Basel

I love Basel. I nearly lived there before opting for Geneva for professional reasons. I nevertheless kept a special place in my heart for the city, even though I don’t return there frequently. Our last visit was at the beginning of December for the Christmas Market, some cultural visits, shopping, great food... All in all, we had a perfect stay filled with fun and lots of laughter.

The buzz of Basel is fantastic and the locals are so friendly, welcoming and warm in this Swiss German region. There are many staggeringly beautiful architectural jewels which have earned the town a reputation as a centre of excellence for art, design and architecture. Basel is also celebrated for its charming Old Town, arguably the most beautiful in Europe. The city holds Switzerland’s largest and   most impressive Fasnacht (Carnival).

It’s such a “feel good” city that I recommend you to visit it if you haven’t already!

In case you want to visit the town, there are unique events there all year round. Basel Carnival (late February and March), Baselworld (late March), Art Basel which is the most important art fair in the world (June), a well-known ATP tournament (October)... to name but a few.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, there is a magnificent Christmas Market (from late November until Christmas), but you will already have read my post on that subject.

Below, the “must-see” things in Basel.

BASLER MÜNSTER

Together with the Mittlere Brücke, the Cathedral is the most famous landmark of Basel. With its red sandstone walls, colourful roof tiles and twin towers, no other building adorns the cityscape of Basel like the Cathedral.

CITY HALL

The City Hall, situated in the Markt Platz, is the seat of the Basel government and its parliament. In the midst of the Old Town, it is particularly eye-catching with its red facade, the characteristic tower and playful frescoes.

MITTLERE BRÜCKE

There is hardly another monument in the city of Basel that has become such a symbol of the city as the Mittlere Brücke. Opened in 1226, it is one of the oldest Rhine crossings between Lake Constance and the North Sea.

TINGUELY FOUNTAIN

Where the stage of the old city theatre company once stood, in 1977 Jean Tinguely created sculptural machines in a shallow fountain and in the process gifted Basel a famous new landmark.

SPALENTOR 

The Spalentor is the most magnificent and impressive of the three surviving entrance gates to the old walled city, which date back to 1400.

BLUE AND WHITE HOUSES

The Blue and White Houses, also known as Wendelstörferhof and Reichensteinerhof, were built between 1763 and 1775 by the architect Samuel Werenfels as residential and business houses for the silk ribbon manufacturers Lukas and Jakob Sarasin. These former residences on Rheinsprung were purchased by the municipality of Basel-City in 1942 and 1968 and today are used by the Department of Commerce, Social Affairs and the Environment.

BASEL OLD TOWN

Basel Old Town is one of the most well-preserved and prettiest in Europe. On every corner you find buildings dating back as far as the 15th century and also fabulous modern buildings designed by world-renowned architects. Thanks to the compact size of the city, it is ideal to discover its charms by foot and walking tours, marked with blue symbols, are a good way to explore the old town.

ST. ALBAN-TOR

The St. Alban-Tor (St.Alban’s Gate), dating back to ca. 1400, was part of the fortifications of the old walled city and is the gateway to a magical quarter of the city. The St. Alban-Tor, known locally as the “Dalbedoor”, is now the gateway to the St. Alban quarter of the city, which, with its narrow, winding streets and historical buildings, is like stepping back in history to the Middle Ages.

CASTLE OF BOTTMINGEN

The moated castle of Bottmingen, a community to the south-west of Basel, is a highlight for all romantics. Dating from the 13th century, it is one of the few such buildings in Switzerland that are still intact. Today Schloss Bottmingen makes a wonderful setting for weddings, banquets and other festive occasions.

I have adapted the descriptions of the monuments from the Basel tourist office website.

Best desserts in Geneva – 1st Quarter 2017

This post normally celebrates my favourite desserts from a cafe/bakery/pastry shop in Geneva. I have only documented delicacies here that I have tried personally (and many times).

For this quarter, the choice of cakes is fabulous. Manor Bakery in recent years has redoubled its efforts to offer good quality cakes, snacks, bread and French viennoiseries at affordable prices.

It’s here that all Geneva comes to get something quick to eat for lunch or to taste a little sweetness after their grocery shopping at the supermarket.

Manor has a wide choice of pastries and cakes, while nonetheless maintaining high quality standards (you can see the baker working in an open kitchen, it’s a kind of showcase and that  is reassuring to us, the consumers).

Here is a small selection of what you can choose at Manor. You should not hesitate to discover their beautiful and tasty cake creations.

This light and tasty Black Forest gâteau was Sweetheart’s birthday cake a few months ago.

Fresh Fruit Tart (Tourte aux Fruits Frais) which Mum loves, and we, too, by the way. Very light and with plentiful and tasty fruits.

Classic Mini Cakes (Mignardises) are a treat for tea time.

The very fashionable American Cupcakes.

Manor Boulangerie Pâtisserie

Rue de Cornavin 6

1211 Genève

Monday to Wednesday and Friday 9:00–19:00

Thursday 09:00–21:00

Saturday 08:30–18:00

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

“Thus, neither of us is alive when the reader opens this book. But while the blood still throbs through my writing hand, you are still as much part of blessed matter as I am, and I can still talk to you from here to Alaska. Be true to your Dick. Do not let other fellows touch you. Do not talk to strangers. I hope you will love your baby. I hope it will be a boy. That husband of yours, I hope, will always treat you well, because otherwise my specter shall come at him, like black smoke, like a demented giant, and pull him apart nerve by nerve. And do not pity C. Q. One had to choose between him and H.H., and one wanted H.H. to exist at least a couple of months longer, so as to have him make you live in the minds of later generations. I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita.” Vladimir Nabokov

Author: Vladimir Nabokov was born on April 23, 1899, in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Nabokov household was trilingual, and, as a child, Nabokov was already reading novels in French, English and Russian. As a young man, he studied Slavic and Romance languages at Trinity College, Cambridge, taking his honours degree in 1922. Nabokov became a refugee in 1940, when he was forced to leave France for the United States. There he taught at Wellesley, Harvard and Cornell. He also gave up writing in Russian and began composing fiction in English. Vladimir Nabokov died in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1977.

My thoughts: Lolita is synonymous with controversy. Even more than sixty years later, it’s still a standout novel, playfully perverse in form as well as in content: an unmistakable masterpiece. This is the kind of creative work of a great writer that I personally adore. I love Vladimir’s fluid writing and his elegance. Passages from the book remain engraved in my mind. That said, I have friends who didn’t like it at all or who flatly refused to read it…

I thought very carefully before posting this book review for fear of shocking my readers, but then I remembered that one of the things I promise to myself is to only post things I truly love. This is my space, part of my world and all the things I adore… I am very fond of Russian authors although I don’t know many of them. My favorite novels were written by the greatest Russian authors and I am deeply fond of their culture.

Here an extract from the book

 “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo.Lee.Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.” Vladimir Nabokov

Carla G. Nyon

One of my favourite clothes boutiques is Carla G. In fact, over the years, it is here I come when I want designer clothes. I cherish quality fabrics and well tailored clothes that I wear both for work and everyday. I like the discreet elegance of the clothes that I find here and the fact that they have a little touch of originality.

So, you can imagine my joy when I stumbled across a branch of Carla G. in the Old Town of Nyon. And, guess what? - 40% off! I simply could not resist this beautiful grey/blue imitation fur short coat. I was really over the moon! It was another unplanned Christmas gift for Number One. Hahahaha...

Since I am nice and kind, here are their contact details.

Carla G. Nyon

Rue de Rive

1260 Nyon

Restaurant Le Léman Nyon

Every time we come to Nyon we have lunch here. It is therefore only natural that I recommend this address to you. Our lunch menu rarely changes because they serve the most delicious perch fillets, fished directly from Lac Léman. Of course, they have a wide range of other dishes which are equally as tasty, but we have a weakness for perch.

We  started our meal with some fresh “Fines de Claire” oysters from Marennes d’Oléron. All of this was washed down with an excellent local Chasselas white wine and rounded off with a tarte Tatin and chocolate profiteroles.

Restaurant Le Léman Nyon

Rue de Rive 28

1260 Nyon

Saturday Getaway to Nyon

A few weeks ago, after a busy week, we could not wait for the weekend to arrive. So, that Saturday morning, we hurried out of the city to take a good breath of fresh air elsewhere. We headed to Nyon. Nyon is a charming small city situated between Geneva and Lausanne.

We  had no pre-established programme. We simply wanted to stroll around the city, look at the shops, discover cool new places and have lunch in a nice restaurant overlooking Lac Léman. All this bathed in sunny weather... Well, sadly not, because the promised sun was defeated by the clouds which reminded us that winter is here to stay.

We  slowly explored different corners of Nyon in this chilly weather. One of my favourite spots is the beautiful Castle - dating from the 12th century - on top of the hill next to a tiny garden and overlooking the lake.

I  like the old houses on the alleys of the Old Town of Nyon. 

Château de Nyon

It  was superb. I’m such a fan of these mini getaways. Doing simple, silly things that beautify our days... And I like to share the beautiful things I see and discover.

I hope you liked the pictures of our day.

Happy New Year 2017