The Adventures Of IceBat...and Joel: March 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

March 17: Montreux: "It's been no bed of roses..."

Basel was a VERY good time...and I managed to make a VERY tight train connection in Geneva so I could get up to Montreux. To say the least, the town absolutely leveled me. It is beautiful on a scale I simply can't put into words. It was also the favorite town of Queen's Freddie Mercury, and once you get there, it's obvious why. I also hunted down the casino that inspired the song, "Smoke On The Water."

My foot has gotten worse, and I am going to have to have it looked at when I get home...but, well, you never know if you'll get back to a place, so sometimes you just have to "play through the pain." Which also means I am going to whine a lot when I get home... :)

Tomorrow, I will post a summary of some sort from Newark...

view from the train from Basel to Geneva

Lake Geneva from Montreux

cool...something

Lake Geneva from Montreux

happy IceBat

that's my smile for the year

Montreux from the other side

the cities statue to their favorite former resident, Freddie Mercury

...with IceBat

ok...that's my smile for 2011

IceBat with B.B. King next to the home of the Montreux Jazz Festival

IceBat with Ella Fitzgerald next to the home of the Montreux Jazz Festival

IceBat with Ray Charles next to the home of the Montreux Jazz Festival

...home of the Montreux Jazz Festival

Montreux

this is the casino that burned to the ground...the inspiration for "Smoke On The Water"

the only part of the original casino that still stands...it was later the door to Freddie Mercury's recording studio...

...couldn't have said it better myself...

...sometimes stairs go nowhere...

view from my dinner table...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

March 16: Basel, Friends In Odd Places

Zurich was a good time, but a friend of mine from high school happens to be working in Basel for the majority of 2010, so we got together and had a very nice afternoon and evening...the following is the only evidence of the happenings...

Zurich train station in full swing

Basel

Ze Rhine

Three Kings Hotel

take that, other side of the river!

main square in Basel

Nice mural

Mural

I like this take on the classic...

Their "main" singer was practicing in side...awesome!

"Pizza in a cone"...we agreed that taste-wise, it left much to be desired!

The Trojan Horse...the Atkins Years...

IceBat de Basel

Basel

Dinner. Bratwurst + rosti + awesome mustard = best. dinner. in a LONG time!

twenty years later...who'd have thought?

Monday, March 15, 2010

March 15: Zurich, Open For Business

Today, the town was up and running, so I went about town as much as I could. A brief snow flurry was nice, but my damaged left foot is becoming quite an issue...

Is it a nice bar? OH! It's splendid!