Jeannie's Travel Addiction

December 11, 2016

Christmas is sneaking up on us quickly  and the Christmas Markets in Europe are  a great place to kick start the holiday spirit.  I am doing just that via a Rhine River Cruise.

First stop is Basel, Switzerland.  A beautiful city with  bustling Christmas Markets…..

Different decorations  adorn the  tops of Market wooden huts, but this was my favorite.

Santa cooking on top of another hut is apropos since food is a large draw for  Christmas Markets.

I guess even Santa can get stressed out this time  of year.  Hang in there Santa, we  are all counting on you!

Night time especially is a fun time to visit the  Markets when all is lit up in their finest glory.  This Christmas Pyramid also has  figures on each tier that  go around and around like a carousel.

Besides the Christmas Markets, many of the  retail stores also jump into the holiday  spirit by decking out their window displays….

or by decorating the whole store front.

The city of Basel also has a special  Christmas  trolley car  that  ONLY children  are allowed to ride and it is driven by one of Santa’s helpers.

The night before boarding the boat for the cruise was spent at Les Trois Rois  (The  Three Kings) Hotel.  A hotel  has  occupied this location on the banks of the Rhine River  since  1641,  with the present building standing  since 1844.  These colorful  Winterberry  arrangements  stood in the lobby and….

Festive  red and silver ornaments hung  from the ceiling  above – guaranteed  to bring  a cheerful  “Wow”  effect to all.

Despite the cloudy day the view from the hotel window was scenic and depicted the  classic look of  Basel’s  homes/buildings.

Many of the  retailers  hang  intricate and  sometimes humorous  guild signs.

Trekking  through Basel”s hilly streets  toward the Markets, I  admired how this home was built  to flow with the slant of the terrain.

My  favorite building in Basel was the over  500 year old  Rathaus  (Town Hall).

Stepping inside the open air  foyer –

Beautiful frescoes were painted in 1522

More of open air foyer.

The impressive entry ways ( that were not open to the public) and…

This one-of-a-kind  fountain !!!

Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading!