For the sixth and last stage of our travel story of August 2022, we return to Switzerland, to be precise in Basel (Basel), and then, with a short visit, to Lucerne (Luzern). Basel is a city located on the Rhine River in the northwestern part of Switzerland, near the borders with France and Germany. It is considered the cultural capital of Switzerland and is the oldest university city in the country; with its 40 museums it is the Swiss city with the highest museum density, and among the museums we visited the Beyeler Foundation which gave us strong emotions. The medieval old town is built around the Market Square (Marktplatz), dominated by the 16th century red brick Town Hall. The 12th-century Gothic Cathedral overlooks the city and contains the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam. As for the contemporary, it must be said that Basel is dotted with modern buildings, designed by some of the most famous architects; we have also experienced an efficient and welcoming tram network; in fact, when there are people in wheelchairs, both uphill and downhill, the conductor gets off the tram and activates the appropriate platform. Let's take a look at the images of what we saw walking around the streets of Basel, starting with the fountain created in 1977 by Jean Tinguely. The Swiss artist had the shallow basin of a fountain filled with black asphalt, in order to place mechanical figures powered by low-voltage current, from which water leaked. These ten iron eminences are in constant motion and dialogue with each other as the mimes, actors and dancers did in this same spot once upon a time. In fact, the fountain stands where the stage of the old municipal theater once stood.
And now let's talk about the visit to the Beyeler Foundation, a private cultural institution created by the collector Ernst Beyeler who in the 1950s gradually transformed his library into an art gallery where he exhibited the works that he gradually collected. When he decided to give an adequate home to his 250 works, including Van Gogh, Monet, Braque, Picasso, Mondrian and many others, Beyeler turned to the well-known Italian architect Renzo Piano; so in 1997 the new headquarters were inaugurated, located in the municipality of Riehen in the Canton of Basel:
When we were there, the Foundation hosted (and will do so until 9 October 2022) a beautiful and comprehensive exhibition, Mondrian Evolution, dedicated to the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, of which works that cover the painter's entire life are exhibited, from landscapes to abstract works of his last years:
Outside the Mondrian exhibition, several masterpieces by other giants of painting could also be admired:
But after so much art, would you like to see how Basel greeted us?
Before returning home, however, there was time for a trip to Lucerne, a small town that rises on the shores of the lake of the same name; some photos we took:
With the image of this little duck swimming in Lake Lucerne we close the report on Basel and on our journey in August 2022. We can only confirm the positive judgment already expressed in the previous posts: we had the pleasure of wandering around some beautiful European cities, where we felt at home and verified how the practical problems of accessibility and practicability of structures and roads. And all this was possible, we repeat it for the umpteenth time, thanks to the organization of the tour operator Movimondo and the Strabordo Association. We say thank you to them, in particular to our companions Tania, Emanuele and Mauro, as well as we thank our travel companions for the beautiful atmosphere of collaboration and cheerful sharing with which the tour took place. We hope that these travel opportunities will be repeated in the more or less near future; for our part we will always try to be there and document them in our blog. HAPPY TRIP TO ALL !!!