I guess we all needed a little extra sleep today. By the time we were ready to head down for breakfast, it was already over. So it was back upstairs to pack up. Before leaving the hotel, we walked over to Coop and had breakfast at the restaurant. I also managed to pick up some fine Swiss chocolate bars. After a couple of wonderful days in Zurich, it was time to make our way to Basel, Switzerland where our ship is docked.
Basel was just a little over an hour away from Zurich but we decided to take a scenic route instead of the highways. We passed through many charming towns, taking in the beauty of the Swiss countryside. At one point, we had to make a stop at a gas station where I learned that English is not spoken everywhere. I think for next time, I am going to have to learn some key phrases in German. We continued our journey and arrived at 2:15 at Steiger Klybeckquai, the pier where our ship was docked.
We were immediately greeted by the crew who took our bags. As we stepped aboard Scenic Jasper, we were offered cold towels and a glass of champagne. The check-in process was smooth and efficient and soon we were escorted to cabin 231. Nana was trying to figure out why we were walking behind Karen and Marie. Remember she thought we were down with the fishes. As our cabin door was opened, Nana realized that we were in a deluxe balcony suite. While we were admiring our cabin, our butler Veljko came by to introduce himself and welcome us aboard.
Nana and Marie stayed behind to get settled, while Karen and I headed to the Basel Airport to return the rental car. The airport is jointly administered by France and Switzerland. So when we were looking at rental cars, we had to make sure to specify the drop off was Basel, Switzerland instead of Basel, France. We parked the car and went into the airport to drop the keys off at the Hertz counter. After a quick inspection by the agent, we were free to go. We wanted to catch an Uber back to the ship but we were not able to find the pick-up point. So we took a taxi instead and were back at the ship by 3:30pm. Marie and Nana were kind enough and picked us up some lunch.
We went and explored all of the different areas of the ship. Since it was a lovely 23°C, we ended up on the Sun Deck. After spending some time in the sunshine, it was back to our rooms. Some of us napped while others unpacked. I got a message from Karen asking if I wanted to go to the Salt Therapy Lounge. This is something unique to Scenic Ships. The humidity and temperature-controlled room is handcrafted from salt bricks and creates a micro-climate of a natural salt mine. It was a great way to relax before dinner.
It was now 5:50pm and we thought we had to be in the Lounge for the ship and safety briefing for 6:00pm. After rushing to get there, we realized that it was scheduled for 6:30pm. So instead of going back to the cabins, we just waited and enjoyed some beverages and snacks. Finally the talk began and we were introduced to Captain Gyula Budai, Hotel Manager Nemanja Tadic and Cruise Director Siim Kelt. All of them said that we were going to have a great cruise.
Once the briefing was over, we made our way down to the Crystal Dining Room for our first official meal onboard. The last time I did a river cruise, I had diverticulitis and all I could enjoy was broth and jello. This time I am able to enjoy all of the food. There were many choices and the food was fantastic. After dinner, we grabbed our jackets and went up to the Sun Deck. Just as we suspected, it was too dark to see anything. We decided to go back to the Salt Therapy Lounge before heading back to our cabins. It was now 9:30pm and it was time for bed.
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