Leaving the Viking Hervor and Time in Basel, Switzerland

Viking continued to impress us with their efficient service combined with flexibility for departing guests. While we had to vacate our staterooms by 8:00 a.m., we could remain on the ship until later in the day. We knew we couldn't get into our hotel early in the morning, so we elected to stay on board for a little while. After leaving our bags outside our staterooms, we enjoyed our last great breakfast in the dining room, then adjourned to the lounge to wait for our taxis to the hotel.  Viking had prescheduled all the taxis (allowing us to choose a timeslot), so when ours arrived at 9:30, a staff member came into the lounge to get us. By the time we got to the taxi, our bags had been loaded into the trunk. 

Just for some background, travelers that arranged their flights home through Viking were off the ship starting at 4:30 in the morning! We prefer to make our own arrangements, especially after reading that some people were taking multiple flights to get home. 

Our taxis delivered us to the Gaia Hotel in Basel, another great one that Rachel found for us. It was directly across the street from the train station and steps from the local transit system, AND there was a grocery store in the same block. The Gaia had our rooms ready by about 10:30, so we were able to drop our bags in our rooms before some sight-seeing and lunch. Charlie and I had a loft suite with the bedroom and bath upstairs. Downstairs was a comfortable lounging couch and a nice desk setup.

We walked for a bit before discovering what turned out to be a great place for lunch near Old Town.  We shared a salad, then received two delicious -- and HUGE -- pizzas for us, Rob, and Thomas, as well as pasta dishes for Rachel and Eleanor. We walked around in Old Town a little more, but it was getting very hot at that point, so we went back to the hotel.

Rachel had reserved dinner at Roots, which was awarded TWO Michelin stars in 2022.  Vegetables take center stage at Roots, and we were not disappointed!  We opted for the six-course menu, plus a dessert course. We were seated in an outdoor covered patio along the river, and we enjoyed watching the Rhine River ferries, which are attached to a long cable across the river and propelled by the current, as they went back and forth.

Here are some photos of the amazing dishes we enjoyed.

Radish with horseradish cream, white asparagus with pine needle emulsion and dehydrated egg yolks

Pea puree tartlet with pickled kohlrabi

Char with three types of green beans

White fish from Lake Lucerne marinated in salt and sugar with minced apple and celery

Roots garden -- 30 different vegetables with different preparations, in a sorrel sauce

Pork cheek with cucumber and spring onion salad; shoyu sauce

Quail breast and quail "popsicle" with white asparagus

Rhubarb and basil mousse, topped with meringues

Cherry mousse with cherry sorbet 

Definitely an epic meal!

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