On to Switzerland! (5/2)

This morning, I packed my bags and headed to the train station, where I had my Eurail pass validated, and caught the train for Basel.  It was odd to be doing this – and to find the train so easily – when last Labor Day weekend, it was the Frankfurt station where I got on the wrong train and then, when I was finally on the right one, had to get off and on, with a bus ride in between, because a part of the track was broken. That track has now been fixed, the train was correct, and I just made some “foreigner mistakes” in finding my correct seat.  When the train passed Freiburg, it was all I could do to NOT get off! I had such a wonderful month in Freiburg! But on I went, to Basel, a city I had visited twice in my stay in Freiburg. Initially, I thought I’d only stay one night, but decided on two when I realized there were more things in Basel I still wanted to see.

My reservation was for a room in a YMCA close to the train station. Google Maps got me there, but in a haywire way! The directions tell you to “walk northeast,” or whatever.  I’m usually pretty good at that kind of directions when I have been in an area for a while, and know what’s north, and south, etc.. But in a new place, it takes a while for me to get my bearings, so those directions – at first – are meaningless! Furthermore, what Google Maps should have told me was, “Walk through the train station to the other side.” I eventually did that, and then walked way farther than I would have needed to because GM kept telling me to turn right, turn left, go southwest, etc., when the YMCA was 2 blocks in a straight line from the back of the train station!  Oh, well . . . I saw a pretty residential area and a nice park . . .

I have a single room with a shared bath on the 3^rd floor.  The room looks out on a lovely residential area. Clean, safe, and convenient – what more do I need?

One of the students in my Freiburg class had told me about the art collection at the Beyeler Foundation, and urged me to get there.  The guidebook said it was open on Wednesday evening, so I made a quick decision to go.  All hotel/hostel guests get a free pass on public transportation with their room. What a nice amenity! I took two trams out to the outskirts of Basel on the German side, and was let off right in front of the Foundation Beyeler. It’s a lovely, modern building with lots of flowering shrubbery.

 The current show paired the artists Frances Bacon and Alberto Giacometti. While I adore Giacometti, I had been unfamiliar with Bacon. The two were more or less contemporaneous, both born at the beginning of the 20^th century and dying toward the end of the century. Both studied people, although Giacometti worked in sculpture and Bacon in paint. I was struck with the space within the Foundation – spectacular rooms for art in this relatively small museum. The curation of this exhibit was wonderful, with the pairing of the pieces well thought out. There were videos of both artists – one with Giacometti working in his studio, and one of Bacon being interviewed. Both were well shot, and provided insight into each of the artists. There also was video of each artist’s studio. The Bacon studio was presented in a video screened on the floor! In fact, the screen space encompassed the square footage of Bacon’s studio and sleeping quarters above 2 garages. Amazing and very creative, from a video perspective – and it conveyed the total chaos of the space within which Bacon thrived. (I couldn’t help but think of a certain politician who also thrives on chaos!) The video of Giacometti’s studio was more conventional – as was his studio space, and was screened on the wall. I really enjoyed this exhibition.  If my life takes me back to Basel, I will make another pilgrimage to the Foundation Bayeler.

By the time I left the exhibit, I was hungry.  I had seen the sign for the Markthalle, a name that connoted an open market with lots of good food. (Freiburg has one.) So I went there and was greeted with about 20 booths of food from different parts of the world, all in one, open building.  I ended up with Persian food – a beef-and-eggplant dish. Yum! Then I had a small cup of gelato with 2 flavors: apricot and mango. Another yum! Then it was back to the YMCA to settle in for the night.