Starting in Wettsteinplatz, we made our way to the north bank of the Rhine to begin our upriver walk, passing the gigantic Roche Towers, Solitude Park and the Tinguely Museum. The entire walk was studded with trees of all types, and stunning sunshine brought out the best of their rich autumn colors.
Perched on an island, the Birsfelden power station marked the farthest point of our excursion. Here we were rewarded with majestic views of part of Western Europe’s longest river. On the same island that houses the power station, immense locks control the flow of water downriver. We saw a massive barge pass through as it made its way back home to the Netherlands. A curious contrast to the Hornfelsen vineyard, seemingly just a stone’s throw away across the border in Germany,
Making an about-turn on the south bank of the river, we turned downstream to Birsköpfli on the return stretch back to Basel. Still further we picked up the St. Alban-Rheinweg, passing the Papiermühle in the St. Alban-Tal. This brought an end to our 5 km city walk, although members of our 17-strong group with a little energy to spare still had the opportunity to visit the current exhibition at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum of Contemporary Art), and could even spoil themselves with something delicious at the Papiermühle restaurant.
